To the Future
by cbehrills
Summary: Uchiha Sarada is the 9th Hokage. A legendary shinobi, the first Uchiha to have become a Hokage. However, her reign is not easy, the village is under attack from a threat greater than any that have come before. When even the Five Kage cannot stop the incoming threat there is only one person who could, Uzumaki Naruto. There is but one problem, he is dead.
1. The Hidden Leaf Village

**Author Note**

Hi.

Allow me to address what seems to be the source of a lot of my criticism.

This story will feature very OP villains. If you do not like this idea, please do not say I haven't warned you. You will likely not enjoy this story.

Now that I have said that, hopefully some of you will have stayed. That's very kind of you. Thanks.

I hope you enjoy 'To the Future'.

Thanks in advance,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST – THE HIDDEN LEAF VILLAGE**

 **The Hidden Leaf Village Tunnels**

The tunnels beneath the Hidden Leaf have a history to them, they have been used for evacuation purposes many times. People fled through these tunnels during the attack of Orochimaru so many years ago. People ran for these tunnels when they came under attack from Pain, so many years ago. During Pain's assault on the Hidden Leaf Village there was one great difference though, a hero who everyone was waiting for, Uzumaki Naruto. This is a different time however, a time without Uzumaki Naruto, a time without Uchiha Sasuke, a time of great war.

"Keep moving please" Inojin requests as he ushers the civilians along the corridor.

It would be considered natural to bawl and shout in these circumstances but Inojin is a professional, Inojin is a shinobi. It's of the utmost importance in this situation that he keeps everyone calm, if they were to get too agitated they may start to run, that would put elderly and the young at great risk.

As Inojin swings his arm in a sweeping motion, urging people on he feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns around to see a familiar face from his youth, a close friend of his mother's. This woman with pink hair is the last survivor of the Hidden Leaf's most legendary team, the last survivor of team 7. Uchiha Sakura.

"Inojin, is my daughter safe?" Sakura asks, her face showing a unique expression. While everyone else in the tunnel is afraid, Sakura is worried.

Inojin shakes his head, "I don't know Aunt Sakura" he answers truthfully, "She said that she will be the last one to leave. As the Hokage it is her duty to protect the village with her life".

This is what makes Uchiha Sarada different to the other shinobi, leaving the village is not so simple for the Hokage. So many had protected this village with their lives, for the Hokage to leave would be to spit on their legacy, great shinobi like Senju Hashirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Namikaze Minato.

"But…" Sakura starts before feeling a hand on her own shoulder.

The owner of this hand is a man who many have come to love and respect. This man has been making plans to retire, to join Sakura's generation in handing over his responsibilities to those that have come after him but as with all happy stories in the ninja world, if it appears too good to be true it usually is.

This man is of course, Sarutobi Konohamaru.

"Lord 8th…" Inojin mutters before saluting.

"Come on Sakura" the 8th Hokage begins, "Our descendants are working hard to clear the village, we shouldn't get in there way".

Sakura lowers her head, an empty look in her eyes. "Konohamaru, these monsters killed Sasuke, they killed Naruto, do we stand a chance of surviving, is there even a point in running".

The many civilians walking down the corridor were quiet a second ago but now they are murmuring, whispering to one another. They all know that this could be the end of their lives, but to hear Uchiha Sakura, their hero, say this is something else.

"Lady Sakura, your generation became heroes when they fought in the great war, everyone was left with no choice, no other option than believing in you" Inojin remarks, "You rewarded their belief greatly, you won, now you have to give us the chance to do the same thing".

Sakura waits for a moment before nodding, maybe not out of belief but instead out of a sense of necessity and of her duty. "You're right" she replies before raising her head to look at the civilians before her, "Let's go everyone".

The medical shinobi begins to walk down the tunnel in parallel with the frightened citizens, reflecting on the battles she has fought in the past. _'If only I had my former strength, I could be fighting with Sarada'._

BANG!

Suddenly a huge explosion happens, nobody knows what caused it but they can all tell it happened nearby. As dust begins to fall from the roof of the tunnel the screams of children fill the enclosed space.

"GO" Konohamaru shouts at the top of his voice.

As the civilians begin to run Inojin approaches the 8th Hokage, "Lord 8th, what do we do?".

"How could this happen" Konohamaru asks aloud, "This village has been here for so many years".

"It's been built on the hard work of generations of our shinobi".

"Yet these people… they're so strong… not even Naruto and Sasuke could stand up to them".

Inojin points down the tunnel, "LOOK".

Coming towards them is a familiar sight, a man with a crazed look in his eye without any intention of communicating with them. This is the enemy they have been fighting for years, not just one, but hundreds of thousands of them. An enemy they cannot negotiate with, an enemy they cannot reason with and an enemy too strong for them to defeat.

As the insane warrior spots Konohamaru and Inojin he begins to sprint towards them, his body an empty vessel with only one intention that can be distinguished from its features. The intent to kill.

The 8th Hokage raises a kunai from his side ready to defend his villagers from the attack that would inevitably come from this warrior.

As the insane warrior continues to run towards Konohamaru and Inojin both ready themselves for a fight. The warrior never reaches them though, his body is impaled by a sword from the rear, a sword that is familiar to both shinobi. As the sword is pulled from the insane warriors gut he falls to his knees and then onto his face, revealing the attacker.

"Mitsuki" gasps Konohamaru as his student approaches him. Mitsuki has been a student of the 8th for years. The son of Orochimaru having worked hard has earnt his reputation as one of the hidden leaf villages mightiest shinobi.

"Sensei, why are you still here" Mitsuki asks with frustration clear in his voice, "You need to go".

"But I'm the 8th Hok…".

"These people need as many shinobi as possible to guide them, or they will die" the young shinobi reminds his sensei and his friend.

Konohamaru holds his head in shame, guilt fills his body as he realises that Mitsuki is right, although it is his duty to stay and defend the village protecting the villagers is even more important.

The pale skinned shinobi had turned his back on his sensei, facing down the tunnel in case any more attackers came. He quickly turns around again "Why are you still here…".

"Both of you… GO NOW".

Konohamaru nods reluctantly, "Come on Inojin" he says before he begins to lead his subordinate down the tunnel.

 **The Hokage's Office**

Sitting in the chair in the Hokage's office is a young woman, only the second woman in history to be in that position, Uchiha Sarada. Sarada undoubtedly possesses the qualifications to sit in this chair, one of the strongest shinobi in the village, the daughter of two legendary warriors. Yet the quality that Konohamaru and Naruto most admired about Sarada was something they all shared, a dream to be Hokage, that is why they decided she would be a great successor.

"It's no good" comes the voice of her chief advisor, "They are overrunning the village".

Sarada looks at the dark-haired man, someone who has a family history in the advisor position, Nara Shikadai. From a young age Shikadai could be seen to be a genius, a tactician of almost flawless strategies. Working together with Sarada many believe them to be the greatest duo to ever work in the Hokage's office.

Sarada, hearing Shikadai's analysis activates her Mangekyo Sharingan, "Then I will die fighting them".

Shikadai slams his hand on the wooden desk that has been passed down from Hokage to Hokage, "Don't be stupid Sarada, the survivors will need you to lead them".

The young woman walks over to the balcony, looking at the swarm of insane warriors below. "I am the 9th Hokage, this is my village, everyone within these walls is within my care".

"Now you are telling me to run away while it is destroyed" Sarada shouts as she turns to face Shikadai.

"Villages can be rebuilt" argues the advisor, "If you die it's permanent".

Seeing that Sarada doesn't move Shikadai approaches her and looks her dead in the eye, "Please listen to me, we have to run".

Sarada's hand plunges into her pocket before pulling out a mobile phone. Quickly she dials a number that she has memorised and used many times in the past. Shikadai hears a brief click confirming that the call has been answered.

"Mitsuki, is the village clear" she asks.

"Yes, you are coming, right?" comes the answer, "If you wait much longer the entrance to the tunnel will be blocked off".

Sarada looks one last time to Shikadai, the young man from the Nara clan who could swear that he sees tears in the eyes of his Hokage. He knows what she is thinking and simply nods.

A deep sigh comes from the Hokage, "Alright, I'm heading there now".

"I'm going to start heading into the tunnel to meet up with Konohamaru sensei" Mitsuki replies before ending the call.

As Sarada puts the phone back into her pocket she looks to Shikadai, a new look of determination in her eyes. It is a key exhibition of what is perhaps her greatest strength, her mental fortitude.

"Let's go Shikadai".

Shikadai takes the prompt and immediately runs to the balcony, leaping down towards the insane warriors below. As he falls he takes out a collection of kunai from his jacket, throwing them and the attached paper bombs down towards his enemies.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

As Shikadai hits the ground he notes the bodies around him, but there is one warrior who has not joined the bodies, one warrior who has survived. The insane warrior thrusts his hand towards Shikadai only to be stopped by a timely use of the shadow possession jutsu.

While the insane warrior is paralysed he is killed by a flying kick from above, such strength is put into the kick that it is clear only an elite shinobi could have delivered it. There is no shinobi more elite than the Hokage.

Sarada spots an incoming batch of insane warriors and quickly uses her Amaterasu to clear a path through them. Suddenly a yellow ribcage materialises around her and Shikadai, something that some shinobi would recognise as the Susano of the Uchiha clan.

"Let's go" Sarada says as she, along with Shikadai, head towards the evacuation tunnels.

 **The Evacuation Tunnel**

As Mitsuki catches up with Inojin and Konohamaru he notices that they have now been joined by the Akimichi clan's latest representative in the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, ChouChou. Not only that but an elderly man seems to be walking the other way through the tunnel.

As the elderly man approaches his features become more and more distinct until an artificial looking smile comes fully into the light.

"Father, what are you doing here" Inojin asks, to the elderly man. It is his father, Yamanaka Sai.

"Rest assured, I am just making sure that everyone is out of the village" Sai answers with a smile.

"Dad" Inojin starts with a look of frustration, "You need to let me handle this, go and find mum and stay down until we tell you to come out".

Sai's smile disappears as he realises that his son isn't going to allow him to do as he pleases. "There is a certain jutsu that Lord Danzo passed down through the foundation" he remarks.

"This is a jutsu that only I can perform… I have to do it the moment we are clear of the village".

"Damn" ChouChou curses, ignoring Sai's talk of special jutsu, "Where are Sarada and Shikadai, they are taking far too long". It is worrying not only to ChouChou but to everyone that Sarada is taking so long to arrive. In this time of war Sarada is their greatest hope, a beacon of shining light in the darkness, a Hokage.

It is at this moment that a silhouette appears in the tunnel, but it is not Sarada, it is not Shikadai, it is another group of insane warriors. No matter how many times the shinobi of the hidden leaf kill them, it seems that more emerge to bring the fight to them. While these warriors have no great strength that is truly threatening, what is threatening is their numbers. Fighting for so long against them without a break poses the risk of exhaustion for many shinobi.

Mitsuki raises his sword, ready to fight the group but his weapon is quickly shown to be unnecessary. A giant yellow skeletal hand swings from one side of the tunnel to the other, smashing the insane warriors into the wall, brutally crushing them to death. Only one person in the world is capable of such a feat, Uchiha Sarada.

"Sarada… Shikadai…" Konohamaru greets his youngers.

"Let's go sensei" Sarada replies as she dissipates her Susano, not bothering to slow down as she walks towards the group of shinobi before her.

Unperturbed by those moving around him Sai begins to weave the signs for his special jutsu, the technique passed down through the foundation. "You guys go, I need to remain here to activate this jutsu".

Inojin feels that he knows what this jutsu could mean, his instincts tell him to expect the worst. "Dad, can't a clone do it".

Sai shakes his head, "No, it would be too weak… my real body is needed for this technique".

"Dad…".

"GO INOJIN" Sai shouts at the top of his lungs, something that nobody has seen before.

"But I…".

Inojin is stopped mid-sentence by a blow to the back of his head. A blow from Mitsuki. Orochimaru's son swiftly lifts his long-term friend onto his shoulders and begins to carry him away, with Shikadai and ChouChou not far behind.

"It's no good" Sai begins with a shake of his head, "I don't have enough chakra to execute the technique".

"Sai, what exactly is this jutsu that Lord Danzo had passed down through the foundation" asks Konohamaru, fearing that he already knows the answer. It is his grandfather, Sarutobi Hiruzen who struggled greatly to stop Lord Danzo's unethical dealings with the foundation.

"It's a bomb" Sai answers, "underneath the hidden leaf… it will destroy the entire village".

Sarada's eyes widen, her Sharingan shining spectacularly in the darkened tunnels, "But we can't do…".

"They are going to destroy the entire village anyway" the artist cuts her off mid-sentence. "We should at least take them with it".

"Sai" Konohamaru begins, "You have to be this close… the technique will kill you, won't it?".

"Yes".

"And you require one of us to stay behind to give you chakra, don't you?".

"… Yes".

Konohamaru's lips curl slightly into a resigned smile. "I think it's an easy decision" he remarks as he creates a clone. Sarada admires the clone, her sensei was personally trained by Lord 7th in this technique, he is a true master of it. What Sarada fails to expect though is the incoming attack from that clone, paralysing her with a perfect shot to a chakra point.

"Sensei you…".

As the clone begins to run away with Sarada, Konohamaru smiles with pride at his student's bravery and determination. He is immensely proud to have been the Hokage, perhaps teaching Sarada was the only achievement he had that could ever surpass that.

' _The clone will disappear soon, but it should be able to take her out of the blast radius before it's too late'_.

Guttural groans can be heard from further down the tunnel, both Sai and Konohamaru have trained their hearing in the past, naturally neither will miss the evidence of an incoming attack.

"Lord 8th, they are coming" Sai comments.

The 8th Hokage rests his hand gently on Sai's back as chakra begins to flow from him to his senior.

"Then send them all to hell".


	2. I have a Technique

**HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST – I HAVE A TECHNIQUE**

 **The Tunnel's Exit**

The tunnel is a dark, damp place. It has been poorly maintained for so many years, it was expected to never be used again following Pain's attack on the hidden leaf village. Yet now running through it are the final two, the last two ever destined to leave that tunnel. The 8th Hokage Sarutobi Konohamaru, the 9th Hokage, Uchiha Sarada.

As the duo exits from the tunnel Sarada's body begins to regain its ability to move. She limply raises her hand to cover her eyes, even the Mangekyo Sharingan is stunned by the change in lighting. For someone who knows what Sarada knows it is an unfitting feeling, leaving a dark place and moving into the light because just around the corner, her world is about to get a lot darker.

"Sarada" ChouChou yells as she begins to run over to her friend. Seeing Sarada being carried is a worrying prospect for the entire village, it's even more saddening for her long-term friend from the Akimichi clan. "Are you alright?".

Sarada ignores ChouChou as Konohamaru gently rests her down on the grass. She looks at the face of her sensei, to see that despite everything, despite his impending death and the destruction of the village he is still smiling.

"Sensei…".

"Sarada" Konohamaru begins with a smile.

The 8th Hokage feels a warmth in his heart as he looks down at his student. He recalls all the great times he had teaching her, Boruto and Mitsuki. All the arguments and petty disputes between four people who would all go on to be heralded as legendary shinobi of this village.

Thinking back Konohamaru recalls a lot of achievements from his past. He mastered the rasengan at a very young age just like the 7th Hokage. Having mastered the rasengan he then used that technique during the invasion of Pain to defend his own sensei Ebisu. Then after so long, after so much adversity and after so much association with the 3rd Hokage he was acknowledged for who he was.

Sarutobi Konohamaru, the 8th Hokage.

"I'm really proud" he continues, the emotion clear in his voice, "I'm really proud to have been your sensei".

BOOM!

One huge explosion sounds.

It's an explosion far greater than any of the civilians have ever witnessed. An explosion that makes the older generation think back to the 4th Great Shinobi War. An explosion large enough to devastate an entire village.

As some people begin to scream, some people cower in fear and some people cry, the 8th Hokage firmly maintains his smile as his student looks at him from below.

Poof!

"SENSEI" Sarada shouts. Though she shouts only at an empty space.

He is gone.

Nearby another woman shares the feeling of loss but on a much greater scale. Yamanaka Ino slowly walks away from the unconscious body of her son Inojin and looks towards the village.

"… Sai" she murmurs with a tear in her eye.

Though some people had lost friends and family, everyone had a reason to be upset. Before the villagers of the hidden leaf village, the oldest and most legendary village, their home is disappearing. Vanishing into a sea of flames. Once more the hidden leaf is gone.

While many would give in to despair, the 9th Hokage doesn't have that option. With a shake of her head she turns to her closest friend, "ChouChou, could you help me onto my feet".

ChouChou offers a hand to Sarada and pulls her Hokage onto her feet. The now sole surviving Hokage of the hidden leaf village.

The first sight that greats Sarada after getting back to her feet is an approaching member of the Hyuuga clan, one that she is particularly familiar with. This elderly lady is Hyuuga Hanabi, or since she was married, Sarutobi Hanabi.

"Sarada… my husband… is he…" Hanabi just manages to get out.

"I'm sorry, Konohamaru sensei is dead" Sarada answers quickly.

It is an unfortunate truth that has effected the two most recent leaders of the hidden leaf, during the reign of the 8th and 9th Hokage the village has suffered more deaths than ever before. The current holder of the red-hat has long since gotten used to telling people that their loved-ones had died. When you must tell your mother that your father is dead, little else can compare in emotional difficulty.

"OK" Hanabi sobs as she wipes the fresh tears from her eyes, "I… OK…". It is clear to Sarada and ChouChou that Hanabi doesn't know what to say. She cannot be blamed, to lose so much in such a quick time-frame was something that none of them are used to. Not even veterans of the 4th Great Shinobi War had suffered so many losses without being able to fight back.

A morbid thought runs through Sarada's mind.

' _At least we won the 4_ _th_ _Great Shinobi War'_.

Indeed, there was hope during that war, such was the essence of the war. For the first time in generations, all five villages fought together, died together and triumphed together. Nevertheless, when so many people joined together and put their lives on the line only one person could truly take the credit for the victory in that war. Uzumaki Naruto.

After the war, had finished, after Otsutsuki Kaguya had been sealed there were but two left who could fight. Her father Uchiha Sasuke and her inspiration, Uzumaki Naruto. When they thought each other, had her father won, Sarada would have never been born, the world would have never blossomed into a place of hope, peace and happiness.

All because of Uzumaki Naruto.

Suddenly another member of the Hyuuga clan approaches, also the spouse of a deceased Hokage. Uzumaki Hinata. Hinata is quick to hug her sister, to comfort her. This war has brought similar suffering to Hinata, who lost her husband in one of the first battles.

When it became clear how strong the invading force was, Naruto and Sasuke came out of retirement to fight. Up to that point ninja history had seemingly revolved around one inevitable conflict and it wasn't the Akatsuki against the Alliance, it was Naruto against Sasuke. Yet these two shinobi, the most famous in history had died in the first battle, killed be a single opponent.

One man had been enough.

One man killed both Naruto and Sasuke.

"Sarada!" Hinata says with a raised voice, snapping the Hokage from her stupor.

Sarada concludes that she must have phased out for a moment.

"What do we do now?".

The Hokage takes a moment to gather her thoughts, to analyse how to proceed. The attackers had come from the west, so it would be best to head east towards the hidden steam village, or it's ruins at least.

"We need to get as far from the enemy's forces as possible" Sarada announces confidently, "We'll head east towards the hidden steam".

The hidden leaf village had been the last village to perish. The Kage first learnt of a potential invasion when the Kazekage, Shinki, stopped returning their calls one day. Shinki, along with the rest of the hidden sand village. That is when the Kage knew something was coming, something more serious than ever before. Since then the villages have disappeared one by one, as they were devastated by the enemy's onslaught.

"Shikadai" Sarada calls as she looks at her advisor standing nearby. "I would appreciate it if you lead the way".

"Of course".

Shikadai approaches Ino, respectful of the fact she has just lost her husband yet still needing to ask a favour of her. Ino has always been a close family friend for the Nara family, especially since she was a teammate of his father's.

"I'm sorry to bother you at such a difficult moment" Shikadai offers, "But I haven't brought any speakers or anything like that. I need to speak to the whole village at once, to tell them our plan".

Ino nods her head gently, knowing that Shikadai means to speak through her. Even now there is nobody in the new generation capable of contacting so many people at once as Yamanaka Ino.

As Shikadai places his hand on Ino's head his voice is projected to the entire village.

" _Everyone, this is Nara Shikadai"._

" _Please remain calm, I'm about to lead you away from here"._

" _We are heading eastwards, towards the hidden steam village"._

" _We will be moving as fast as possible so please help the elderly and those with less mobility than yourselves"._

" _If you need anything please ask a shinobi, we will do our best to accommodate your requirements"._

" _Now please, follow me to the east"._

Shikadai removes his hand from Ino's head before whispering a quick "Thank you", then immediately begins to walk to the front of the villagers.

"Shikadai" a voice sounds as its owner bears down on him. It's his mother, Nara Temari, "What's the situation, how bad is it?".

"Mother… the situation is terrible" Shikadai answers honestly.

"How terrible?".

The chief advisor to the Hokage looks to his left and right before lowering his voice so that nobody can hear. "I think that we are probably all going to die".

"Probably" Temari reacts incredulously, "You mean there is still hope?".

"Sarada mentioned that she had developed a… technique… but I don't know what it is".

"Then let's hope that she is as incredible as her father was".

 **That Night, East of the Hidden Leaf Village**

Gathered near the camping villagers of the hidden leaf are the most elite group of active shinobi remaining. The defenders of the hidden leaf and the children of the most legendary group of all.

Mitsuki, with his snake sword and his flexible body. While he has some flaws that Orochimaru's test subjects didn't none of them could claim to be his son. Prior to Mitsuki's birth Orochimaru had never gazed at someone and proclaimed to have achieved perfection.

Uzumaki Himawari, the daughter of the 7th Hokage, the most legendary Hokage of all. With visual prowess rarely seen even amongst the Hyuuga clan. A prodigious talent who had earnt the respect of all her peers.

Akimichi ChouChou, Nara Shikadai, Yamanaka Inojin, the latest generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho, forever the most cohesive team the hidden leaf could put on the battlefield. Forever a formidable opponent to any enemy they came across.

Metal Lee, the inheritor of a youth passed down from master to student, from father to son. A ball of enthusiasm with taijutsu powerful enough to make a Kage shake in their boots.

And Uchiha Sarada, the first Uchiha to become Hokage, succeeding where both Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Madara had failed before her. The third Uchiha clan member to bear the eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

This is the moment that the Hokage makes her final decision, perhaps out of desperation, perhaps out of hope.

"I've decided I'm going to use the technique I've been developing" Sarada declares.

"I considered the jutsu formula when you first showed it to me" Mitsuki replies with a shake of his head, "It's dangerous, very dangerous".

"What do you mean by dangerous" Himawari asks, not out of naivety but rather looking for specifics. During this period of war, they have all come accustomed to using dangerous jutsu. So much so that the word dangerous has almost become obsolete.

"If either the jutsu caster or the… others don't have enough chakra, they will die".

"I have plenty of chakra" the 9th asserts.

"Just how confident are you Sarada?" Shikadai asks with a look of concern, "If you die then it's over for the village, if you die we all die".

"If I don't perform this jutsu it will have the same consequence".

ChouChou shrugs her shoulders, displaying the same casual attitude she has always done with Sarada's crazy ideas. "In that case go for it".

"Don't be so eager" comes the scolding tone of Inojin.

"If Sara says it needs to be done and that she is capable why are you hesitating" ChouChou retorts.

"There has to be another way"

"THERE IS NO OTHER WAY".

Mitsuki interrupts the bickering members of the Ino-Shika-Cho, not interested in their squabbles at a time where his teammate could be risking her life yet again. "Are you going to tell us what this jutsu does Sarada?".

This question draws everyone's attention; it is a secret technique that Sarada once discussed with her father. That only once has she shown to Mitsuki and that only Boruto fully knows what it does. This technique is perhaps the hidden leaf village's greatest secret since the disbanding of the foundation.

"It would be best if I didn't" Sarada replies to their disappointment, "It might give you false hope and…".

Mitsuki looks her in the eye, "And…".

"It might not be ethical".

Shikadai turns his back to Sarada as he puts his hand in his pockets and begins to walk away, "In that case I think it's best we don't ask any more questions".

"Do it" Mitsuki encourages with a smile, "I'll look after the villagers until you return".

"Thank you Mitsuki".

"I need some space to perform this technique to guarantee everyone's safety so I'm going that way".

"I'll be back afterwards… I promise".

 **A Nearby Clearing**

Sarada arrives at a clearing, just as she had planned. Though reluctant to go ahead with the plan she had always intended to do it, hence why she told one person to wait for her in the clearing. Uzumaki Hinata.

"Miss Uzumaki" Sarada approaches Hinata.

"We've been friends for so long, please call me Hinata" the elderly lady replies.

"You're right of course Hinata… but are you still prepared to go through with this? If this technique works, if I am to stop people being torn apart from their loved ones, you will be the only victim".

"I am prepared Sarada, I am not afraid" Hinata replies with a smile, "I love my children, I love the hidden leaf village and all of its inhabitants. It's the village Naruto once died to protect… I want to die to protect it as well".

"I understand" nods Sarada. The young Hokage knows the emotions that her senior is expressing all too well. For those who love the village so much, who have given so much to protecting it, it hurts even more to see it destroyed, it's citizens thrown into disarray.

"Is there anything you want me to tell them?" Sarada asks.

"Tell them…".

"Tell them to never give up… because that's his ninja way".

"I will".

After listening to the final request of the 7th's wife, the 9th begins to draw a circle around the two of them. The circle is huge in diameter, spanning the entire clearing, the symbols are wide ranging and intricate, such is the complexity of the jutsu.

Hinata recognises the technique type… it's a summoning.

As Sarada bites her thumb to draw blood Hinata asks one last thing of her.

"Sarada… look after them".

A tear glimmers down Sarada's cheek just behind her red-rimmed glasses. "I will".

She slams her thumb into the ground, to perform a summoning of hope. To perform the technique, she firmly believes is the last chance that she has got to save the village and all its inhabitants.

As Sarada begins to pour chakra from her body through her thumb, she is instantly hit by the effects of such a quick loss of energy. She can feel her vitality slipping away from her, such a summoning of such impossible difficulty demands a penalty like this. This is not the only penalty, as white light gathers around Hinata's body, the Hyuuga clan leader gradually begins to disintegrate as her body disappears.

The jutsu hasn't worked yet, causing Sarada to worry. She has only one thing she can do, keep pouring in more chakra.

More chakra.

More.

More.

This is… the last hope.

 **A Medical Tent, The Day After the 4** **th** **Great Shinobi War**

A group of four is gathered in the medical tent. Normally far more people would be crammed into a space this large, the war having had such high casualty numbers. Yet the people in this tent were no ordinary patients.

Two of them not actually injured are the eventual 6th Hokage, Hatake Kakashi and the disciple of 5th Hokage, Haruno Sakura yet two people even more famous are on the beds before them. The heroes who used their powers of nature chakra and visual prowess to seal away Otsutsuki Kaguya; Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke.

"What will you guys do now" Sakura asks with a playful smile, "I hope the two of you aren't going to start fighting again".

Sasuke groans as he momentarily looks over to his missing arm, "I don't want a fight like that ever again" he complains before chuckling to himself.

Sasuke looks over to Naruto, for so long how could he be ignorant of why Naruto cared for him, of why he considered him his best friend. It took far too long for Sasuke to understand just what sort of person Uzumaki Naruto was, a person who could be summarised in a single statement, never give up.

At that moment, a huge amount of chakra appears around Naruto's body, a huge white light engulfing his orange-clad frame as he falls back onto the bed unable to move. His perception leaves his body as he looks down to see his own ethereal hand. It is as if he is a ghost but he is not a ghost. This is his soul.

Naruto looks around to see another floating soul, the soul of the one he loves, Hyuuga Hinata.

"What's going on Hinata" Naruto asks.

"I have no idea" the Hyuuga heiress replies with an expression of confusion on her face.

After their brief exchange of dialogue, the entire world becomes fuzzy to the two of them, all that they can see clearly is one another. One thing is clear to them though, they are moving.

In the tent Naruto's body slowly sits back up, much to the amazement of team 7's other members.

"What just happened" Naruto asks.

"How the hell should I know" Sakura asks as she looks between Kakashi and Sasuke.

"Sasuke, your visual prowess is the greatest in the world, what was that white light" Kakashi questions looking towards his most talented student.

"I haven't a clue" Sasuke shrugs.

"But the chakra felt… it felt like hope".


	3. The Ultimate Gathering

**HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST – THE ULTIMATE GATHERING**

 **The Clearing**

A white field of energy continuously fluctuates around Sarada. In the entire world, not a single other person would can produce such an enormous chakra. Since the deaths of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, Sarada has been recognised by many as having the most chakra in the ninja world. To attain a power on par with the tailed beasts is no easy feat so few in history have can achieve it. Yet as chakra continues to pour from Sarada's body, as her stamina continues to deplete and as her strength begins to fail there is an incurable agony in her heart.

' _Have I failed'._

As the last drops of chakra flow from the Hokage's body she falls to one knee, then both knees. She stops for a moment, unable to bear the strain any more, clutching at her chest as she struggles to breath. To continue after having gone through so much should be impossible, but this is Sarada Uchiha.

Once more with an almost primal scream she presses her thumb to the floor and screams as she empties chakra from any final reserves she can find. Yet it is no good, unable to continue she falls flat onto her face, before quickly tilting her head so she can spit out the blood that has gathered in her mouth.

Rolling over onto her back Sarada looks up into the cloud filled sky, as if to speak to her father in the heavens.

' _Dad… I'm sorry… It was my fault the village…'._

At that moment, something happens that Sarada doesn't expect, something happens that she felt just a moment ago was impossible. A lost hope returned, a forgotten dream remembered, a group of figures bursts through the clouds above her.

The group containing 12 people, the exact number Sarada had hoped to summon plummet towards the ground without much grace or balance. It is evident that they too have been drained of almost all chakra.

That matters little though for this group contains the last hope for the hidden leaf village.

This group contains, the first seven Hokage.

This group contains the man who has always been the hidden leaf village's greatest hope.

This group contains, Uzumaki Naruto.

Sarada leans her head forward to inspect the people falling towards her, seven Hokage, seven faces that just yesterday had been adorning the Hokage monument. Together with them 5 others, five loved ones of the Hokage, included in that group, someone much younger now than 5 minutes ago. Hyuuga Hinata.

Sarada lets the rear of her skull fall back against the cold ground beneath her, "Hinata… it worked".

As the 12-shinobi hit the ground around Sarada their arrivals are represented by great thumps. She laughs to herself slightly, the greatest hope in years had just arrived and it had made such an unceremonious entrance.

Spinning herself around Sarada groans at her own position, unable to stand she is forced to greet these heroes while laying on her stomach. Not only that but using such a dangerous technique means that she has forced them to do the same. She just pulled of the impossible yet now she is experiencing the most awkward of emotions.

"Huh… what is going on?" Naruto asks as he looks around to see many familiar faces.

"I had a strange chakra surging around me and then…" begins the 2nd Hokage, Senju Tobirama. Normally calm and collected the 2nd begins to explain what happened to him aloud carelessly before pausing, as he looks to his right. "Brother… you're alive!".

"Alive?" Hashirama repeats with a raised eyebrow, correctly reflecting the strangeness of the remark.

"Hashirama, your little brother is acting strangely" a red-haired woman comments. A woman made famous for being one of the last surviving members of the Uzumaki clan, Uzumaki Mito.

"Mito" slips from the lips of yet another of the summoned, someone very familiar with the wife of the first Hokage, for they were the first two jinchuriki of the nine tails.

"The first Hokage has no recollection of dying… do you remember your death Minato sensei?" Kakashi asks. The sixth Hokage is easily distinguishable by his mask, something he has worn publicly ever since his youth.

"Is that you Kakashi?" comes the reply, "You're all grown up".

"Please, let me explain" calls Sarada, drawing the attention of her predecessors. Once more before she is able though, she coughs deeply, blood splattering from her mouth onto the green grass below.

"Hey, are you alright" the first Hokage asks.

"Brother, we are all laying on the floor, drained of chakra, you are in no position to offer help" Tobirama counters

"Still…".

"My name" Sarada begins, "My name is Uchiha Sarada… I'm the 9th Hokage".

In one breath, all the 12 shinobi of the past call out in surprise, "9th!".

"The hidden leaf village has come into a period of great difficulty" the latest Hokage explains, "so I created a jutsu of terrifying power".

The Hokage of the past listen intently, particularly drawn by mentions of a jutsu of terrifying power. Whether it was the deep forest emergence, the reanimation jutsu, the kamui or the rasen shuriken, they have all dealt with terrifying jutsu in the past. Yet the tone of Sarada's voice implies that this jutsu is different.

"I cloned the Hokage of the past, then I brought them and their spouses into the future".

"Their spouses" Mito stammers, "Why bring us forward to".

"A kindness" Hiruzen comments as he looks to Biwako at his side, "A great kindness".

"WE'RE IN THE FUTURE" Naruto shouts hysterically, though the others remain composed enough to ignore his antics.

"Dan, you really became Hokage" smiles Tsunade.

"That isn't true I'm afraid" Kakashi interjects, "You became the Hokage Lady Tsunade". Kakashi sighs as Tsunade looks on in surprise, who is he to her, they have never met before yet this man is her successor. The man known as the 6th Hokage, telling her that she was the 5th. "Your grandparents probably have no clue who you are" he continues as he nods towards the 1st Hokage.

"Could it be that you're our…" begins Mito

"I'M A GRANDFATHER" Hashirama takes his turn to yell hysterically.

Sarada shakes her head at the volume. The two Hokage whom history has saved its reverence for unreservedly, the 1st Hokage and the 7th Hokage, yet these two are the ones shouting like village idiots.

"Does that mean I became Hokage!" Naruto asks, having calmed down slightly.

"Uzumaki Naruto" Sarada begins, "you became the single most legendary figure in the ninja world… yes, you became the 7th Hokage".

"Uzumaki" the word rolls of Kushina's tongue as if completely alien to her. A man named after the hero in Jariya's book, a man who had Minato's blonde hair.

"You mean you don't recognise me mum?".

"MUM?" Kushina yells.

Ignoring his mother's over-the-top reaction something occurs to Naruto as he begins to scratch his chin. He looks at the people surrounding him as the conclusion continues to form in his mind. In his inner world, his partner Kuruma holds his head as he watches Naruto's slowly digesting his surroundings.

"Wait, if we have been brought here with our partners…" he starts.

Hinata realises what Naruto is saying and begins to blush terribly, all her life she has been nervous around the hero that is Naruto. It's embarrassing enough around familiar people, yet around some of history's most famous shinobi, surrounded by Naruto's parents it is even more awkward.

"Do Hinata and I get married" Naruto asks, himself slightly flustered by the sudden revelation.

"Yes… I'm sorry, it's a bit awkward that you found out this way but the Hinata of this time requested it".

"Why not summon me from 10 years in the future?" Naruto asked.

"I summoned you from the moment in history that I believed you to be at your strongest, for you it was following the 4th Great Shinobi War. That's what I need, in this dire situation, I need the full might of the previous Hokage".

"So I became the 6th Hokage" Kakashi notes, "If you are the 9th and Naruto is the 7th, who was the 8th Hokage?".

The youngest member of the Uchiha clan's expression dims as she recalls events that happened just earlier in the day. "Sarutobi Konohamaru, he gave his life so that I would get the chance to summon you".

Hiruzen's expression firms up as the name reaches his ears, "Sarutobi, is he?".

"He is your grandson from later in your life, he was born a few years before your death" Naruto answers with a smile, "He was a great shinobi… oh, so is Lady Tsunade, she's one of your pupils one day".

"Oh… nice to meet you" Hiruzen offers, not quite knowing what to say.

A realisation comes to Sarada who focuses, the bizarre situation had been too distracting and had made her complacent. "Never mind all of this, we should move, who knows when… when… when…".

"Worried about something?" taunts a newcomer from behind the 9th Hokage.

Sarada looks behind and her face contorts in terror. Stood not too far from her is a smug looking man with long black hair. She judges that from his skin texture and facial structure that he is likely in his middle 50s. He wears a bronze coloured cloak and his green uniform has a number 3 clearly written on his chest.

"It's one of their captains".

"This man is an enemy?" Dan asks.

"Yeah".

' _Not good'_ Tobirama concludes, _'Not even my brother has gotten to his feet yet… we cannot fight this man right now'_.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Biwako asks.

"Don't tell me after all this… that we are just going to die" Sarada curses as she clenches her fist.

Suddenly a surge of chakra comes from one of the fallen shinobi as he somehow wills his way to his feet. This chakra does not come from a tailed beat yet it is unfamiliar to all the shinobi present. The one getting to his feet is Uzumaki Naruto, using not Kuruma's chakra but using his own.

Tobirama gasps at the rising shinobi, someone getting to his feet quicker than even his brother _'What a monster'._ Unfortunately, he is quickly let down by the drain of Naruto's chakra, the blonde falls gently onto his back as he loses what remains of his strength. Not even a Hokage could get up after losing so much chakra.

The enemy captain laughs to himself, such amazing aura's these people have and yet they are unable to do anything. It seems to be his lucky break that he has caught them at such an opportune moment. Swinging his arm from his chest to the outside of his body, blue streaks of electricity crawl along from his shoulder to his hand before flying towards the downed shinobi. A sea of blue that would seal the fall of the hidden leaf village and all its citizens, an attack with enough power to engulf them all in one go.

' _Kuruma, can't you do something'_ Naruto asks his partner.

' _I'm just as drained as you are'_ the fox groans in reply.

Naruto is then distracted from his discussion, not by the crackling of lightning but by a weapon that flies past his head, it's a kunai. The kunai is quickly followed by another and another again, tens of them fly past his head, each with a pocket of super-condensed air behind it that explodes stopping the lightning in its tracks.

Kakashi is intrigued by the collision of power but doesn't dare use his Sharingan to observe it when so low on chakra. _'That lightning was monstrously strong, even stronger than my raikiri yet it was deflected so easily'_.

' _Who could do such a thing'_ Minato contemplates.

For the first time in what feels like days Sarada's lips curl into an enormous smile as she realises what is happening.

"Go scout the enemy lines, look for weak spots she tells us" a man complains, "What was she thinking".

"You can't blame her; it was the right decision and you know it" argues a woman. The duo approaches from behind the summoned Hokage, coming into Sarada's eyes to confirm her suspicions of their identity.

"And now I've come back to find that my village has been destroyed… I'm allowed to be a little bit angry" he whinges with surprisingly little enthusiasm, his calm demeanour giving the hidden leaf shinobi a sense of safety.

"Who are you?" the captain asks to the newcomers.

"Who are we… HA" the woman laughs coldly.

"A lot of the people you just tried to kill are friends and family of mine" the man explains as he ties a hidden leaf head protector around the top of his skull, "Did you honestly think I would let you get away with it".

"9th… who is this?" Hiruzen asks.

"They are two of my most trusted shinobi" comes the reply.

"Sarutobi Mirai and…".

"Uzumaki Boruto!".

Boruto walks slowly over to his parents, as if he is not being stared down by a terrifyingly powerful foe. "Well well, I didn't expect to see you two looking so well when I came back?".

"Are you…" Hinata begins.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions" Boruto interrupts his mother, "Right now isn't the time, the grumpy one is staring this way".

Boruto's hands begin to move at incredible rate, forming sign after sign. If the shinobi gathered weren't so talented then they would not even be able to see the signs being formed, such is the grace and skill Boruto forms them with. As he completes the final sign tens of kunai on the floor before the enemy captain come flying back towards him. Each of the stops just short of him before turning to point at the enemy captain.

A slow change takes place in Boruto's eyes as they begin to chance from a brilliant blue to a solid white colour.

This is the byakugan.

Mirai watches her friend with a smile, her recent work with him increasing her confidence that he is going to win this battle.

"I have to take care of this guy first".


	4. Uzumaki

**HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST – UZUMAKI**

 **The Clearing**

The tension in the air is thick, laying immobile on the ground are 8 of the hidden leaf's Hokage. Laying on the ground are 5 legendary shinobi of the past. Standing ready to kill them is a Captain of the invading forces and only 2 shinobi standing in his way, no, it would be more accurate to say that one shinobi is standing in his way. The body language of Boruto and Mirai making it clear to the others that he is the stronger the pair and that he intends to fight the captain alone.

"Hey" shouts Senju Tsunade, "Will you really be OK, that attack he just performed was on the Kage level".

To shoot lightning on the Kage level is truly an unimaginable feat for a normal person. Even amongst the Hokage there is very little combined power using the element of lightning, the only one amongst them who favours it being Hatake Kakashi. The Captain before them though, he had created a sea of lightning on par with the raikiri in merely a second.

"Don't worry about me" Boruto says with a smile.

While Boruto does smile, he refuses to take his eye from his opponent, although confident it pays to not be overconfident, regardless of the opponent. Against an opponent like this, being overconfident is nearly impossible anyway. Boruto does have one distinct advantage though, his opponent uses the element of lightning, yet his key competency lies in the wind style.

Mirai's voice draws the gaze of the many guests from the past. "Boruto won't lose".

At that moment, the Captain decides he has had enough of listening, with but a flick of his hand lightning manifests in his hand, quickly extending to form the shape of a sword. A terrifying weapon that leaves Boruto reminiscing about his master's use of lightning to enhance swords.

The Captain charges towards Boruto, his steps light but his pace quick as he closes the distance towards his fair-haired opponent.

Boruto's reaction time is equally quick, instantly he weaves a successive five signs sending chakra out of his body to the kunai around him. Each individual kunai adjusts its angle before shooting into the air before him. Each moment that passes the distance between the kunai increases, an attack with little accuracy but great area of effect.

The Captain sneers at Boruto's attack, "Do you think I can't avoid them?".

True to his comment the Captain swiftly dodges the kunai heading towards him. It is not particularly difficult to do this, anybody at the jonin level should be capable of doing so. Though something about this event seems out of place to the Captain, he is right to be concerned as is confirmed when his eyes contact Boruto's once more.

Boruto is smiling.

A strange noise fills the air surrounding Boruto and the Captain, it is as if the air is moving at an unprecedented rate. As if the wind is furious and has decided to shatter the earth itself but what it is out of place is the lack of a breeze, not a flutter of clothing, not a slight force against the skin of anyone present. The wind is instead acting to influence the kunai. As if an invisible box has been formed around the Captain, the kunai ricochet off its walls. The wind is sending them back towards the Captain, from all different directions.

The Captain flinches.

"WHAT THE…".

As several of the kunai hurtle towards the captain he is left with no choice but to spin on his heel and knock them from the air. The lightning sword makes quick work of the kunai before him, most shinobi can knock kunai from the air, much less a Captain of the invading forces. An elemental weapon like the lightning sword is far too strong to be overcome by simple kunai, even for a genius shinobi like Uzumaki Boruto.

The Captain turns back around to run towards Boruto only to make a shocking discovery.

Boruto is right in front of him.

In Boruto's open palm a pure ball of blue chakra has formed, a technique created by his grandfather, made famous by his father and taught to him by his sensei, the rasengan. Boruto's twists his body from the hips, the part of the body responsible for creating the most momentum with such an attack. He swings the rasengan as hard as he can towards the Captain.

' _That technique is powerful but it won't be enough to put me down'_ the Captain concludes, _'I'll endure it and stab him at the same time'._

Thinking that the Captain thrusts his sword towards Boruto, a wry smile on his face as he looks Boruto in the eye. Something that again manages to throw him off balance.

Boruto still looks confident.

The rasengan in Boruto's hand begins to spin, as if preparing to form a rasen shuriken. This sort of spinning is a method to make the rasengan more dangerous as first discovered when the 6th Hokage suggested it to the 7th Hokage.

The Captain's eyes widen as he realises the increase in danger, _'NOT GOOD'._

The Hokage of yesteryear watch on in awe as a huge bang stuns everyone. The rasengan has connected. Unfortunately, it is not a full connection as the Captain adjusted his course at the last second, it is simply a weak blow to the biceps of his off-hand, yet the results of the attack speak for themselves. His entire arm has been blackened.

The Captain leaps backwards to create distance between himself and his opponent.

' _If that attack had hit me in the torso… I would have been down for the count'_.

The Captain's thoughts are interrupted by the mocking voice of his opponent, "You really should have thought twice before destroying my home".

"Ha, you really are overconfident boy" the Captain begins, "See the bronze cloak, see the prestigious uniform marked with a 'number 3', feel my unmatched aura… I am… I AM A CAPTAIN".

The connotation of this quote is quite clear to Boruto and the other's, _I won't fall for the same trick twice_. Bearing that in mind Boruto weaves a sequence of signs causing the kunai to gather before him once more, regardless of the chances, the circumstance, the odds or the challenges he is confronted with, nothing changes, he must still fight.

Once more the Captain begins to run towards Boruto, this time with a more reserved pace. He maintains an open posture and his eyes are scanning the various kunai that Boruto has once more gathered before him.

Boruto also repeats his actions from the previous encounter, launching the kunai in various directions. The kunai fly away from each other and begin to bounce around the invisible box that Boruto has created. This time there is a key difference, even after they have bounced the Captain continues to dodge them. The distance between the two continues to close and the observers all have the same ominous feeling, if the enemy is to reach Boruto, then he will die.

While the kunai continue to bounce around the box Boruto makes a simple gesture with his hands, not a sign, to Naruto it seems to be more orientated to controlling what the kunai are doing now that they have gained that momentum. That guess is proven correct, as the next time the kunai bounce off the walls they all double in number, Boruto had successfully applied the shadow clones jutsu to weapons.

' _With this number it is impossible to dodge them all at once'_ the Captain realises, _'But it's different to last time, he can't afford to be hit by them either, he cannot close the distance'_.

Bearing this in mind the Captain flips forward into the air, conservatively swinging his sword to only knock down enough kunai that he is happy he can dodge the present ones once more.

Boruto waits for his opponent to hit the ground, the moment he does so making another gesture to affect the kunai rebounding around the box. This time it is simply the tightening of his fist, such a small gesture yet it has an enormous affect.

All the kunai bouncing around the box changed.

They all transformed into rasengan.

"Impossible!"

The Captain is hit square in the chest with one of the rebounding rasengan, quickly losing his balance he plummets towards the ground without any control over his direction.

"What will you do now?" Boruto taunts the captain, "What use is your bronze cloak now?".

The Captain is hit by another rasengan.

"What use is your prestigious uniform now?".

Another hit!

"Where is your unmatched aura now?".

Another hit!

"Welcome to despair good captain".

Finally, another rasengan hits the captain from behind, propelling him uncontrollably in Boruto's direction.

"Welcome to our world".

With that Boruto creates a spinning rasengan in his hand just like he did previously and waits.

The Captain verbally lashes out sensing his impending doom, "You will… you will die for this. The others will kill you, my superiors, their superior, YOU WILL DIE".

"Ask the devil to prepare a feast" Boruto mutters, "Because they will all join you in all hell".

BANG!

The rasengan pierces directly through the uniform of the Captain, shattering most of the bones in his torso and ending his life. The body falls to Boruto's feet a broken mess. For the Hokage of the past one thing had been made very clear, powerful shinobi existed in this time just like any other.

A few moments past before something else draws everyone's attention. Once more Naruto gets to his feet, slowly and surely with a lot more confidence and balance this time.

"You are already on your feet" Boruto notes with a hint of admiration in his voice, "Despite how much chakra you have lost your rate of recovery is incredible, your power is unquantifiable. Sarada was right to bring you back here, you're…".

"You're the hidden leaf's greatest ever shinobi".

"Thank you uh…".

Boruto chuckles at his dad's cluelessness, "Forgive me for the lack of introductions". Walking slowly over to his father, the two shake hands, "My name is Uzumaki Boruto".

"Uzumaki…" Naruto starts.

"Yes, I'm your son".

"Eh my son" Naruto responds with disbelief, reminiscent of his incredulity when he first met his father, "But you're older than me".

A brief silence passes.

"Is he serious?" Tobirama asks.

Kakashi, knowing Naruto the best of anyone shakes his head slightly, "You'll have to forgive Naruto Lord 2nd, he was always awfully slow when it comes to these things".

Tobirama sighs in response, "Well, I suppose he is a monster who managed to get to his feet before my brother, as well as a Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, that's enough for me to admire him".

"Minato, we have a son" Kushina smiles.

"Yeah… and a grandson".

"Yes and they're both really incredible shinobi".

"I've never met my paternal grandparents" Boruto comments as he approaches the downed Minato and Kushina, crouching so that he can get closer to their level. "It's an honour to meet you grandfather, grandmother".

"Nice to meet you" they both reply with smiles.

"I have a sister who would love to meet her grandparents too" he continues, "However, right now we need to focus, we are in danger here, another captain could be along soon".

The next of the Hokage rises to their feet, this time it is Senju Hashirama. As someone who has spoken to the Sage of the Six Paths Naruto understands that Hashirama is another of Asura's transmigrants, it is unsurprising that he has also been so quick to get to his feet.

"Another person as strong as the last one?" Hashirama enquires about the potential of another attacker.

"That was a captain" Boruto explains, "The weakest of the enemy's officers, next time we probably won't be so lucky".

"There are 3 tiers of officers" elaborates Sarada, "Captains are the weakest, slightly stronger than them are Colonels, then the strongest of all are the Generals. We have never defeated a Colonel".

"Never" gasps Tsunade, "Not once?".

"Not once" Boruto confirms.

While the Hokage and their spouses tip their heads in astonishment, they consider just what the implications of such a strong opponent are. Just how has the hidden leaf village managed to survive for so long?

Boruto crosses his fingers, creating several shadow clones. "Mirai, I'll need your help as well, we have to get these men and women out of here".

Mirai crosses her fingers and does the same. "Of course".

"Where are we going?" Naruto asks.

"To meet the villagers" his son responds, "They have been waiting a long time to see you again".

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi all, first I would like to say thanks for reading and for all the lovely things you've been saying about the work I've done so far. It's always great to hear / see that you are enjoying what I am doing, so thanks for all that.

I thought I would take this opportunity to try and elaborate on just how often I will be uploading (assuming all is normal). My plan is to upload one chapter every weekday as long as I am able, I'm sure you understand that some chapters may turn out to be longer than others and thus will take longer to complete but I usually get them done 1 per day. I don't intend to upload chapters on weekends but sometimes I will because I have nothing else to do (such as this one), no promises though.

Further to that I have to plan these out before I write them, so far I have planned and scripted Part 1 (Hope, A Thing of the Past) and have written four chapters for it but I have not yet scripted and have only got the start of a plan for Part 2. Hence, there will have to be brief periods of inactivity while I plan and script between parts. I know where I want to go with the story so it shouldn't take too long but I hope you appreciate these things are unpredictable.

Thanks for reading.

Me


	5. Welcome Back

**HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST – WELCOME BACK**

 **The Hidden Leaf Camp**

Mitsuki takes advantage of the commotion amongst the villagers to slip away. They have been noisy ever since the allotted departure time passed, the reason, the 9th Hokage has still not returned. In situations like this the authority to make decisions theoretically falls to Shikadai but everyone knows that isn't what will happen. If Sarada is declared to be dead, then Mitsuki will be named the next Hokage. It's not a job he has ever dreamed of, not a job he has ever coveted yet one that he cannot refuse if it falls into his lap.

Mitsuki, ignoring the racket behind him, falls onto the floor before laying his back against a rock. The rock isn't comfortable, it has a surface as cold as ice and as rough as gravel but he doesn't care, right now all Mitsuki wants is to wake up from the nightmare he has found himself in. With Sarada dead, Boruto dead and his sensei dead, would the world be worth living in anymore, one memory saves him. The memory of Hatake Kakashi; Kakashi lost his father, both teammates and his sensei before even reaching adulthood and yet still managed to become Hokage.

"Are you alright Mitsuki?" a feminine voice asks from behind.

Mitsuki turns his neck to the side, looking over his shoulder as much as his body will allow him without the manipulation of his powers. He is greeted with a concerned face, the concerned face of the last survivor of team 7. The face of Uchiha Sakura.

"I've got a few bumps and bruises but nothing that won't heal" Mitsuki smiles as he turns his head back around.

Picking a stone up from the ground and flicking his kunai against it, Orochimaru's son sharpens the blade, flick by flick as sparks dance from the steal before landing on the nearby grass.

"You're lying" Sakura notes.

Mitsuki stops sharpening his kunai, once more tilting his head to gaze into the unwavering eyes of Sakura. He pauses for a moment before sighing and throwing the stone away. Collapsing back onto the rock he closes his eyes and drops the kunai.

As the snake-like shinobi rolls his loose blue sleeve up his arm it reveals his pale skin. His arm isn't as normal though, one long gash occupies the length of it, deep enough to hold a pen, it is a gruesome sight that a lesser shinobi would be traumatised by.

Sakura places her hands above the gash, green energy flowing from the tips of her fingers as the gash begins to close, this is the medical ninjutsu that nobody can claim to match, the greatest in the village, the greatest in the world.

"You really must tell us when you get injured" Sakura begins as if scolding a young child, "Your welfare is vital to the vil… to our survival".

The slip causes an awkward silence that lasts a few moments.

"Sorry".

"Morale is also important" Mitsuki notes, "I'm one of our three strongest shinobi, I can't afford to be seen getting injured".

The point is highlighted even further by Mitsuki's current situation, if neither of his teammates returns then he will become Hokage. The Hokage in that situation would be the only hope that the village has left for survival. To see that hope in such a bad state would be devastating, even for the most strong-minded individual.

"Do you know what this technique Sarada has been working on does?" the mother questions. Sakura doesn't have much hope when she asks but feels that she should anyway. The fact that she, Sarada's mother, doesn't know what the technique does is testament to the great pains Sarada has endured to keep it a secret.

Mitsuki drops his shoulders slightly as if relaxing, "I don't know… but she has been focusing on it every spare moment, it has to be something special".

"I hope so".

The green medicinal chakra disappears from the gap between Mitsuki's arm and Sakura's hands, representative of his wounds healing. Now all he can do is wait for it to get better naturally. A few moments pass as the duo enjoy the silence, despite appearing blasé to the outside world, inside Mitsuki's head a bundle of emotions are untangling themselves. He is grateful to Sakura for her healing yet he is struggling to show any happiness given the current situation.

That all chances one a set of figures walk into view.

"It's Boruto!" Mitsuki yells as a smile comes to his face. "And he… he's got some people with him". He starts as he looks sideways to see his healer's reaction.

"This…" Sakura mutters as she walks slowly towards the figures with an outstretched hand, "Oh my god".

Mirai and Boruto dissipate their clones, gradually lowering their fellow shinobi to their feet. Without exception, they are all able to stand without support now, every one of them is an incredible warrior with a story firmly written into ninja history.

"Naruto" she begins, "And… is that you Kakashi sensei… and you Lady Tsunade".

Kakashi's eyes contort in a manner that makes it obvious he is smiling, an expression he is famed for. "It is good to see you Sakura".

"Lady Tsunade, Sakura is your disciple from the future" Hinata notes with a smile.

"Tsunade had a disciple". Dan is quick to tease Tsunade who has usually had such an apathetic attitude towards such things.

"Nice to meet you" the 5th answers awkwardly.

Sakura then takes a few more steps towards Naruto, getting almost uncomfortably close before leaning in closer, inspecting the very contours of his face.

"Is it really you?" she asks.

"Sakura, it's me".

Boruto winks to Sakura before pointing a finger at his father. "Believe it".

As Hinata begins to laugh Naruto crosses his arms and adopts a grumpy face. "I can't believe I am being picked on by my own son, we only just met a short while ago…".

Naruto's complaints are interrupted by Sakura's tight embrace. Little can be heard apart from the wind blowing through the trees, the leaves falling to conceal the earth below them, it is on a foundation like this that the village hidden by the leaves was created. It is for moments like this that the hidden leaf was created, it is with moments like this that the hidden leaf has survived.

"Welcome back Lord 7th".

A few nearby villagers notice the newcomers.

"What's going on".

"Who is that with Lady Sakura".

Two retired shinobi are stood amongst these villagers, the patriarch and matriarch of the Nara clan, Shikamaru and Temari.

"Shikamaru… is that… is that?".

Shikamaru nods, "Yeah". He takes hold of Temari's hand and tightens his grip on it, "Never mind the cheesy grin and the whiskers, this feeling is unmistakable".

"The chakra?".

"No" his head shakes, "Remember the feeling of hope building up inside you, that feeling is Uzumaki Naruto".

"HEY EVERYONE" Mitsuki yells at the top of his lungs, "LORD 7th HAS COME TO SAVE YOU".

A few seconds' pass before the villagers realise that the blonde-haired youngster before them is the 7th Hokage, then the silence is no more. The village erupts in a raw of elation, there is no mistaking the face of the man before them, it is Uzumaki Naruto, it is the 7th.

Sarada approaches her mother with a smile on her face. Usually the 9th Hokage likes to maintain a composed demeanour but not even her thick-rimmed glasses can hide the excitement written in her eyes. There was only ever one source of hope and after so long, that hope is back.

"Mom, I'm going to need your help to bring these men and women up to speed".

"My help" Sakura starts.

The Hokage nods, "As you may have gathered, they have not been brought here with the reanimation jutsu invented by the 2nd Hokage".

"They have not been brought from the dead using Nagato Pain's Rinne-Rebirth, they are as alive as alive gets".

"They have been brought forward from the past" Sarada explains, "I tried to bring them all forward from the part of history in which they were strongest".

"I see" Sakura exclaims, "So the 1st Hokage won't know anything about any of the great ninja wars".

"Great ninja wars" Hashirama stutters, "But Madara and I created the hidden leaf to try and escape from wars, what a terrifying place the world became". It seems strange to those from the future but to Senju Hashirama who has dedicated his life up to this point, trying to find a way so that children would not die because of stupid wars. To come into the future and find that it has still happened is tragic.

"Don't worry old man 1st" Naruto calls, raising Hashirama's eyes, "The hidden leaf has been my home for all of my life, I'm really happy you created it".

It is still a point that has astonished many scholars from the future, how could Uzumaki Naruto, a child born into such tragic circumstances, burdened with so much hate and blessed with so little talent, how could someone like that decided to discard all his hate and live on like nothing has happened.

"I see" Hashirama smiles, "7th Hokage, a whole 6 after myself, I suppose I must have done something right".

"Naruto" chuckles Sakura, "You look so young, you must be about 17 years old. Have you even become the Hokage yet?".

"I came forward from when Grandma Tsunade was still the Hokage, the end of the fourth great ninja war".

Tsunade crooks her head, "Did he just call me Grandma?".

"Yes" Kakashi replies.

"Are we related?".

"No", the 6th Hokage replies, "He just calls you that because he met you when you were old".

Dan works quickly to hold Tsunade back as she waves her fist and curses at Naruto. "THAT DAMN KID".

Boruto smiles, doing his best to ignore the rampaging 5th Hokage, "Sakura, you were there right up to the end of the 4th great ninja war, you know the truth behind our history better than anybody, could you please explain it so that we are all able to speak on the same level".

Sakura nods, "I'll do my best, though my knowledge becomes hazier the further back we go, I'll need you all to make sure that I don't make any mistakes".

Mito nods, "Of course, we will help out where we can".

"It will be interesting to hear what happened after I passed on" Hiruzen notes.

"I'm looking forward to hearing about Naruto's story" Minato notes.

"We have to move further east first" Sarada notes, "After that we will set up camp again, then my mother can tell you the whole story".

' _It's as if they have completely forgotten'_ a Tobirama thinks to himself, _'We have each left behind a turbulent and dangerous part of our lives'_.

' _Yet we have stumbled into an even greater hell'_.

 **Later That Day, The Hidden Leaf Camp**

The temperature has risen significantly despite the time getting later and later. A result of heading east, towards the hidden steam village. While this voyage has little effect on the shinobi the journey has slowed significantly due to the struggling children and the elderly. The circumstances are difficult.

Despite that morale is high as the current generation of shinobi gathers. Boruto, Mitsuki, Shikadai, ChouChou, Inojin, Mirai and Metal all gather around in a circle. Discussing what they have been doing since the war broke out, sharing stories but most importantly discussing their potential salvation. They discuss the arriving Hokage.

"So it's really the Hokage of the past?" Shikadai asks incredulously.

"So your dad is here?" Inojin asks hopefully.

"My father and mother have been brought forward" Boruto confirms, bringing a smile to the faces of his friends.

"Your father is youthful is many ways" Metal Lee declares.

"It must be strange to have a father younger than yourself" ChouChou says.

Boruto simply smiles, "My grandfather and grandmother are here as well, they aren't much older".

Shikadai sighs, "I remember the day of the chunnin exams, Lord 7th's strength was incredible… but is it enough to win this war?".

"What's the point in asking?". Mitsuki looks down into the earth beneath him as he asks.

"Mitsuki?"

"If Lord 7th is strong enough then we will win and if he isn't then there will have been nothing that we could have done".

The group become silent after this observation is voiced. It is true that if Uzumaki Naruto at the peak of his powers is unable to defeat the invaders then nobody would be. There were a few people who could claim to have momentarily been stronger than Naruto, Uchiha Madara, Otsutsuki Kaguya and Uchiha Obito, yet none of them were suitable to bring forward with the technique. No, if this threat is to be averted Naruto would be the one to do it.

"Stop worrying" Boruto smiles, "He is the greatest shinobi in history, he will win".

"I suppose so" Mitsuki nods.

"Himawari went to introduce herself to our parents and to help Sakura explain our history, they should be done soon, I'm going to go and speak to my father".

As Boruto walks away from his peers he slowly approaches his father, the world's hope.

' _Dad, everyone always told me that you were the best… I saw your power with my own eyes'_.

' _They told me that you couldn't be beaten, that the darkness, no matter how dark, could never extinguish the light in your heart'_.

' _Dad, what will you do when you find out just how dark this world has become?'_.


	6. Despair, Our World

**HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST – DESPAIR, OUR WORLD**

 **The Hidden Leaf Camp**

Boruto walks briskly through the camp with a wry smile on his face. To his left are large wooden constructs, to his left are small residential wooden houses. To create something like this for the duration of a single night was unthinkable but a few days ago, yet now, with the summoning of the Hokage, this has become possible. Naturally, the power to construct these buildings is the power of Senju Hashirama, the 1st Hokage and his kekkai genkai, the wood release.

Though the villagers are no longer stood out in the open it is not difficult for someone of Boruto's skill to locate the Hokage. Not only is he an expert who uses the Byakugan but he is also adept in the techniques of a sensory shinobi. Finding someone like his father, Uzumaki Naruto, who had such unyielding chakra is all too simple.

Sensing his father's chakra, Boruto gently opens the door to a small hut. Quietly the door opens, loud enough to be noticed yet quiet enough to not disturb the explanation that Sakura is giving.

"So Sasuke and I had a daughter" Sakura concludes, "And now she's the Hokage".

A huge smile covers Naruto's face, "That's great" he shouts, "So Sasuke started protecting the village again".

Bringing Sasuke back to the village was Naruto's greatest challenge in the past, his best friend, someone that only Naruto could bring back. To hear that he had succeeded, that Sasuke had come back to the village after their battle, is of great relief to the eventual 7th Hokage.

Sakura nods "You brought him back to us Naruto".

"Thank you Lord 7th" Sarada adds with a bow of her head.

"Naruto" comes the voice of Kakashi. "I came forward from… well the war hadn't even started yet, Lady Tsunade just told me I was one of the give generals".

"Congratulations on bringing Sasuke back" he finishes.

"Well I hadn't really done it yet, he was still a rogue ninja when I last spoke with him but it feels good to know that I would have brought him back eventually" Naruto smiles, "Thank you, Kakashi sensei, Sakura".

"I'm glad the Uchiha broke free of their curse" Tobirama shrugs as he closes his eyes.

"I told you never to distance them from the rest of the village" Hashirama shakes his head as he scolds his younger brother.

"It matters little now; it looks like everything turned out alright".

"Until they came…" Himawari adds.

Silence descends on the room as they all reflect on this. Together they had all prepared the circumstances needed for a hero to emerge but that hero had to be truly forgiving, truly kind. That hero was Uzumaki Naruto and he had emerged, he brought peace to the ninja world that had been crying out for help. Years' worth of death and destruction all laid to rest and resolved by one man. Yet what they hadn't anticipated is that the attackers would be from beyond the world they knew, such a thing was after all, unthinkable to them.

"So how did these attackers arrive" Hiruzen asks.

"We don't know exactly" the 9th answers, "They came from the west, past the land of wind".

"There were thousands of them, to say the least the bulk of their forces were insane. God knows what caused them to lose their minds though. It's as if they have lost the ability to think for themselves, still they are horrific to face in battle. They never retreat, they never give up and they never show any mercy".

"If they have lost their mind why are they attacking you" Kakashi questions.

"We don't know… perhaps the captains have some way of controlling them that we don't understand".

Tobirama recalls the military tactics he witnessed during the warring states period, "Have you never been able to capture a captain and get information out of them?".

"No" comes the answer, "They are too strong, all they seem to be interested in is hunting us to extinction".

Boruto speaks up, drawing the gazes of the historical figures to the wall on which he is leaning, "Something has become quite clear by the way they fight" he begins, "They are not of this world".

"Uhm… excuse me" Hinata says with a raised hand.

Himawari laughs at the action, "You're our mother, stop being so nervous".

"What is it mom?" Boruto asks.

"If they are so overwhelmingly strong and we have no idea what their motivation is, how can we possibly fight them".

"I only have the start of a plan" Sarada explains.

"What is that?".

"My plan was to bring back the only ones who could fight against them… my plan was to bring back the Hokage".

Hashirama smiles, "We won't let you down Lord 9th, our hard work has helped to forge this village, to mould it into what it has become today. We won't let it disappear without a fight".

Sarada recalls something that she was taught in the academy. A village is not a series of buildings, a place where people live or even a place people call home. A village is a group of people working together, smiling together, crying together, living together and dying together. Thus, if they are not alone, the village will survive.

"Oh" Boruto mumbles as he leans forward from the wall, "Lord 3rd, the woman who accompanied me earlier would quite like to speak to you and your wife".

"She would?" Hiruzen starts.

"Yes, she's your granddaughter".

 **An Hour Later, Near the Camp**

A tree has always rested in this spot, a tree that is much taller than the surrounding trees. The leaves on the tree change with the seasons, their colours forming a spectacular rainbow at times or a monochrome green at others yet the leaves never fall.

While the trees colour is spectacular, what is truly spectacular is the view from the tree. Though miles away lakes and rivers dot the horizon while birds sing in the canopy above. If one were to look from the tree they would be greatly tempted to never come down. For at the top of this tree, it is as if the war doesn't exist.

Sat in the tree are two of the people from the past. One of them a Hokage, one of them his wife. The only thing hindering a happy romantic moment is the circumstance in which they have been brought forward. They are not yet married. Not Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata.

The pair sit next to one another on a long thin branch with their legs dangling over the edge, staring at the horizon.

"Hinata, we should really talk about all this" Naruto finally says.

"Yeah".

"It's really weird you know" Naruto begins with a chuckle, "We aren't even together yet and we have children".

"Two of them".

Naruto nods, "Exactly, and they are both older than we are".

"That's right" Hinata notes, not sure how to feel about having children older than herself.

"But" Naruto interrupts her thoughts, "I'm pretty proud of them both ya know"

Hinata looks Naruto in the eye, as if to verify his sincerity. She was terrified but a moment ago that he might reject the idea of having children, that it might ruin any friendship that she and Naruto might have going into the future. She shakes her head slightly as she pinches the back of her hand, _'I should have known Naruto better than that… he would never reject anyone, especially his own children'_.

A smile comes to Hinata's face as she decides to stop overthinking the situation, "They have both done well in a really difficult situation, they are just like you".

"You've done well in tricky situations as well" Naruto replies, "If you hadn't stood up to Pain that day then none of us would have been here".

"Thank you".

Another awkward pause while Naruto thinks of what he is trying to say. _'Why am I so bad at talking to girls… didn't Pervy Sage teach me anything'_. He thinks back to the time he spent with Jariya and his exposure to his genre of literature much earlier in life than most men, _'If Pervy Sage would have said it that would probably have been the wrong thing'_.

"Hinata" he mutters as he rubs the tree with his hand, "So few things in life are certain, my parents died when I was very young and Neji died only a few days… years ago. But you and I… if anything is certain it's that we work well together".

Hinata smiles, "Yes".

"I know it's not the same as it would have been but…".

"Naruto…".

The blonde scratches the back of his head and smiles awkwardly, "Sorry, I don't really know how to say any of this".

"We… we have a rare chance to fall in love knowing that it works out well" he rushes to say, "I want to make the most of that, if you do as well".

Hinata's face turns as red as a tomato but she nods gently, "Yes, Naruto".

Naruto opens his arms to his partner with a much less awkward smile. "Let's protect our kids together, Hinata".

"Yes" she answers as the embrace in a warm loving hug.

"Am I interrupting something?".

Naruto and Hinata's heads snap to the side, to a figure they would soon come to know well, to Boruto.

Realising that Boruto probably just heard everything they were discussing, Hinata blushes and quickly jumps away, back towards the village.

"Is something wrong with her?" her son asks.

"She was just embarrassed that you walked in on us hugging" Naruto replies. Hinata has always been awkward and embarrassed around Naruto and that was just talking with him. To be seen hugging him was something that she wouldn't be able to remain calm about.

"I'm your son…" Boruto remarks, reminding Naruto that he shouldn't feel awkward around someone so familiar with him.

"Yeah, Hinata… uh, your mother has always been like that". Naruto sighs internally, _'It's going to take me ages to get used to saying that'_.

"So I see" Boruto smiles, after such a prolonged period of misery and suffering her reflects on how nice it is to see someone behaving so innocent. Through the course of the war he has led many squads of shinobi against the invading forces, he has lost a lot of shinobi. He has lost good shinobi; he has lost good friends.

"Dad, are we alone?".

"Alone?" Naruto stammers, not quite understanding what Boruto means. He scratches his chin, taking a moment to snap from his stupor. "Oh alone as in… are we being watched". The 7th Hokage reaches out through his senses, using Kuruma's chakra to amplify his capabilities.

"Yes, it seems like we are alone".

"Thank god" Boruto sighs as he drops onto the branch before leaning against the stem of the tree. It is as if months of stress leave his body in a single moment but Naruto also feels something else leaving his body, something tangible, as if death itself is evacuating from his veins.

"Hey Boruto, what's wrong with you?" Naruto asks as he leans over towards his son.

"It was terrible" Boruto murmurs, as if recalling events from a story.

"I'm going to get help". Naruto bends his knee and prepares to push up, to look for Sakura or Lady Tsunade in hope that they can help.

"Don't" Boruto stretches his hand out towards his father, his fingers reaching for him as if chasing after him, "Nobody can know about this, just you and I".

"What is that stuff that came out from your body" Naruto asks.

"I don't know" his son answers honestly, "It first happened when I led an attack on the enemy's forces. That day with the help of my subordinates I managed to defeat two captains but the price was great".

"On that day everyone died… everyone apart from me. I didn't want to survive, I collapsed, completely exhausted and prayed to the heavens, I prayed that I would die. Ever since then this… ethereal substance has built up in my body. The more death I witness the more it builds".

"Does it hurt?" Naruto asks.

"Immensely" comes the reply, "But you felt just how awful that energy is, nobody could endure its presence, they would be driven mad. So, I release it in private… nobody knows that this energy is building up except you".

"Is there always so much of it?".

Boruto shakes his head, "No, there was more this time because I witnessed something indescribable".

"Mirai and I, I told Sarada we were just going to scout behind enemy lines but there was more".

"More?" Naruto starts.

"Yeah, I went to investigate the origins of the invaders, I went west of the hidden sand village. I found some sort of passageway, some sort of portal that was guarded by a few of their soldiers".

"The portal was vibrating, moving rapidly from side to side as if it were a caged animal. I thought it might move at any second so I decided I had to investigate what was on the other side. Still, I didn't know what it was. The enemy is already so terrifying".

"So what did you do?".

"I used a genjutsu to hide it from Mirai, I distracted her with a clone while my real body went to investigate. On the other side, there were… soldiers gathered, millions of them, there were captains and colonels too and…".

"And…?".

"I saw that general, the one who killed you".

"A general killed the me from this time?".

"Yes" Boruto answers, "It was the worst pain that Himawari and I have ever had to endure but for mom… I think it was even worse. If there is an afterlife, I'm happy that she has been given the opportunity to reunite with you".

"Hinata…" Naruto stammers, feeling somewhat guilty that he had caused his wife from this time so much pain before her passing, "So, you saw this general".

"Yes, it happened right after the invasion, you and my master, Sasuke, went to fight that general. He was leading the invasion so you two came out of retirement to fight him. But you lost, he killed you both".

"Hey, I will get stronger" Naruto firmly fixes his into the eyes of his son, "I won't lose again, I will find a way, no matter what".

"No you don't understand, he was talking to another general".

"There was a general even stronger than him".

"AN EVEN STRONGER ONE".

"Yeah, she was so strong, I just stood there while they talked, like I was paralysed, I just couldn't move. Then she looked at me… SHE SAW ME… and then, then she smiled. She turned to the troops on the ground and she launched an attack, not on but on her own troops".

"One attack… she killed all of them".

"Millions of dead in a second, that is the sort of power we are competing against".

"Don't you see what I am saying dad, there is no way we can win, we're all going to die and there's nothing that anyone can do about it".

"Boruto…" Naruto gently calls his name.

"That's what you just felt, the death of a million people, the pain flowing from my body".

"Boruto…".

"I can't tell the others; I can't rob them of their hope and I know I shouldn't have robbed you of yours but I…".

"BORUTO" Naruto shouts this time, focusing the attention of his son firmly onto him.

"I haven't known you very long" Naruto begins, "And I don't know you very well but I'm going to make you a promise. I will save you, all of you".

"Don't you get it; don't you remember what I said to that captain. 'Welcome to despair, welcome to our world', there is no way to save us" Boruto argues.

Despite the morbid words of his son Naruto's gaze doesn't shift, it doesn't waver. The look of determination on his face is so clear, not even the foremost masters of genjutsu could assure Boruto so much with any one visual.

"Why" Boruto stammers, "despite everything, despite the despair, why won't you give up hope".

"I'll never give up because that's my ninja way" Naruto answers with a smile. With that he gets to his feet and scratches the back of his head, his awkward smile returning, "And…".

"And…".

"Because I'm your father".


	7. A Village Worth Protecting

**HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST – A VILLAGE WORTH PROTECTING**

 **The Hidden Leaf Camp**

Following the explanation of ninja history, Minato and Kushina decide to get to know some of the villagers. Not only will this help their understanding of history, of what the village has become but it is essential for a Hokage to know their villagers. While the incumbent Hokage is Uchiha Sarada, the 9th Hokage, that cannot detract from the fact that Minato is the 4th Hokage and forever will be. As for Kushina she is the wife of the 4th Hokage, the mother of the 7th Hokage and the nine tails jinchuriki, a truly important member of the hidden leaf village.

Knocking on one door results in a familiar looking face opening it. The long black hair and the shadowy presence indicates to Minato and Kushina that this is a member of the Nara family. The man introduces himself as Nara Shikadai, the latest member of the Nara clan to join an Ino-Shika-Cho formation.

"So, the Nara clan is still faring well" Minato notes with a smile. He recalls the days of growing up in the academy, fighting alongside many brave men and women from the Nara family. It was a clan that had earnt its reputation not only as the hidden leaf's most intelligent clan but also one of the most respected in its history.

"Yes Lord 4th, we have suffered a few… a lot of setbacks because of the war but we are still here, we are still alive" Shikadai answers. It is a painful answer to give, agony wracks his heart as he thinks back to the day Boruto lead an assault on the enemy forces. That day he had primarily taken members of the Nara and Akimichi clans, nobody but Boruto had returned.

"Please don't call me Lord 4th" Minato waves his hand vertically with a tone of embarrassment, "You can just call me Minato".

"I believe my grandfather was friends with a Namikaze Minato" Shikadai points out.

"Shikaku" Minato raises his voice subconsciously as he leans inquisitively towards Shikadai, "Is your grandfather Shikaku?".

Shikadai nods, "That's right… I never met him, he died in the fourth great shinobi war".

Kushina lowers her head, _'They all talk about it, the fourth great shinobi war, as if it was the most important event in history. They all give credit to winning that war to Naruto… just how important was my son'_.

"I see" Minato lowers his head awkwardly just like his wife, "I have been told that I was reanimated for the fourth great shinobi war, I'm sorry that I couldn't save him".

Shikadai chuckles at the apology, "There is no need to apologise, that hadn't even happened in your life yet, besides, if not for you and the other Hokage we would never have won the war".

A smile comes to Kushina's face as she rubs her hand along Minato's back. "Good work Minato".

"Thanks" Minato smiles awkwardly, "Though I haven't done anything yet".

"But not everything worked out well" she continues, "We've been bad parents to Naruto and bad grandparents to Boruto and Himawari".

Minato remembers the stories Sakura told them just a few hours ago, of how Naruto grew up in terrible circumstances. He remembers how it was said that Naruto was bullied and abused by the villagers, the same villagers who blamed him for the death of himself, the 4th Hokage. All because of one curse, the nine-tailed fox. It is testament to Naruto that he could do what nobody else could have ever done, taken all that hatred, that curse and turned it into a blessing.

"If I may, you saved Lord 7th's life when he was first born" Shikadai points out as places a hand on the shoulders of Minato and Kushina, "If not for you two he would have never gone on to become the greatest hero this village has ever seen. You had but a few moments to be parents and you raised the finest child this village has ever had".

"I suppose so" Kushina's lips curl as she realises that even to the latest generation Naruto is such an important part of the village.

"You have been given a golden opportunity to unite your family, you should take some time to get to know one another before the war prevents you from doing so".

"That's a good idea" Minato nods, "It would be nice to have a conversation about something other than fighting".

As he looks to his left a nod comes from his wife, "Yeah, Hinata is from the Hyuuga clan isn't she, does she have any surviving relatives?".

"Just one" answers the man from the present, "Her sister Hanabi would be delighted to meet you all but… you see… her husband was the 8th Hokage, he sacrificed his life so that we could make it here".

"I see" Kushina scratches her chin, "You better not say anything to upset her Minato!"

"Me?"

"Can you take us to meet her?".

Shikadai nods with a smile, "Of course, follow me".

 **Near the Hidden Leaf's Camp**

Finding a clearing in the forest, Sarutobi Hiruzen decided that this would be the best spot for some privacy given the circumstances. It was a special occasion after all, it's not very often that you get to meet your grand-daughter for the first time.

The conversation had been nice, Biwako found that she and Mirai had a lot in common. Food, music, art, there were so many similarities in their likes. While Hiruzen found less common ground it failed to detract from his happiness, while he had yet to have children of his own his grandchild was standing before him and she was perfect to him. To see Biwako and Mirai smiling he felt the world was complete.

However, Mirai did find some common ground with the genius shinobi and it was a common ground that was very useful in the present circumstance.

"So you want to spar with me?" Hiruzen asks.

"Yes" Mirai answers as he nods her head like a child, "There aren't many opportunities to spar with anyone around here".

Many would consider it strange that with all the fighting going on in this time that there were so few opportunities to spar. Regardless, the situation is one that Hiruzen is familiar with, spending a prolonged period where you must be prepared for an incoming attack means you should remain in peak condition constantly. This is no longer the case however, because now the village had a multitude of legendary fighters to protect it.

"Especially since you are on the Kage level" Mirai continues, "Sarada's always too busy for sparring".

Hiruzen smiles at the enthusiasm his descendent is showing, "So you enjoy testing your limits too, that's something we have in common".

Biwako sighs as she closes her eyes and shrugs her shoulders, "So our children became fighting enthusiasts just like you Hiruzen".

"My father was quite laid back when it came to fighting" Mirai points out, thinking back to the stories that her mother, Kurenai Yuhi, had told about her father. Apparently, Asuma's demeanour was not that of a battle maniac but was instead more laid back.

"It seems the enthusiasm skipped a generation" Mirai suggests with a shrug of her shoulders and a relaxed smile. "Anyway, I was never told that we had that in common, I have always been told you were very relaxed just like my father".

"Really?" Hiruzen questions with incredulity thick in his voice.

"Only some of the villagers like Lady Sakura remember your reign as Hokage, you were old at that point" Mirai tells her grandfather, "I imagine you had calmed down somewhat in your old age".

"I see" Hiruzen begins before a smile comes to his face, "Then nobody from this time will know of my true power".

"I suppose not".

"Well then… let me show you".

Hiruzen bites his thumb and slams it onto the ground, an inky formation appearing around it as he calls out the words that have become well known within the ninja villages. The words to a summoning jutsu.

As a poof of smoke appears a bulky figure appears with in it before it begins to slowly dissipate. The figure is not that of a man but a monkey. A few members of the older generation might be able to identify him as the monkey king, Enma.

Enma turns his head to look at the 3rd Hokage, his long-time partner. "You look… you look so young" he smiles.

"I'm surprised you are still alive old friend" Hiruzen replies.

"Hmm… my lifespan greatly surpasses yours Sarutobi; are you aware of the attack on this world?".

"Yes, that's why I summoned you" the 3rd declares as he swivels his body back around to face Mirai, "I'm going to have a practice match with my grand-daughter".

"Fighting alongside you again, how nostalgic". Enma thinks back to the last time he fought alongside Sarutobi Hiruzen during the fourth great shinobi war, to the time before that when he gave his life to protect the village from Orochimaru. The latter didn't have a happy conclusion but the former did, the former was supposed to solve all their problems.

Enma changes into his staff form as Hiruzen takes hold of the newly transformed weapon. He and Mirai charge at one another to do battle. A practice match that Mirai had been craving for ages, a spar that Hiruzen always wanted to have. A true source of happiness, an outlet for stress for both shinobi.

As the two engage Himawari approaches the onlooking Biwako. "Lady Biwako, how are you feeling?".

"It's a bit overwhelming, moving to the future, finding out all that is happening" Biwako answers honestly.

Himawari nods, understanding perfectly what the medical shinobi is saying. Truthfully, she herself had wondered earlier just how the Hokage of the past had managed to maintain such a calm attitude, they had been suddenly taken away from important moments in history and thrust into the future. How were they supposed to cope with such stress? Himawari had only one answer in her head, _'It's because they are Hokage'_.

"As well as that there are so many people, so many shinobi like you who came after us that we have to learn about" Biwako continues. The hidden leaf contains many clans, more so than other villages. Whether it was the Senju or the Uchiha, the Uzumaki or the Sarutobi, the clans all had proud histories that didn't stop after the deaths of the previous Hokage.

"But… I'm happy to see my husband and my grand-daughter sparring, having fun together" she finishes.

"I see" Himawari smiles.

Meanwhile on the 'battlefield', Hiruzen swings his staff towards Mirai, making sure to hold back so that he wouldn't cause her any serious harm.

Mirai raises her dual chakra blades, weapons left to her by her father and given to her by Nara Shikamaru, a man who was the closest thing she had to a father. She raises the blades to block the staff, a solid thump shaking the surrounding area as the wind on the blades collides with the solid adamantine like material.

As Hiruzen retracts his staff a few stray sparks fly from the edge of the chakra blades. As the sparks move towards the nucleus of the wind energy Mirai comes to a realisation. _'If they react together they will explode'_.

As the sparks collides with the nucleus of the wind the fire turns into a blaze, a truly hot inferno. Seeing no other option Mirai extends her chakra towards the blaze, as if to control it. As her chakra connects with the now fiery nucleus, she forces the blaze out of her wind chakra and fires it towards the weaponised monkey.

Hiruzen quickly drags Enma out of the way before he reverts to his monkey form. Standing next to each other, Hiruzen and Enma both wear expressions of astonishment.

' _That was'_ Hiruzen postulates, _'In that moment she...'_.

His thoughts are interrupted as Mirai falls to her knees, exhausted from using her chakra in such an unfamiliar way.

"Go Enma" Hiruzen commands, resulting in his summon quickly disappearing.

"Mirai!" Biwako shouts as she runs over to her close relative, Himawari close behind her.

' _In that moment she combined the wind and fire, almost like a kekkai genkai; but such a thing. Such a thing should be impossible'_.

 **A Hut in the Hidden Leaf Village**

The hut is empty except for a few people who have been summoned from the past. Hatake Kakashi looks at the cards in his hand before resting his chin in his hand. He had not been under the impression that this would be a good way to pass the time, yet it didn't feel good to be proven right.

"I'll bet another fifty points" Tsunade yells as she flaps the cards in her hand about.

Hashirama laughs hysterically, "Another hundred points".

"What are you doing" Mito asks her husband with a tone of suspicion.

"Gambling" Tsunade and Hashirama answer simultaneously.

"Brother, you really have to kick this gambling addiction" Tobirama says with a scolding tone. It has not caused any great financial problems for the Senju clan or even for their family but it was embarrassing to the ever-serious Tobirama for his brother to gamble like a drunkard.

"Don't turn our grand-daughter into a compulsive gambler as well" Mito complains.

"I think it might be a bit too late for that" Dan sweatdrops.

"You mean she already is?" Mito starts.

"She becomes famous for it" Kakashi points out as he looks over to the Uzumaki clanswomen.

"A professional?" Tobirama questions hopefully.

"No" Dan answers, "she always loses".

Another deafening laugh escapes Hashirama's mouth, "So I might finally win this time, who would have known my grand-daughter would be so bad at gambling".

"Laugh it up" Tsunade says as she slams her hand onto the table, making several cracks appear, "Perhaps I'm only bad because of who taught me".

"Well who taught you?" Hashirama smiles.

"You did".

Once again Hashirama's laughs fill the room, "Sounds about right".

Kakashi shakes his head at the bizarre situation he has found himself in, "Another twenty points".

"What are you even gambling over anyway" Tobirama asks.

"That's right, they don't even use money in this time, the war stopped that" Mito points out.

"Whoever loses will owe the winner money when the war is over" Tsunade answers.

"Are you ready Tsunade?" Hashirama asks with a smile.

"Hell yes" Tsunade answers as she slams her cards on the table.

The laughter begins again, his laughter, "I finally won" he declares as he puts his cards onto the table, "all my gambling has finally paid off".

"I'm not so sure" Tobirama replies.

"Huh".

Hashirama's brother tilts his head sideways twice in quick succession, prompting him to look over to Kakashi's hand.

Kakashi shows his hands to the Senju clan members, "Actually it looks like I won".

"I lost again!" Hashirama raises his head to the heavens.

As Mito holds her head in her hands Tobirama makes a serious observation, "It looks like the Senju clan is innately bad at gambling".

"And they summoned you guys to save the village" Mito shakes her head without removing her hands, as if she cannot bare to look.

"Don't worry Mito that gamble will definitely pay off because…".

The entire room looks towards the 1st Hokage, wondering what wisdom he will offer them. What words of encouragement he will come up with in a time that offers no hope?

"Because the 9th Hokage was the one who made this gamble and she's from the Uchiha clan".

As Hashirama once again begins to laugh Dan looks towards Kakashi, "Will this be OK?" he asks.

"Who knows" Kakashi shrugs, "But at least this way I will have some money if it is".


	8. The Family Reunion

**HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST – THE FAMILY REUNION**

 **A** **Hut in the Hidden Leaf's Camp**

The interior of the hut is dim, faintly lit by a small fire Naruto created a few moments ago. Insects crawl along the wooden walls and the water seeping through them dampens the room, yet it does not dampen the spirits of those residing within it. This is the hut that will see the Uzumaki-Hyuuga family finally reunited. As the water around the fire slowly evaporates a small ethereal steam fills the room, creating a mystical atmosphere.

Waiting inside the room is a group of six, all close family members. The oldest generation, Minato and Kushina both gathered to informally meet their descendants for the first time. Naruto to find out about his daughter for the first time, Boruto to explain what has happened in this world and Himawari to meet those who paved the way for her. One woman hasn't found what she has come for so far, she hasn't found her sister, that woman is Hyuuga Hinata.

The wooden door begins to open slowly, creaking as a stress is put on its hinges. It opens to reveal the dark sky beyond, though the full-moon is bright enough to show a silhouette to the occupants of the room. The outline is of an aging woman; the outline is of Hinata's sister.

"Hanabi, is that you?" Hinata asks as she gets to her feet and walks over to the door.

Hanabi steps inside, her face emerging into the light of the fire, "Hi sis" she welcomes as she pulls Hinata into a tight hug, "You look so young".

Releasing Hinata from her embrace Hanabi approaches the only vacant chair in the room, her eyes remaining fixed on one person as she walks. "And Naruto, it's good to see you again".

"Yo" Naruto simply replies as mock salutes his sister-in-law.

As Hanabi sits down the smile on her face is more vibrant than it has been for many years. _'Are you watching this Konohamaru… he is here, Uzumaki Naruto. He's been gone for far too long'._

"You better take good care of my sister" Hanabi teases as she points at the 7th Hokage of former years.

"I'll do my best" Naruto promises with a cheesy grin. While he and Hinata have not been together for long he has always had a feeling of closeness around the shy Hyuuga clanswomen. Regardless of what his feelings are or were, he knows that he wants to keep her safe whatever happens.

"His mother would probably beat him up if he didn't" Minato chuckles as he reaches for the back of his head.

"That's enough from you!" Kushina yells as she hits Minato in the back of the head.

' _I finally understand where Himawari got her temper from'_ Boruto notes internally never to get on the bad side of his grandmother.

He thinks back to the day that his father was proclaimed as the 7th Hokage, a day that he had been waiting years for, yet that day his father had not been able to attend his ceremony. No, that day Naruto was too busy defending Boruto from his crazed younger sister. Himawari was a powerful shinobi even at a young age, with a temper you didn't want to be on the receiving end of. It confused him up until now, she didn't inherit that temper from her mother nor her father, she had clearly got it from her grandmother.

"So how are you doing Hanabi" Hinata questions as she sits down on a chair at the poorly constructed table, "Has the war affected you badly".

Hanabi's chest tightens as she thinks back to the day the village was evacuated. So many people died delaying the invading forces that day, so many talented shinobi, so many good friends. Yet when everyone had evacuated two brave shinobi made the decision to stay behind, that if the village was to be destroyed then the enemy should go with it.

After a long pause the younger of the Hyuuga sisters' answers, "My husband died".

"I'm so sorry" Hinata says as she stands up and walks over to Hanabi. Brushing her hand along her sister's arm to comfort her.

An awkward silence descends on the room, what was a happy family reunion only a few seconds ago quickly turned into a mournful occasion. It is important to remember that the family reunion is only possible because one great man gave his life and without that great man the family is not complete.

"Your husband was a member of the Sarutobi clan, that's what I've been told" Minato recites this information that he learned from the Nara clan's latest generation. From Nara Shikadai. "The 8th Hokage if I'm not mistaken.

"Yes" Hanabi nods as she wipes a tear from her eye, "Sarutobi Konohamaru".

"Konohamaru" Naruto gets to his feet as his voice raises in volume, "So it was Konohamaru, he actually managed to become Hokage".

"Yeah" Hanabi smiles despite her tears, "He was a great Hokage".

"He was my sensei as well" Boruto explains. "He was a great sensei, said to be on par with the most successful teachers in history, on a level with his grandfather Sarutobi Hiruzen and on a level with Hatake Kakashi who taught the legendary team 7".

"He didn't even get a proper burial" Himawari tells her father, "Every other Hokage has had a public funeral. When you died, the entire village mourned for a week. Yet he just… he just got left there, buried beneath the debris".

Hearing his daughter's tale angers Naruto, he tightens his fists so much that his hands turn a pale shade of red.

"Naruto…" Hinata stammers.

"I'm going to back to the hidden leaf village" Naruto declares defiantly, "I'm going to get his body".

"You can't do that dad" Himawari calls pleadingly as she grabs her father by the wrist, "The insane ones will have completely overrun the village. There may even be some captains watching over it now". Himawari does not make this statement purely to dissuade her father, this is her analysis from hundreds of battles against the insane warriors, her judgement for years of despair at the hands of an enemy who knows no mercy.

"Then I'm going to fight them" he replies, his fists not loosening at all.

"Naruto, trust me it's not worth the risk", this time Hanabi takes a turn at raising an objection. "We can go back when the village is clear". Although she hasn't been involved in fighting during this war Hanabi has kept track of what has been happening, she didn't have any choice. Most of the time her husband would be away helping organise the war effort, being the 8th Hokage meant he was obliged to, analysing the enemy's movements was one of the few things they could do together.

"I don't care about the risk" Naruto shouts as he turns around, "I am going".

"Dad, we've been fighting for so long without any hope" Himawari pleads, "Now that you are back we finally have that hope, please don't throw your life away so quickly".

Naruto lowers his head and sighs, the room is falls quiet, the only thing preventing silence the crackling of the fire. Naruto closes his eyes and thinks back to his memories of Sarutobi Konohamaru, teaching him techniques that would help him to become Hokage in the future. Teaching him techniques that probably wouldn't help with becoming Hokage. The two spent much time together, bonding over their mutual lack of acknowledgement and their dream to become Hokage.

"I'm normally pretty bad at working these things out" Naruto begins before raising his head and turning to face Hanabi, "But doesn't this make Konohamaru my brother-in-law".

"Still you shouldn't…" Hanabi starts.

"If I am too weak to stand up to these guys what was the point in bringing me here" Naruto shouts as he swings his arm out to his side, his frustration clear to his family members. While many of them had spent so little time with him they all felt that they knew him so well.

"So that you can become stronger still" Himawari notes, "So that you can fight them".

"Doing this is what makes us who we are" Naruto argues, "What is the point in surviving if we lose who we are in the process".

Another period of extended silence falls on the room, nobody knowing how to counter that argument.

Then somebody decides not to.

"He's right" Boruto declares.

"Boruto…" Hanabi starts.

"Dad, I'm coming with you" Boruto decides as he gets to his feet and walks towards the door.

Naruto smiles at the determination his son is displaying. Not a few hours ago Boruto had been in a state of agony and total despair, he had been unable to see any hope whatsoever, yet he adopted something from Naruto's attitude. Even if it was impossible, even if the odds were stacked against him, he still had to try.

"Minato, can't you talk some sense into them" Kushina asks as she turns to her husband.

Chuckling Minato turns to his red-haired wife, "That will be difficult because I'm going with them too".

Sighing Kushina nods gently, "I thought you might".

"Konohamaru, though I never met him, was the 8th Hokage, a child of the village who sacrificed his life to protect it and… a member of this family too. I would never be able to live with myself if I didn't at least try to recover his body". Minato gets to his feet before walking towards the door which Naruto has now opened. As the cold breeze drifts past his face he thinks back to things he learnt from the 3rd Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen. About how it was the Hokage's duty to look after the village and everyone within it.

"Look after them" Kushina calls.

"I will" Minato smiles in return.

"Let's go!" Naruto shouts before running out through the door.

Boruto runs after Naruto and Minato is not far behind. In a few seconds the three of them are through the door and on their way, back to the hidden leaf village. To try and stop them would be a futile effort, you would have to catch them first. Naruto and Minato were reputed in the hidden cloud as the only two shinobi to ever dodge an attack from the 4th Raikage. As for Boruto, a master of the wind release, he was not much slower.

"Look at that, three generations of one family" Kushina begins, "And we still haven't gotten rid of the foolish gene".

"I think it's kind of endearing" Hinata replies as she awkwardly fidgets her hands.

Smiling Kushina replies, "I guess you're right".

 **Elsewhere on Earth**

In a dark and largely empty room resides but a single living being. The room is not poorly lit due to lack of choice; it is poorly lit because that is what makes him feel comfortable. Darkness is something close to his heart, something that he is intimately familiar with.

The man sits at a desk, a few pieces of paper before him which he slowly but methodically writes on. What is truly sinister about this man though is his attire. He wears an eloquent silver cloak; his uniform brandishes a number on it just like the rest of the invaders.

Yet the number is different.

The number is 2!

This man is a Colonel!

At the opposite end of the long dark room is a solitary door, which swiftly opens and shuts as a man with a bronze cloak enters. This man is a captain.

"Colonel Peterson" the newcomer calls.

"What is it Davis?" Peterson asks without looking up from his papers.

"Captain Harris died fighting off one of the locals" Davis replies.

Peterson suddenly looks up from is papers, a complicated look on his face as he scrutinizes the sincerity of the last statement. "Someone managed to kill a Captain?".

"Yes" Captain Davis answers with a nod.

"I didn't think the locals had the strength to kill a Captain" Peterson remarks as he rubs his chin, "I had virtually given up on them".

"Sir, how should we proceed" Davis questions.

"Where is the local who did this?".

"To the east sir".

"Defeating a Captain is nothing exceptional but it is starting to show the signs of promise" Peterson remarks as he stands up from his chair, "Who knows, perhaps this world is worth some attention after all".

"That is highly unlikely sir" Davis replies with a shake of his head, "Captain Harris was weak even for a captain".

"I know that of course" Peterson replies with a snarl, "But it's still worth being certain".

"Understood" Davis acknowledges his superior officer with a formal pose.

"I'm going to head east and see who could have defeated Captain Harris" Peterson informs his subordinate, "You wait here and deal with any other problems that come up".

"Yes sir!".

As Peterson walks the length of the corridor he steps onto the sand outside. He looks around at the barren, empty wasteland before him and smiles. With but a thought his body lifts into the air and he begins to fly eastwards.

Peterson laughs in his head, _'You've been boring me for years… now, it's time you showed me interesting'_.

' _After all, I've got plenty to show you'_.


	9. A Place we Called Home

**HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST – A PLACE WE CALLED HOME**

 **Atop the Hokage Monument**

In its current state, few words could be used to flatter the appearance of the hidden leaf. The hole in the ground that used to be called a village, a village now represented by a circular crater not so different from the one left by Nagato Pain so many years ago. For villagers like Uchiha Sakura and Nara Shikamaru this would be a truly devastating sight. There is only so many times you can take this sort of pain before you crack.

Stood atop the Hokage monument are the trio of men from the Uzumaki-Hyuuga family. Namikaze Minato, the grandfather, the legendary 4th Hokage, the yellow flash. Minato is a man with many names, a man who had a dream to become Hokage, to protect this village that had now been destroyed. Next to him is Uzumaki Naruto, his son, the father amongst the trio despite being the youngest, the 7th Hokage. Naruto was tormented by the people of this village but swore to protect them anyway, a feat of forgiveness, a feat of determination that made him the most famous shinobi in history. Lastly Uzumaki Boruto, the one whom decided it would be too easy to become Hokage, the one who decided that there was an even harder path to walk, one even more vital to the village.

As the wind blows past the now faceless plateau the Uzumaki family members look down at the crater below, their hair fluttering in the breeze and their nostrils contorting, reacting to the smell of fire from below. Naruto looks around, noticing several fires ablaze originating from stray collections of timber, presumably houses not so long ago.

"It has been destroyed" Naruto begins, his voice emotionless as he stands above the famous rock of the hidden leaf village, "No it's just a mountain; a mountain without faces".

"The monument can always be rebuilt" Minato notes, "While not so long ago our faces would have been lost to history, now we are all here. A sculptor can meet us in person". Minato has one reservation in his heart while he makes this statement. Every Hokage is alive except for one, the man they are here to collect the body of, Sarutobi Konohamaru.

"I suppose so" Naruto nods gently at his father's assertion. "So my head was on here?" he turns his head to his son to enquire. For Naruto having his face carved from this rock has been a lifelong dream, despite having done all the work to earn it though, here he was, a Hokage without the carving.

"Yeah" Boruto begins before a smile comes to his face, "Actually as a kid I used to paint all over it".

"Really" Naruto chuckles briefly as he thinks back to the days when he used to do the same. For some reason that he can't understand he loves the sensation of finding parallels between himself and Boruto. _'Perhaps this is the magic of being a parent'_.

Boruto nods, "I was looking for attention. Being the Hokage meant that you never had much time to spend with Himawari and I. We complained a lot when we were young".

"Sorry about that" Naruto offers as he scratches the back of his head. Understanding all too well the feeling of neglect from those around him. "I used to do the same thing when I was young".

"I used to be so disrespectful towards you. But one day we came under attack. You and Master Sasuke taught me what it meant to be a shinobi. What you had to endure to reach that point". The young blonde shinobi thinks back to his first attempt at the chunnin exams, he had failed because of ninja tools, something so petty but what he had learnt was a lesson very great indeed.

"Did you ever paint the Hokage monument grandfather" Boruto laughs.

Minato shakes his head, "No, my upbringing was a bit more stable than either of yours". Minato's greatest memory from his youth is the time he rescued Kushina after she had left a trail of hair. He looks at his descendants to his left, while he was once considered the hope of the village, the Hokage they had long since been waiting for, he felt like he had experience nothing. Compared to the pair accompanying him his childhood was filled with so few difficulties and challenges.

"I'm sorry guys" he continues, "If I had only survived the nine tails attack then…".

"It's alright Dad" Naruto interrupts, "If you had survived that day I would have never befriended Kurama".

"Plus, Hinata was the only one who accepted me when I was really young so I… I guess if that weren't the case the two of us may have never had children together".

Boruto reflects on the statement with a sigh, "I guess it's a world full of difficult circumstances, we can only decide how we let them shape us".

Naruto smiles as he takes a deep breath and looks towards the sky. _'I like that. We can only decide how the circumstances shape us. In my experience, it has always been in the moments where we have almost lost hope where the greatest of people have emerged'_.

Looking around Minato changes the subject, "You said that Konohamaru was in the evacuation tunnels" he notes as he nods towards the spot where the tunnels were during his reign as Hokage.

"That's right" Boruto acknowledges his grandfather, "But look at the entrance, the insane warriors are blocking it off".

To call the insane warriors a nuisance would be an understatement. These are merely the front-line troops used by the invasion force yet there are so many of them and they are each so strong. During the fourth great shinobi war Naruto had to fight off thousands of Zetsu clones, something which seemed hellish difficult at the time. The insane warriors are far more difficult to deal with than Zetsu.

"It would be best if I went in to retrieve his body" Minato suggests as he readies a marked kunai, "I can escape quickly with my teleportation jutsu".

"That's no good" Boruto shakes his head, "I forgot to mention this earlier but there are two bodies in there. It would be too difficult for you to do both just relying on your teleportation jutsu". While Boruto knows how quick the flying thunder god technique is he also knows its limitations. To collect two bodies and escape from such trick opponents at the same time would be difficult, even for Minato.

"Two bodies" Naruto starts, "Who is the second?".

"The other body belongs to the former member of Root who gave his life to activate the bomb; Yamanaka Sai".

"Sai" the name rolls of Naruto's tongue as his chest tightens.

"Someone you know Naruto?" Minato turns to his son as he feels his pain.

"He was a member of team 7 along with Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura and myself. He was a close friend of mine". The 7th Hokage thinks back to when he and Sakura first met Sai, the hostility between them. Naturally there was one thing that could always be sure to disperse, or ignite that hostility and that was a smile. Or so Sai claimed.

"Realistically I won't be able to get two bodies myself" Minato sighs.

Suddenly a head from down below looks to the top of the Hokage monument. An insane warrior looks at the trio before screaming at the top of her lungs. Not out of fear but instead a method to communicate, something down my the most primitive of creatures. Just to make a noise and make it as loud as possible. In response to the scream all the other insane warriors look to their left and to their right, up and down until their heads turn in the right direction. To rest on the three generations of the Uzumaki family.

 **Colonel Peterson's Hut**

In Peterson's hut, Davis waits attentively as his senior instructed. Waiting only for an order from a superior, or a message, just like he is about to receive.

PING!

His head snaps around to face the east, the direction from which he receives a mental message. The message isn't perfect; it seldom is for someone on his level yet he can tell one thing. The insane warriors have spotted someone.

' _The insane ones have spotted someone in the village'_ Davis assesses the situation in his head, _'It's probably nothing… but…'_.

He steps outside for but a moment before energy begins to flutter around his legs and he launches of into the sky. Flying eastwards.

 **The Hidden Leaf's Camp**

As the moon lights the surrounding area all is quiet as the citizens of the hidden leaf village sleep soundly. It is with good reason that they try and get as much rest as possible, tomorrow is yet another day that could be there last. There life had gone from heaven to hell, from paradise to desolation, that is the result of the invasion.

While crickets may be the only source of noise, that is because only two people are still outside, the most silent and serious Hokage's of the past. Senju Tobirama and Hatake Kakashi. As Kakashi witnesses his predecessor touching the ground with his finger he recognises the technique from various records of the Hokage. This is Tobirama's greatest sensory technique.

Approaching Tobirama, Kakashi strikes up conversation, "Lord 2nd" he begins.

"You're a Hokage yourself Kakashi" Tobirama interrupts, "We can address one another by our first names".

Kakashi is reluctant to be informal with a man he has revered for large portions of his life. The creator of many techniques both weird and wonderful, used by his greatest enemies like Orochimaru and his greatest heroes like his sensei Namikaze Minato. To address him by his first name seemed improper.

Deciding not to voice his inner conflict Kakashi simply moves the conversation along, "Do you sense something?".

"Yes, it's a long way to the west but it's… it's strong" the 2nd Hokage concludes as he presses his finger to the ground.

"A captain?" Kakashi asks with concern. The man who had yet to become Hokage in the past is cautious when it comes to fighting such strong opponents. He believes that he could defeat a captain but he would rather not risk fighting one to the death.

"No" Tobirama replies, "It's stronger".

"Then it must be a Colonel" Kakashi notes.

"Kakashi, are you strong enough to take on a Colonel" Tobirama asks as he lifts his finger from the ground.

"I would have no chance" comes the reply.

Tobirama nods, "Kakashi, just how strong is Naruto?".

"I came from a time when Naruto had yet to obtain the great strength he has been described as having" Kakashi explains, "But I am Naruto's sensei, I believe in Naruto. If he kept that determination, that attitude and that work ethic. If he lived up to his potential… then he would be a true monster".

"We have to tell my brother and Naruto" the 2nd Hokage decides. Having a good estimate for everyone's level of strength leading him to believe that only the 1st and 7th Hokages would be able to fight against a colonel.

"The Uzumaki family were having a family reunion" Kakashi declares, "Then they headed a few miles to the North for some privacy".

"My teleportation jutsu allows me to travel quicker than you" Tobirama points out as he pulls out a few of Minato's custom kunai, "I will go tell Naruto and Minato what is happening. You find my brother; they are the only two with any chance of fighting a colonel".

At the drop of a hat both head in opposite directions, one teleporting as fast as he can, the other running at a speed greater than most shinobi could manage. Something amusing comes to Kakashi's mind as he heads towards the Senju family, _'Two Hokage brought forward from the past out of desperation. We have been reduced to messengers already by our enemy's might'_.

 **The Senju Family's Hut**

Kakashi bursts through the door, seemingly interrupting Hashirama and Mito in the middle of a conversation.

"Is something wrong Kakashi?".

"Lord Hashirama" Kakashi pants.

"Drop the lord" Hashirama sweatdrops while unknowingly borrowing a phrase Kakashi would later use daily.

"Your brother says he sense a colonel coming" Kakashi declares.

"A colonel?" Mito leaps to her feet. _'If a captain was so strong, just how strong will a Colonel be… twice as strong… three times'_.

"From the West" Kakashi tells Hashirama as he recovers his breath.

Hashirama creates a wood clone, "I'm going to head west and see if I can slow this Colonel down" he declares as he runs from the room.

The clone then places a comforting hand on Kakashi's shoulder, "I will remain here and help you and the other Hokage to evacuate the camp".

Kakashi nods, "I am going to find Sarada".

 **Atop the Hokage Monument**

As the insane warriors look up from the crater below they all begin to scream. Some begin to bash their chest as if they are apes, some stamp their feet and some swing debris around like a sword. One thing is clear to the three blondes above, _'They are looking at us now'_.

"In that case I will take care of the one's down below" Naruto declares as he crosses his fingers.

In but a moment several thousand poofs of smoke can be heard. Minato and Boruto are astonished by the occurrence. In an instant Naruto, has created thousands of shadow clones. All together the thousands of clones leap down into the crater below. By taking up weapons, using their kunai or even with the bear hands they begin to fight the insane warriors occupying what used to be the hidden leaf village.

' _This many clones and he doesn't even seem phased'_ Minato thinks to himself as his eyes go so wide they could bulge from his head.

' _This is dad at his strongest'_ Boruto realises, _'His power is incredible'_.

As the fight below proceeds it becomes clear that Naruto is winning. His clones begin to clear a path starting with the entrance to the evacuation tunnels. This staggers Boruto, only a few days ago the entire hidden leaf village needed to be evacuated because the shinobi of the village couldn't hold off these warriors. Despite this, his father, the 7th Hokage was doing it all by himself.

"You two go, I will keep an eye out for them".

"Understood" Minato and Boruto reply as they leap down towards the opening.

As Naruto keeps a watchful eye on the fight below he takes the opportunity to expand his senses. He allows them to be filled with the radiation of the earth, the light from the moon, the embers of the fires and then he expands his senses to cover chakra as well.

That's when he notices it.

A hand is moving towards his shoulder.

And then he feels it… killing intent.

Naruto spins on his heel, aiming a kick towards the head of his assailant.

The assailant quickly ducks beneath the kick, a feat of agility that would make even the most talented shinobi jealous. In an equally impressive manor he begins his counterattack by aiming a punch towards the unprotected chest of Naruto.

The assailant is greatly surprised though when Naruto catches his fist with his left hand as a blue ball of chakra forms in his right hand. Naruto increases his control on the rasengan in his right hand and tightens his grip on his opponent's fist, _'I've got you'_ he says in his head as he swings the energy ball towards the attacker's chest.

The attack is narrowly avoided as the assailant manipulates a slippery substance, sliding it over his fist loosening Naruto's grip before leaping backwards away from the rasengan.

Naruto dissipates the rasengan as he gets a chance to take in the appearance of his attacker. Quickly Minato and Boruto join him, each of them with a body over their shoulder.

"Bronze cloak" Boruto begins.

"A number 3 on his jacket" Minato finishes, "It's another captain".

Naruto turns his head to his left and then to his right, "Konohamaru, Sai…".

"You two go" Naruto continues after a moment, "Return their bodies".

"Will you really be alright against a Captain" Minato asks.

A smile comes to Naruto's face, "I'm sure I will be OK… go".

As Minato and Boruto begin to head back towards the village Minato turns his body before shouting to his son. "GOOD LUCK NARUTO".

Boruto laughs, "Grandfather, it seems you don't know my father well enough yet".

"He won't need luck".

* * *

 **Author Note:**

That's week 1 done. I imagine there will be many more before I am done with this story.

Thanks for all the nice things you've been saying. I'll be starting again on Monday.

Thanks,

Me


	10. Colonel Peterson

**HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST - COLONEL PETERSON**

 **The Hidden Leaf's Camp**

As the villagers rush to get their loved ones mobile the stamps of feet can be heard just outside the wooden shack. This shack is especially significant because it contains all the Hokage present in the camp. Gathered around a flimsy looking table is the wood clone of Senju Hashirama, the 3rd Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, the 5th Hokage Senju Tsunade, the 6th Hokage Hatake Kakashi and the 9th Hokage Uchiha Sarada.

Contrary to the ruckus the other side of the door the interior of the room is relatively quiet, it is the duty of the Hokage to remain calm and provide leadership in these situations, something they all understand too well. Whether it was the first Hokage during Madara's uprising or the 6th Hokage during Pain's invasion of the leaf, every single one of them had dealt with crisis before.

"So my real body is heading towards the Colonel right now, I will either defeat him or delay him as much as possible" Hashirama's wood clone declares.

"A colonel" Sarada's tone is filled with a dread bread from the historic terror such high-level officers have posed the hidden leaf village. Perhaps only two people would have been capable of defeating Colonel's, Naruto and Sasuke, yet they had died in the first battle against a general. "This is bad" Sarada continues, "Really bad, we've never survived an attack from such a figure before".

"Just how strong are Colonel's" Tsunade asks with a high pitch.

"Incredibly strong" Sarada repeats, "Nobody has ever defeated one of them".

Sarada thinks back to the last time someone tried to defeat a Colonel. It was prior to the fall of the hidden cloud village. The last line of defence the village had was a combined effort from the eight-tails jinchuriki, Killer Bee and the three most recent Raikage. Despite their incredible strength, perfect dynamic teamwork and everything else they brought to bear against the Colonel they were unable to defeat him. That proved at the time a true testament to how strong Colonels were.

"Will you be alright Lord Hashirama?" Kakashi asks of the 1st Hokage's wood clone.

"I'll be fine" the wood clone answers simply with a smile.

"Don't worry" Hiruzen adds, "The first Hokage is no ordinary shinobi".

The first Hokage was for a long time revered as the strongest shinobi since the ancient times. The first leader of the strongest village, the only man in the world capable of not only fighting Uchiha Madara, but defeating him as well. While many would go on to claim that Hiruzen had surpassed his predecessors, the 3rd Hokage himself knew this to be a mere fantasy. Nobody would be capable of surpassing Senju Hashirama for generations, not until the emergence of two shinobi who had lost their parents.

"I of course know that the 1st Hokage is a truly legendary shinobi" Kakashi replies, "But will you be able to survive, this is not an opponent that we have ever been able to contend with before now".

Everyone pauses for a moment before Kakashi comes up with another suggestion.

"Would it be more beneficial if we all went to help, if we all fought together then we might have better prospects for long term survival".

"Think about this rationally Kakashi" Hiruzen responds emotionlessly.

"If we can escape using the time my grandfather buys us than that is what is best for our long-term chances" Tsunade reluctantly declares. Tsunade has both her palms pressed to the table surface, her eyes burrowing a hole in it as she contemplates the odds of her grandfather's death.

"Tsunade… I'm s…" begins the wood clone.

"Don't apologise" his granddaughter interrupts, "We're all Hokage here, we have priorities to think about".

"Where in earth is Lord 7th?" Sarada asks looking between the other faces in the room.

"He and his family went elsewhere for some privacy" Kakashi recites what he told Tobirama to Sarada and the others, making them fully aware of the situation as it is. "Lord sec… Tobirama went to get him".

"Together" Sarada begins, "Together you two should be strong enough to defend us against a Colonel".

Bursting through the door is the exhausted frame of Uzumaki Himawari, "Lord Hokages".

"Himawari" Sarada's eyes widen as she walks over to her friend and takes a firm hold of her shoulders, "Where is your father?".

"Boruto, my father and my grandfather went back to the village" Himawari manages to get out as she struggles to get her breath back. "They went to get Lord 8th's body… Lord 2nd is heading after them now".

"Dammit, why now of all times" Sarada curses, "Will you be able to hold out until Lord 7th arrives Lord 1st?".

A voice comes from over Himawari's shoulder, the voice of Hyuuga Hinata. "I remember Lord 2nd's teleportation capabilities from the war, he has a limited teleportation range when compared to Lord 4th".

Hinata enters before continuing, "But he will be teleporting to Naruto making his markings along the way. His return journey should be a lot quicker".

"I forgot that you have seen all of our fighting styles during the war" Tsunade pushes herself up from the table before her, "Will my grandfather be able to hold on long enough?".

Hinata shakes her head gently, "I have no way of knowing that for certain Lady Tsunade but I believe that he will".

Sarada takes in a deep breath of air, "In that case we have no time to waste. Let's escort the villagers further to the east".

"And we will believe in Hashirama, believe in Tobirama and believe in Naruto".

 **Atop the Hokage Monument**

The wind continues to howl over the top of the Hokage monument. Formerly a series of faces, now a set of ruins. The only faces in sight are those of the insane warriors making as much as noise as possible below and those of Uzumaki Naruto and Captain Davis on the statue above. Unlike the warriors down below Naruto and Davis simply stare at each other for a long period, sizing their opponents up. Eventually it is Naruto who breaks the silence.

"Why are you attacking this world?" Naruto asks, recalling Boruto's mention of a portal to another world, "What do you want?"

Davis allows an unnatural pause before responding to the 7th Hokage, "The knowledge would do you no good, even if I were to tell you".

Naruto clenches his fist while focusing his gaze on the man facing him. It quickly becomes clear that he has no intention on answering the shinobi's questions.

Davis turns his head to the side slightly, shifting his pupils to the corner of his eyes to look behind him. _'Someone is coming he notices'_. Not a moment later a kunai wizzes past his head, Davis refusing to dodge it despite its proximity to him. The kunai continues to travel forward all the way to Naruto's side.

Once the kunai reaches Naruto's side, the blonde shinobi's hand whips out grabbing it by the handle. Not a moment later a man dressed in blue armour appears stood right next to him. This man is of course, the 2nd Hokage, Senju Tobirama.

"Naruto, a Colonel has appeared, they are heading towards the villagers" Tobirama informs the man who would eventually have inherited his position as Hokage. As he is speaking Tobirama's head turns to assess the man Naruto is staring down.

"A colonel?" Naruto starts.

"Yeah" Tobirama replies, his tone more subdued now that he has seen Davis, "We need to go and help my brother to fight him".

Naruto shakes his head before refocusing his eyes on Davis, "I need to take care of this guy first" he claims. No matter how impressive Tobirama's teleportation ability, no matter how strong he is, this Captain would still chase after them. This Captain would still pose a threat; thus, Naruto makes the decision, born of battle experience, that he must be dealt with right away.

"A Captain" Tobirama makes the judgement based on the bronze cloak and the number three on the man's uniform, "Do you need me to take care of him while you head back" he offers. Tobirama has only seen one Captain fight but based on that he is confident enough that he could defeat one of them.

Suddenly a smile comes to Naruto's face, "There is no need, I need you to hurry me towards old man 1st".

"Besides… this will be over in an instant".

The faces of both Tobirama and Davis change when they here Naruto's declaration. _'An instant'_ Tobirama starts, _'Doesn't he remember how strong the last Captain we fought was'_.

Much to Tobirama's surprise the Captain begins to cackle maniacally, "An instant, what are you some kind of fool" Davis laughs.

' _If only he knew'_ Tobirama sighs internally.

"Do you not realise that I am easily capable of seeing through that kind of empty boast" Davis continues. Then, with ease, he launches himself from a standing position towards Naruto, his speed like that of a missile.

' _He's fast'_ Tobirama notes as he gets himself into a fighting position.

"I am… I AM A CAPTAIN" Davis shouts as he approaches Naruto.

Suddenly a chain of 'poof' noises sound behind Naruto and Tobirama, where the hidden leaf village use to be. Tobirama turns around to see what the noise is, it is the shadow clones of Uzumaki Naruto. One by one, they disappear yet the unusual thing about them, is that they are all sat in a meditative position.

As the clones disappear a hint of orange appears around the eyes of Naruto. Something Tobirama is familiar with, he quickly realises what is happening, _'He used the shadow clones to go into sage mode'_.

Davis stretches out his fingers to use them like a spear, thrusting them towards Naruto's throat.

At the last second though, Naruto dodges, a technique he learnt recently but at the same time many years ago. A technique from Mount Myoboku, _'Just like geezer sage taught me'_. As he dodges the incoming attack from Davis Naruto begins to form a rasengan in his hand. As the whirring noise increase and increase, Naruto waits for it to reach its crescendo before slamming the ball into the back of Captain Davis.

' _That technique of his, it's the jutsu invented by the 4_ _th_ _Hokage and manipulated by Boruto'_ the 2nd Hokage asserts in his head, _'However, the rate at which his rasengan spins is much faster than theirs'_.

Naruto finishes the arc of his arm, launching Davis into a nearby rock face. The solid impact of man on rock is so thorough that the entire Hokage monument shakes as Davis is buried into the most famous stone in the world.

' _Unbelievable'_ Tobirama simply concludes before his thoughts are interrupted.

"Old man 2nd, take me to the 1st".

"I want to see just what type of man this Colonel is".

 **To the West, The Land of Fire**

Spotting Hashirama on the ground below brings a smile to Colonel Peterson's face, he quickly lands opposite the 1st Hokage, assuming he is the one who defeated his subordinate. After all, the fact that he was also heading towards the Colonel was quite a coincidence. A whoosh of air colliding with ground, the result of Peterson's quick descent.

Hashirama stops opposite Peterson after he sees him land. Sweat quickly fills his brow, _'This is a Colonel… I can't feel any chakra coming from him but I can tell one thing from his aura'_.

' _He is strong'_.

Peterson appears as a middle-aged man. He has short hair that Hashirama quickly concludes to be silver rather than greying. The Colonel is a tall man, giving him an even more imposing presence than his incredible aura, something that even Hashirama finds intimidating. Yet Peterson's most remarkable feature are the scars that cover his entire face, they make one thing clear, Peterson has experienced a life full of battle, perhaps even more than Hashirama has.

"Are you the one who defeated my Captain" he nonchalantly asks Hashirama.

' _I have to be careful what I say, I have to avoid endangering the villagers'_ the Senju clansmen thinks to himself before he answers.

"That's right" he shouts.

"I see" Peterson smiles as he gazes at the shinobi before him, "I can't say I'm very impressed".

"Then why don't you just turn around and leave" Hashirama suggests, "I have no interest in fighting you either".

Peterson smirks as if he has just heard a bad joke, "I'm afraid I can't do…".

Hashirama doesn't wait for Peterson to finish, quickly closing the distance between them and maximising his chakra control. He throws a full force punch straight towards the Colonel's face, a punch that was still revered as the strongest in the world.

Peterson puts his palm before his face, effortlessly catching Hashirama's fist. "Indeed, your strength is far more than the others I have fought since coming here" he declares, bemused by the efforts of his ancient opponent.

' _He caught that punch, despite my chakra control, he caught that punch'_ Hashirama notes in his head, astonished that anybody could catch one of his punches. Not even Uchiha Madara would have been so careless as to catch one of those punches with his bare hands.

"Still" Peterson continues, snapping Hashirama from his thought-scape, "Did you think this sort of power was anything exceptional?".

In an instant Hashirama activates his trump card, sage mode. He quickly lifts his other fist into the air, throwing it towards Peterson.

"Useless" Peterson shakes his head as he puts his palm out to catch the other fist.

Once more Hashirama's fist connects with Peterson's palm. Only this time the result is different, the impact sending Peterson skidding backwards along the floor. The Colonel digs his heels into the earth beneath him as he stops his backwards momentum.

Steadying himself a small smile comes to the face of the Colonel, "Oh, this man is indeed different to the others from this world".

' _I had to use sage mode just to knock him backwards'_ Hashirama makes a mental note of what just happened, something necessitated by the peculiarity of the situation. Never has he felt so helpless, _'I can't mess around, I have to go all out'_. Upon reaching this conclusion his hands begin to move, forming signs in quick succession.

After Hashirama finishes weaving the signs a great deal of wood emerges from the earth beneath them, gathering beneath Hashirama before forming into the shape of a wooden human. Yet the jutsu isn't yet finished, it continues to form a second shape, a wooden dragon. The wooden dragon quickly wraps around the neck of the human, becoming the basis for some of Hashirama's strongest attacks.

Hashirama takes control of the wooden human, swinging its fist towards Peterson with maximum velocity.

Peterson holds his palm out before him, lightning energy quickly pooling in the space just before it. That lightning then forms into a giant shield, blocking the incoming attack of Hashirama.

"Tsk" Hashirama grits his teeth, _'I need only land one of these attacks, that would be enough'_.

' _If it doesn't kill him it at least might give me time to escape'_.

Hashirama then looks through the lightning shield into the relaxed eyes of the Colonel before being hit by a terrifying reality.

' _This power is… a Colonel'_.


	11. To Depend on Another

**HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST – TO DEPEND ON ANOTHER**

 **The Hidden Leaf Villagers, The Rear of the Pack**

As the villagers walk briskly towards the East the subtle pitter patter of their feet is clouded only by the gentle sounds of their conversations. Despite the dangerous situation they find themselves in they do not shout, they do not scream. For many of the men and women of the hidden leaf village talking has become a coping mechanism, whether it is talking about the past or what they intend to do in the future.

One thing remains absent from their conversations however, that is the danger of the current situation. To the west at this very moment they are relying upon a guardian they never would have dreamt they would have. That guardian is Senju Hashirama, the 1st Hokage. Revered by many as the 'god of shinobi', Hashirama was a co-founder of the hidden leaf village, a village born of a dream he shared with Uchiha Madara, a dream that children would no longer have to die due to the bickering of adults. A dream that children could survive whatever stupid decisions were thrust onto them.

Children had started to die though; they had not been involved in the conflict yet the enemy saw fit to kill them anyway. Such a thing would be classified as a war crime by even the most villainous of individuals. Once upon a time Uchiha Madara told the five Kage, 'what sort of adult goes all out against mere children', something that the shinobi of this world had always appreciated. Many had done such ghastly things, yet to force suffering onto children was a sin that few dared to commit.

At the rear of the pack, walking side by side are two of the few remaining members of the Sarutobi clan. They do not talk, they merely keep their heads up and walk, making sure that nobody falls behind, as would be all too easy in the current situation. Naturally, this duo consists of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Sarutobi Mirai.

"Dammit" Mirai curses as she turns around to face eastwards.

"Mirai, is something wrong?" Hiruzen stops with his granddaughter to ask.

"This is all wrong" Mirai says throwing her arm out to the side of her body, "The village is under attack from a Colonel. A Colonel! Yet despite the great threat we are faced with we are just leaving this all to the 1st and the 7th".

"Don't beat yourself up over it" Hiruzen approaches Mirai and places a hand on her shoulder. Smiling gently, he continues, "Lord Hashirama and Naruto are the two of strongest shinobi the hidden leaf has ever produced, we're in good hands".

"I know that" Mirai shuts her eyes tightly, "But why am I here, doing nothing. You guys came forward from the past, you have all done your duty to the hidden leaf. I am just standing here, hoping that will be enough".

"Mirai…".

"I'm a shinobi, I am supposed to be fighting these guys myself. They've killed my friends; they've killed my family. You know Konohamaru was my cousin but I did nothing while he sacrificed himself for the village".

"It is a difficult lesson that all shinobi must learn" Hiruzen explains. "We want to do everything ourselves but we simply cannot, many have tried it throughout history and they have all failed. This is something that all the Hokage know".

"What lesson are you talking about?" Mirai asks.

"The lesson where you learn to depend on another" her grandfather answers. "I know that behind my back Danzo was doing many things that he shouldn't have been. Perhaps I should have had the courage to stop him. However, because of all those things that he did the hidden leaf is still here today, I've been thrust into a future that fills me with nothing but hope".

"How can you see this destruction and talk about hope". Mirai shakes her head as if she has heard an impossibility or a lie.

"Because you're still here".

Mirai lifts her head upon hearing the words.

"Mirai, you have an incredible potential, I saw it during our sparring session. You have abilities that no shinobi should have and you don't even realise it. There will come a time where you are called on to use that power, to protect the ones you love. When that day comes your grandmother and I will be watching and we will be depending on you".

"Grandpa…".

"Come on, let's go for now. We can depend on the 1st Hokage".

"Yes" Mirai answers, a small smile coming to her face.

' _Don't worry old man, when the day comes that you are depending on me I won't let you down'._

 **Near the Hidden Leaf Pack**

Nearby to the villagers from the hidden leaf is a clearing, with grass cut so perfectly by the passing of wildlife that it appears as if a gardener has been attending to it for the last thirty years. It is this paradise-like environment that once saw battles between the great clans that went on to become the pillars of the hidden leaf village. There is irony to the feudal wars of old, what better venue for a war, what better venue for hell than heaven.

Looking back to the west, Hatake Kakashi bears his Mangekyo Sharingan, his greatest weapon. The visual dojutsu has become much more important to Kakashi following the tail of the 4th great ninja war. It had already been a present from his friend Obito but finding out what Obito had done during the war, what sort of man lay behind the mask had a great impact on the 6th Hokage.

Kakashi looks momentarily into the sky. _'Obito, I know you are waiting there, in the afterlife. I hope that Rin is with you. Despite all the terrible things you did you made the ultimate sacrifice for this village and for this world. It might be in a bit of a state right now but I'll do my best to protect it'._

Kakashi smiles behind his mask, continuing the one-sided conversation in his head, _'Minato sensei is here with me and you know that you can depend on him. Plus, there is Naruto. I hear that you met him in the war, he's just like you were… like you are'._

' _I'm going to protect this world for you Obito… Rin… dad'._

Kakashi hears faint footsteps on the grass nearby, quickly turning his head towards the source. It is not an enemy, instead it is one of the women brought forward in time alongside him. Uzumaki Mito.

"Kakashi, did I interrupt you when you wanted to be alone?" she asks politely.

"Not at all Lady Mito" the 6th Hokage replies.

Mito sighs as she walks to Kakashi's side, "We've told you before, stop using 'Lord' and 'Lady', if you take our ages you're actually older than I am. Not only that, you became Hokage which I did not, if you insist on titles then I should be the one called you Lord Kakashi".

Kakashi waves both his hands before his face, "Please don't do that, I'll settle for us calling one another by our names if that's OK".

"That is fine" Mito nods slightly.

Kakashi sighs as he looks back towards the west.

"Can you see it?" Mito asks, "My husband's chakra".

"Yeah" Kakashi simply answers.

"And?".

"I can't see the chakra of the colonel; I can just faintly make out something else though. It's like chakra but it isn't chakra, it's almost as if it's a power that chakra users wouldn't understand. Still Lord Ha… Hashirama's chakra is dropping quickly, it looks like he won't win this fight".

"What sort of man is he?".

"He?".

"Uzumaki Naruto, the last survivor of my clan".

Kakashi closes his eyes before slowly opening them again. "Uzumaki Naruto is my student, a member of team 7, the legendary team that the villagers credit winning the 4th great shinobi war to".

"When I first met Naruto he was loud, sloppy, dirty and he didn't have much talent. Despite that he was the son of my sensei and his wife Kushina, two people I care about deeply so I felt compelled to look after him".

"Naruto is the glue that held team 7 together, Sakura was too busy concerning herself with the little things in life to make it far as a shinobi. Sasuke was too close to being consumed by hatred, a hatred for his brother who massacred the entirety of the Uchiha clan, leaving only the two of them alive. The difference between Naruto and Sasuke was the strength of mind, Sasuke saw all the obstacles life saw before him and set out to destroy them, Naruto saw the same obstacles and acted like they didn't exist".

"I was a member of the Anbu when Lord 3rd…".

"Hiruzen" Mito interrupts.

"Right Hiruzen" Kakashi continues, "I was a member of Anbu when he suggested that I take charge of a gennin team, team 7. Before that I had lost my father, my best friend, my team-mate, my sensei and his wife. I saw no light left in the world and yet that bickering team, spurred on by Naruto, made me smile once again. They became my family".

"That's five people I just told you that I lost, I imagine you felt sorry for me in that moment but I should remind you, Sasuke lost his entire family. Sasuke lost his entire clan in a single night. Sasuke accumulated so much hatred for the system the village adopted that forced the Uchiha clan into such dire straits but somehow Naruto brought him back to the village".

"In a single day Naruto fought against the ten-tails, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Madara and lastly Otsutsuki Kaguya, the progenitor of all chakra before fighting Sasuke and bringing him back to the village".

"This has all been accomplished by the man that Sarada brought forward to the future".

"This has all been accomplished by a man who is only 17 years old".

"So what sort of man is Uzumaki Naruto…".

"… He's a shinobi".

 **The Hidden Leaf Pack**

Walking in the centre of the pack of hidden leaf citizens are the four women of the Uzumaki Hyuuga family. Uzumaki Kushina, Hyuuga Hanabi, Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Himawari. Together they walk anxiously, awaiting the return of the trio who earlier set out to retrieve the body of a fallen family member, of Sarutobi Konohamaru.

Flash!

Suddenly two of the members of that trio appear from thin air, a yellow flash the only sign of their coming. This is of course, a result of the flying thunder god jutsu developed by the 2nd Hokage and mastered by the 4th Hokage.

"Minato" Kushina calls as she approaches her husband.

"This is the body of your husband Hanabi" Minato explains the corpse draped over his shoulder, "Sorry for the unceremonious way I have delivered him but I had little other choice seeing as you are on the move".

"It's fine" Hanabi replies, "I'm just really grateful he is back. Thank you, Minato, Boruto".

"I'll go and tell aunty Ino that you have Sai's body" Himawari quickly runs back through the crowd, using her byakugan to pinpoint the position of the surviving Yamanaka family members.

"Naruto shouldn't be far behind" Minato explains, "We left him to fight a captain".

"You did what!" Kushina exclaims with what appears to be anger.

"Well Boruto said that if he could defeat a Captain then Naruto would easily be capable of that".

"IDIOT" Kushina yells as she punches Minato in the top of his head.

Hinata and Hanabi look towards each other out of shock before returning their gaze to the violent woman and her confused husband.

"What did I do?" Minato asks.

"Can't you feel that overwhelming chakra from the west".

Minato turns his head while keeping up pace with the rest of the villagers, after a moment an expression of awe comes to his face. "This chakra is absolutely incredible, it's not Naruto's so it must be… the 1st Hokage's".

"The 1st Hokage has gone to fight a Colonel and needs Naruto's help urgently" Kushina shouts despite her closeness to Minato, "Hashirama needs Naruto to rush to his aid and you left Naruto with a captain. You should have fought the captain yourself and let Naruto run".

"Don't worry" Boruto smiles, "Dad will make it to Lord 1st in time. A captain won't slow him down".

"Just how strong is Naruto" Kushina asks her grandson, adopting a far calmer tone than she did with Minato.

"Another enormous chakra will appear in that direction soon".

"Then you will know just how strong he is".


	12. Battling a Colonel

**HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST – BATTLING A COLONEL**

 **Hashirama and Peterson's Battlefield**

Hashirama gazes down at the man below, stood atop a wood golem he just used one of his most powerful attacks, a full force punch straight towards Peterson. Despite this Peterson had shown his true power, instantly having created a shield of lightning he blocked the punch from Hashirama's wood golem as if it were nothing.

' _This is the power of a colonel'_ Hashirama lets the situation sink in.

Previously Hashirama had been in a position like Naruto, they had reached a level above any others. In their respective eras both the 1st Hokage and 7th Hokage were considered god-like for their talents and their powers. Having seen Boruto fight a captain once before, Hashirama had realised that the average strength of the enemy they were facing was great, though it's not until this moment that he truly appreciates just how terrible an enemy they are facing.

Hashirama motions with his hands to control the wood golem beneath his feet. Swinging his palm one way then the other, he manipulates the golem to do his bidding, to throw a punch around the lightning shield that Peterson has constructed.

Peterson continues to hold his palm out before him, maintaining the lightning shield with small helpings of electricity, arcing from the edge of his fingers. Spotting Hashirama's new angle of attack he swings his outstretched arm to his side, the shield maintaining a constant distance from his palm.

Thud!

The newly positioned shield blocks Hashirama's second attack, just as easily as the first.

' _So you can move that shield, that surely is a strong technique'_ the 1st Hokage offers this silent praise to his opponent, not daring to waste his breath on communicating with such a man. _'But you cannot defend from every angle at once'_.

Adopting this new ethos of attacking from multiple angles, Hashirama pushes his hands apart, causing the wood golem to raise its arms, revealing its full wingspan to Peterson. Suddenly Hashirama slams his hands together, forcing the golem to do the same.

The Colonel retains his complacent expression as he raises his other arm out to his side. As electricity flickers on this hand too, a second lightning shield appears on his opposite side. Both to his left and to his right he summons mighty defensive barriers.

A huge boom rocks the surrounding area as the wood golem's hands crash onto the shields. The shields block the attack. Hashirama's two-pronged strike had not worked.

"What about this!" Hashirama shouts as the wood surrounding him begins to shift.

The wooden dragon unfurls itself, separating from the golem and launching straight towards Peterson. _'You may be able to do godly things with those hands'_ Hashirama notes, _'But you still only have two of them'_.

"You just don't seem to get it" Peterson muses, interrupting his opponent's thoughts.

The colonel pushes his lips together as if to whistle. Then out from his mouth fires a single bolt of lightning. Unlike most lightning it does not arc or curve. The path of this lightning is not in the least bit jagged, it is a perfect straight line. Straight through the centre wood dragon.

The wood dragon is cut in half.

Hashirama's eyes widen as he realises what has just happened. The wood dragon is one of his mightiest techniques, something he used to fight all throughout the feudal wars. Something he used to train the jonin of the hidden leaf village. Something he used to fight Uchiha Madara himself, yet this man had split it in half just like that.

"I am simply toying with you" Peterson smiles as he pushes his arms out.

In response to Peterson's gesture the two lightning shields are launched away from his body. The arms of the wood golem, still in contact with the shields, are pressed so hard by the shields momentum that they launch form their sockets.

Following the destruction of his golem Hashirama begins to lose control of the construct. Slowly the wood that has been holding it up begins to crumble, the support falling from beneath the feet of the 1st Hokage.

' _I have no choice'_ he concludes, _'I'm going to have to use the true several thousand hands'_.

The last reserves of wood fall out from beneath Hashirama, who gracefully steps from the golem's falling head and lands perfectly on his feet. Instantly he begins to weave signs for the true several thousand hands, understanding that at this point it is his last hope if he wishes to win this fight.

Suddenly his hands stop moving, his sign pattern is incomplete and his muscles are still tingling yet his body refuses to listen to his commands. _'I can't move, why, what is going on'_. He looks past his hands to the ground around him. By looking closely, he notes that several small arcs of electricity are jumping from spot to spot. _'This must be what is causing my paralysis'_.

"Finally you have realised" Peterson notes as small jolts of lightning travel down his legs and into the ground beneath him. "Since our fight began I have been storing a small current in the earth".

The colonel begins to walk towards the Senju clansmen, slowly and calmly as he continues his lecture, "I can put someone as weak as you into a state of paralysis just like this".

"Your greatest weakness isn't your carelessness though, it's your powerlessness".

With a sneer Peterson gathers lightning on his fist, a technique similar in appearance to both the raikiri and the chidori. He immediately throws his lightning clad fist towards the head of Senju Hashirama, who can only wait for the blow to come.

It's then Peterson's turn to be shocked, his eyes widen as his instincts scream one word to him.

Death.

Peterson pulls his arm back to his body and leaps backwards as far as he can in a single jump. Just as he manages to pull his arm out of the way a blue ball with whiney windy blades shoots past his face, missing by just an inch.

"Who is it?" he calls.

At that moment two people appear next to Senju Hashirama, one middle aged and the other yet to reach adulthood, though Peterson quickly determines that they are far stronger than average for the people of this world.

"Sorry we're late" Tobirama says.

Hashirama takes a deep sigh of relief and wipes the sweat from his brow, "I was almost dead there, again. Thank you, Naruto,".

"Don't thank me yet" the young man replies as he takes a few steps to put himself in front of the Senju brothers, "We still have to take down this guy".

As Naruto steps, out ahead of the brothers his gaze falls firmly onto Peterson who returns the gaze in kind. In this moment, it as if both realise just how strong the other is, just what a mountain they must climb in this fight. The casual smile from before no longer occupies the face of Peterson and the easy-going attitude that Naruto displayed against Davis vanishes like a leaf in the wind.

A bead of sweat rolls down the head of Tobirama before he looks to his own arm. All along his arm are visual indicators of just how intense the moment is for him. _'I've got goose bumps'._

"You are excited as well I see" Hashirama smiles but doesn't move his eyes away from the two before him.

"Excited?" Tobirama repeats incredulously.

"Yeah" Hashirama nods. "We are about to see just how strong our greatest Hokage really is".

The words 'our greatest Hokage' has a soothing effect on the younger of the brothers. Placing one hand on his shaking arm he smiles, "I guess so".

"Naruto" Tobirama calls, his voice returning to its normal deep gruff tones, "I've been eager to see you fight ever since I heard your story. I hope you don't disappoint me".

"It wasn't so long ago you told me I was the only one who could surpass old man 1st as the Hokage" Naruto claims, thinking how it was just a few days ago for him that he fought alongside this man, the 2nd Hokage. "I hope I prove you right".

' _The way they are looking at that youngster'_ Peterson begins in his head, _'It's almost as if they revere him. Do they think he is some kind of god?'_.

"You two hold back" Naruto shouts, "Don't jump in unless I look like I need support".

"Got it".

Tobirama places his palm against the backs of both Naruto and Hashirama, the two strongest Hokage, no, the two strongest Kage in this world's short history. In an instant, he marks them with his teleportation formula, allowing him to instantly and repeatedly jump between them.

"Understood".

Hashirama nods before clapping his hands together. This is not a posture Naruto is familiar with but one that he quickly comes to understand. This position for Hashirama is much like the crossed legged position for Naruto, ideal for gathering nature energy. Nature energy is ideal for Hashirama in this sort of situation where he can take a break in the middle of a fight. Gathering it would be impossible if you couldn't stay still, this is an ideal opportunity.

Not waiting a moment longer Naruto charges towards Peterson, his speed nothing Peterson hasn't seen before. Peterson is of course, a colonel who had battled against the mightiest shinobi from the hidden cloud village, all of whom were famed for their speed.

' _Here he comes'_ Peterson readies himself.

Naruto speaks through his telepathic link to the tailed beast inside him. The famous nine-tailed fox.

" _Sync with me Kurama"_

" _Got it"_ the fox replies.

One moment Naruto is running towards Peterson in his normal form, the next he has transformed, his body resting in the centre of a gigantic beast. This is the tailed beast transformation, more specifically the nine tails transformation.

"It's the nine tails" Hashirama yells.

Naruto's speed of approach doesn't decrease, on the contrary, gaining an additional two legs each much larger than his own hastens the jinchuriki's approach significantly. He quickly reaches Peterson and throws a punch using Kurama's giant fist.

Peterson raises his arm, his motions far quicker than when he fought Hashirama just a few moments ago. Just in time the lightning shield raises to protect him from the incoming punch of the tailed beat.

Naruto wastes no time, as fast as he is able he throws a second punch towards Peterson using Kurama's second fist.

Once again the colonel raises his other palm into the space between him and the incoming fist. As lightning starts to flicker along his palm Peterson comes to a sudden realisation, _'I won't make it in time'_.

BANG!

Kurama's fist connects solidly with Colonel Peterson, driving him downwards into the floor. Not only is Peterson driven down into the floor but he is also pushed backwards at an incredible rate, earth flies away from him like two waves as he leaves a trail where his body passes. Eventually stopping his momentum, Peterson regains he bearing before spitting blood onto the floor next to him.

For the first time, someone has hurt a colonel.

Peterson gets to his feet, looking at the space before him occupied by a giant fox. If he hadn't battled the eight-tails of the hidden cloud this may have surprised him yet this world has constantly proven very strange to the colonel, perhaps nothing would surprise him anymore.

The colonel flicks his hand several times in quick succession, each flick sending a powerful bolt of lightning hurtling towards the fox. These attacks are powerful, more than powerful enough to deal with anybody below the Kage level yet they are only being used as a precursor to an even greater attack.

Naruto, realising this uses the most dispensable weapon in Kurama's arsenal, his tails. He uses each tail to knock away a bolt of lightning, one after another, leaving his greatest weapons, Kurama's hands, ready for anything that Peterson should throw at him.

As the tails move out of Naruto's vision he spots Peterson with his hands cupped next to one another and positioned next to the colonel's stomach. Electricity arcs furiously between his fingers, its heat, its presence so strong that even Hashirama and Tobirama can feel it behind the protection of Naruto's chakra.

' _That's not something I would survive getting hit by'_ Tobirama swiftly calculates, resolving himself not to die at the hands of the enemy before him.

In retaliation Naruto raises his two hands out before him while Kurama's mouth opens widely. In the gap left by this wide mouth appears a huge black ball fuelled by translucent blue and red smaller balls, it grows to an enormous size. This technique is of course the product of the co-operation between Naruto and Kurama, the tailed beast bomb.

"Brother, have you ever seen anything like that technique before?" Tobirama asks.

"Just once, I fought the nine-tails before sealing it in Mito" Hashirama reminds his brother as if he had not been around to know the story. "But this is far stronger than the attack it used back then".

As Peterson unleashes his attack towards Naruto a thick arc of lightning approaches the blonde.

Naruto responds in kind, "Tailed beast bomb" he yells together with Kurama.

As the tailed beast bomb is fired, Naruto stops his nine tails transformation, falling to the ground as the two devastating attacks head for one another on a collision cause.

BOOM!

The tailed beast bomb and the lightning collide with one another creating an explosion even more violent than the one that destroyed the hidden leaf village not so long ago. As the explosion spreads a light of exceptional brightness is formed, its brightness so extreme that the Senju brothers are forced to cover their eyes.

Hashirama monitors the heat around him, waiting until he is confident it is safe to open them again. Upon opening his eyes, however, he gasps at what he sees.

The surrounding area was a forest not a moment ago, yet the clearing had expanded. The trees for miles around collapsed because of that one collision of power, it is enough to make the 1st Hokage feel small, to make him realise just how big this world is.

"Brother they…" Tobirama begins, sharing Hashirama's awe.

"K… keep on your toes Tobirama, the fight isn't over yet" Hashirama stutters to remind his brother.

"Y… yeah" the younger of the two replies as he raises a marked kunai slowly.

' _Still Tobirama is right, this level of destruction, yet there he stands, not a scratch on his body, not a moment of hesitation'_.

' _This is… Uzumaki Naruto'_.


	13. Asura's Transmigrants

**HOPE, A THING OF THE PAST – ASURA'S TRANSMIGRANTS**

 **The Fleeing Hidden Leaf Villagers**

As the villagers continue to march onward, away from the terrifying battle behind them, sensory shinobi and shinobi with exceptional talent can be seen turning their heads occasionally. They try to mask it, to avoid worrying the villagers around them yet they can sense it, behind them an incredible battle is taking place, something the earth hasn't witnessed for years.

Hinata stops and looks towards the battle, her byakugan allowing her a small insight into what is happening.

"Are you worried?" Himawari asks her mother

"Yeah" Hinata nods, not denying that Naruto is the foremost thing on her mind.

"Don't worry, there is no way that dad would ever lose, right?" Boruto smiles towards his mother, attempting to calm her down.

Hinata returns the smile to her son, "I guess you're right".

' _Do your best Naruto'_.

 **The Battlefield**

As Naruto and Peterson stand opposite one another they analyse their opponent's conditions. _'He output such an incredible bolt of lightning, he used the lightning shield and even fought old man 1_ _st_ _before I got here but he still doesn't seem to have broken a sweat'_ Naruto comes to this conclusion and tightens his fist, realising in his heart that this fight is far from over.

' _That kid, no wonder the other two looked at him in such a way. That was one of the strongest attacks I could have performed and yet he countered it. His transformation has finished yet he doesn't look like he has even begun to exhaust his power'_ Peterson analyses in turn.

" _Naruto"_ Kurama speaks to his host, _"He's too strong for you to fight in this form, if you want to fight him without the nine tails transformation then you must use your full power"._ Kurama's deduction is spot on. It is easy to forget that after many years of living Kurama has seen far more battle than Naruto, or any human for that matter. The battle experience of the nine tails is something that had never been used before, not until the child in the prophecy came along, not until Naruto befriended the fox that everyone else thought was a demon.

" _I know"_ Naruto replies, _"Lend me your chakra, Kurama"._

" _That goes without saying"._

The orange light that clouded his body returns once again, this is the form Naruto used through much of the war, nine tails chakra mode. However, the blonde Hokage is not finished, chakra continues to gather and swirl around him. The level of this chakra, the amount in one place is more than most people see gathered in their entire lives.

"I feel a lot of nature chakra" Hashirama informs his brother, the only none sage of the three, "He is transforming again".

The skin around Naruto's eyes changes to a slightly deeper shade of orange, symbolic of his use of sage mode. Combined with sage mode is the nine tails chakra mode, the strongest power that Naruto can use.

Tobirama gasps at the shocking display of power, every time he feels that he understands why people think so highly of Naruto, every time he thinks he has seen the peak of his power, the 7th Hokage shows him an even greater height. This is not something that just anyone can manage, few people can pull out surprise after surprise, power after power and skill after skill. The ability to shock people like this is something that is earned by enduring great difficulties, by enduring, by being a shinobi.

"It seems you still have a lot more power tucked away" Peterson smiles, his scarred face lifting with joy at the sight of this new form. "But you are just a frog at the bottom of the well, today I'm going to show you, what true power is".

As Peterson finishes lightning begins to gather around his body, its motion not a motion to signal an impending attack nor a motion to reveal supernatural manipulation of electric current. Instead the lightning clings naturally to his body as if he is a cloud, is this is where the lightning truly belongs.

"Tobirama, is that a lightning chakra cloak" Hashirama asks. Despite being touted as 'the god of shinobi' and formerly being recognised as the strongest Hokage, Hashirama's theoretical understanding of jutsu pales in comparison to his younger brother who is a true genius.

"No, there is no chakra" Tobirama shakes his head. "Still, if he has held this technique back until now…".

"Yeah" Hashirama nods in agreement, understanding exactly what Tobirama means.

"It's strong" they say together.

Peterson smiles at the reaction of all the shinobi stood before him. On Naruto's face, he can see the anguish that only comes with discovering the difficulty of your situation. On the Senjus' faces, he spots something far more devastating, the one emotion a shinobi should keep away from a battle, he sees fear.

"Here I come" he declares as he lifts his foot off the ground for his first step.

Naruto doesn't see the foot lower again, he just feels the incredible speed of Peterson's approach, he feels the air move around him as the great momentum of his enemy forces the pressure on his skin to increase. Then looking over his shoulder, Naruto sees where Peterson ends up, directly behind him.

As Peterson coats his fist in lightning Naruto quickly turns around to defend himself. As the lightning, clad fist then fires towards Naruto's head he is left with little choice but to attempt to catch that punch. Reaching his arm out before him to do just that, doesn't go well for Naruto. As Peterson's fist collides with Naruto's palm the blonde shinobi hears a tearing noise and feels an agonising pain.

A small thud can be heard as something heavy hits the ground.

Naruto's severed arm.

' _What!'_ Naruto starts, he had estimated that the punch would be strong, perhaps that it would even do serious damage to him but he never expected anything like that.

As Peterson's second fist comes towards Naruto he concentrates his gaze on the widening mouth of the 7th Hokage, feeling this to be his victory. _'Don't despair kid, you are by far the greatest opponent I have faced since I came here'_.

Just before Peterson's fist reaches Naruto, the 2nd Hokage, Senju Tobirama appears with a hand on his shoulder. Rapidly he uses his flying thunder god jutsu to teleport to Naruto and then teleports the two of them back to his elder brother.

Hashirama quickly uses a few tricks from his past to stem the bleeding in Naruto's arm, to prevent it from being fatal as the fight goes on.

"Thank you, old man 2nd" Naruto offers sincerely.

"This is no time for thanks" Tobirama snaps, "We need to think of a plan now".

"That attack you used earlier" Hashirama begins, "The tailed beast bomb, can you do it again? Will it work if you do?".

"Not against lightning of that level" Naruto quickly replies.

"Do you have anything stronger?".

"Yes but using it right now will be difficult, especially with one arm. Still if you can keep him occupied for a minute I think I can do it".

Tobirama scoffs, "Keep him occupied for a minute, that's not the easiest request to accommodate".

Peterson slowly lifts his finger to point at the trio, a small spark of electricity arcing around his finger nail. With a jolt of the muscles in his hand, lightning fires from the tip of his finger, bound for the hidden leaf's defenders.

Naruto knows that neither Hashirama nor Tobirama can counter an attack of this level, he knows that he needs to be quick on his feet. _"Lend me some chakra Kurama"_ he calls to his partner as he holds his hand out before him. Quickly a super mini tailed beast bomb forms in his hand and he smashes it against the lightning.

As the two great attacks collide the result is just as Naruto anticipated; the lightning overcomes the bomb and sends the trio depending on it rolling back along the floor, saved only by the reduction in momentum offered by the tailed beast bomb.

Eventually they come to a halt, quickly getting to their feet again.

"Brother, are you in sage mode?".

"Yeah".

Hearing the response Tobirama acts quickly, throwing a marked kunai towards Peterson. When the colonel simply ignores the kunai the younger Senju sibling makes full use of the opportunity this presents to him, placing his hand on Hashirama's back, he teleports the 1st Hokage rather than himself to the flying weapon.

Arriving behind Peterson, Hashirama kicks towards the head of the colonel, combining one of his strongest melee attacks with the surprise element from Tobirama's flying thunder god technique.

Peterson turns his head to the side slightly, allowing him to see Hashirama through the corner of his eye. _'Child's play'_ Peterson stretches out his hand and catches the Hokage's leg, something he was incapable of doing previously. The lightning cloak that Peterson is manipulating has put him on a whole new level is the realisation of the Senju brothers.

Tobirama weaves a series of signs in quick succession, a speed that would make any Hokage proud. Finishing the pattern causes a series of rocks to fly towards Peterson.

"These are not even worth using lightning on" the colonel mocks aloud as he throws Hashirama by his leg, launching him straight towards the incoming rocks.

The 1st Hokage uses air resistance in conjunction with creative body movements to twist in the air, avoiding all the rocks. In a more simplistic manner however, Peterson twists his body to the side, avoiding all the rocks with one conservative movement. Much to the surprise of the colonel though, the rocks explode, causing him to cover his eyes as the light and heat surrounding him increases rapidly.

"Nice one Tobirama" Hashirama shouts before giving a thumb up to his successor.

"Less talking more fighting" the 2nd Hokage responds.

' _Here goes nothing then'_ Hashirama thinks as he completes the series of signs he failed to earlier. "Sage art, true several thousand hands" he calls as a giant with several thousand hands forms beneath him.

Not wasting any time, Hashirama uses the several thousand hands to hit Peterson repeatedly, each blow increasing the dust thrown up from the ground as Peterson is covered in a cloud of particulate dirt. This is an attack that was capable of outwitting even Uchiha Madara and the nine-tailed fox under his control, truly Hashirama's greatest weapon.

"Did we get him" Hashirama asks as he stops attacking.

His answer comes in the form of a lightning bolt, though not as powerful as the ones that have been launched previously this one comes from the centre of the dusty cloud striking the 1st Hokage on the forehead, a direct hit. As the true several thousand hands begins to crumble Hashirama's body drops forward uncontrollably as he begins to plummet from atop the enormous wood construct.

"Brother!" Tobirama shouts before teleporting directly to Hashirama. Inspecting his brother reveals several burn marks all over his body, severe burn marks that would put him out of action for at least a week. "Hey brother, can you hear me" the younger asks as he shakes the elder.

He is met only with silence though, as the gigantic wood construct continues to fall apart.

As the dust clears the silver hair of Colonel Peterson comes into Tobirama's view. He grits his teeth as he looks at the smug, scarred face of the man who is invading their world.

"What will you do now?" Peterson asks.

Tobirama doesn't know how to continue so decides to rely on his last hope. He grabs his brother by the shoulder and teleports away, to wherever Naruto is.

"He ran away using his teleportation technique" Peterson muses as the true several thousand hands continues to crumble before him.

Finally, the true several thousand hands fall apart completely, revealing a tailed beast transformation behind it. Not just any tailed beast transformation, Naruto has used a technique he first used against Sasuke to combine three nine tails together, the Asura Kurama transformation.

Peterson gasps as he sees what is in the six hands of this giant creature.

' _Using this power without the six paths chakra is painful… but'_ Naruto thinks to himself before launching the giant ball above his head. All six arms push the black swirling attack straight towards the colonel.

"Tailed beast ball rasen shuriken!" he shouts as he throws his strongest attack towards Peterson.

As quickly as he can Peterson gathers his strongest lightning attack and fires at the tailed beast ball.

Once more the attacks collide in an enormous explosion.

As the heat washes over the valley the Asura Kurama dissipates, Naruto falling to the ground without any self-control in much the same way Hashirama did not a minute previously. Just before he hits said ground, Tobirama catches Naruto by the waste and places him gently onto his back.

"Naruto, are you alright?".

"I prepared that attack far too quickly" Naruto replies with a clearly shaken voice, "It took up all of my chakra".

Tobirama turns his head around to look at Peterson, "He's down for the count, I'm going to finish him off". The 2nd Hokage throws a kunai towards Peterson, teleporting to it and catching it just as it arrives over the man's silver maned head. He lifts his kunai, ready to kill Peterson before he is interrupted.

"I have an offer to make…" a voice comes from within the sky.

As Tobirama turns his head towards the source of the voice he soon quakes in fear. The man who spoke has a uniform marked with the number 1, a golden cloak protruding from his back. Quickly the younger Senju brother determines who this man is.

' _It's a general!'_ he screams in his head.

The general gently drops down towards the floor, allowing Tobirama a good opportunity to memorise his appearance. The general has short chestnut hair with short sideburns to match, although his power is tangible and intimidating his appearance is of a young man not yet out of his twenties. The tall man looks down over Colonel Peterson, one of his most trusted subordinates.

"General I…".

"Your failure can be dealt with later Peterson" the general smiles as he turns to look at Tobirama. "As for you, I would talk to you, my name is General Clyde".

"Clyde…" Tobirama repeats the name.

"I am willing to make you an offer".

"An offer" Tobirama again repeats his sentence, not quite believing what is happening.

"Spare Peterson for now" Clyde nods towards Tobirama's raised kunai, "He is a subordinate of mine and his life is greatly important to me".

"In return I will not tell any of the other generals about this world".

"We will settle the fate of this world in a fare contest, one month from now, 7 matches, 7 competitors on each side".

"The first in each match to immobilise their opposition shall be the winner. This is the sort of competition we enjoy frequently back home. Never has it been offered to our enemies; you should be honoured" Clyde explains.

"If I win then that will mean your greatest warriors have been immobilised. There will be nothing to stop me from killing every man, woman and child in this world".

"And if we win?" Tobirama questions, so far unimpressed with the offer.

"Then we will leave the people of this world in peace" Clyde replies, "I will tell my fellow generals that our work here is complete".

"Like I'll believe you" Tobirama shouts in reply, almost forgetting the overwhelming power of the man before him.

"So you don't accept" Clyde asks with mock surprise.

"Damn right we will" shouts Naruto from afar. Much to the shock of Tobirama, somehow Naruto is on his feet, walking, albeit with a significant limp, towards the general from the invading forces.

"Naruto…" Tobirama mutters.

"This is the best chance we have to defend the people of this world" Naruto says as he reaches Tobirama, "But let me warn you, even though you are a general, when the contest arrives I am going to beat you".

With a smile Clyde nods to Naruto, "We will see".

After that the general grabs his colonel by the uniform and flies off with him. As he gets out of sight Tobirama turns once again to Naruto to watch him promptly collapse. One thing is for sure, he has earnt a rest. There is something you can't take away from Naruto in this moment.

Uzumaki Naruto is the first person to defeat a colonel.

 **Clyde and Peterson**

"General Clyde" Peterson speaks to his commanding officer.

"What is it?".

"There is no way the other generals will accept this plan… if they catch wind of it".

Clyde tuts as he looks back to his subordinate, "Didn't you hear what I said Peterson, I am not going to tell them".

"We will be killed" Peterson retorts.

"Only if we lose" Clyde replies, his voice filled with confidence. In their position, it is clear to see that the forces of this world are no match for the force invading it. "That is why we have to win" he finishes.

"Sir… it's not worth the risk" the colonel argues.

"Didn't you hear what I said" Clyde calls again, sounding slightly more irritated than last time, "You are a treasured subordinate of mine, it's my duty to take care of you".

"… thank you sir".

Clyde smiles, "You better not lose Peterson, you got that?".

"Yes sir" comes the resolute response.

"Now we have to get the other 5 colonels. They have gotten lazy, they have been here for so long yet they have not yet conquered this world" Clyde laughs as he pictures the faces of his six most treasured allies, "Well now they are finally going to do their jobs".

"And what if we lose?" Peterson asks.

"If we lose?" Clyde mutters, "Well it's like you said…".

"We will die".

* * *

 **Author Note**

Hi Everyone.

That's the end of To the Future Part 1: Hope, A Thing of the Past.

I hope you have been enjoying it so far, writing it has, as always, been a lot of fun. I'm a good way through my plan for part 2 so it shouldn't be too long before I'm back with another chapter. I have a lot of plans for this story and there is a long way to go yet, I hope you continue to enjoy it.

See you soon,

Me

* * *

 **PS**

Recently a review of this story has launched a verbal assault on the readers who have enjoyed it.

To criticise the story or the author is well within reason, however, abusive language aimed towards the readers will **NOT** be tolerated.

This story's rating is such that the age of readers can be younger than 16 years old, who in various countries, are not allowed to view content with curses in it. Please bear this in mind when leaving reviews that may be seen by this demographic who should not be exposed to this language.

Thanks for your understanding,

Me


	14. What's in an Arm

**A Quick Hello**

Hey everyone, I'm back.

I have now finished my plan for part 2 and will be uploading every weekday until its completion.

Thanks for your patience.

Please enjoy part 2 titled 'Making the Impossible Possible'.

Thanks, Me

* * *

 **MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – WHAT'S IN AN ARM**

 **The Hidden Leaf Camp**

The hidden leaf camp is full of hustle and bustle as the shinobi and able-bodied villagers frantically run back and forth, reuniting separated families, organising supplies and helping the injured. It had been a quick journey to escape from the attacking colonel, everyone rushed away from the terrifying battle going on behind them, desperate to see another day.

All the people of the village had lived to see another day though, thanks to the efforts of three men, Senju Tobirama, Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Naruto. Only one of those men could walk away though, that was the former of the trio, Tobirama. Both Naruto and Hashirama exhausted all their chakra to fight against Colonel Peterson.

After that battle a great general of the enemy arrived. That man was General Clyde, he challenged them to a contest to decide earth's fate, a contest that Uzumaki Naruto had been all too quick to accept. That lead to this dire situation and resulted in a meeting of Hokages.

Just outside the camp Hiruzen, Minato, Kakashi and Sarada stand facing one another, discussing what happened and how to proceed. The situation may be difficult but they refuse to back down, that is the way of the Hokage.

"A contest?" Kakashi questions, hearing Tobirama's story.

"7 matches he said" Tobirama nods in reply to Kakashi, "That means that we will need 7 competitors to fight in these matches".

"Sorry I'm late" Tsunade calls as she approaches purposefully. Her sleeves are rolled up and her clothes are dirty as she joins the circle of Hokage. The reason for her appearance, is her role as a medical shinobi, a role that may have just reached its pinnacle of historical importance. The two strongest Hokage, are injured.

"How are the 7th and the 1st" Sarada asks, respectful of the fact that the condition of the duo is vital to their survival, after all, it is Sarada who risked her life to bring them to the future.

"That beating my grandfather took was awful and Naruto has lost so much chakra that a recovery should be impossible" Tsunade says, her tone not one of sadness nor one of sorrow, instead frustration is laced in her voice. This frustration stemming from the fact that they would go so far just to fight one man, that they would put themselves out of commission just to buy some time.

"Should?" Hiruzen prompts.

"Their recovery abilities are incredible" Tsunade notes, "I think they will only need a week each".

Naruto and Hashirama are both shinobi famed for their recovery rates. Naruto is the jinchuriki of the nine-tailed fox, the tailed beast, Kurama. Access to this special chakra grants him a recovery rate that is usually reserved for fairy tales. As for Hashirama, he is a legendary healer who didn't even need to use signs, a man with near unrivalled prowess in sage mode, the master of the wood style, his recovery rate is also the stuff of legends. Perhaps throughout all of history these two are the most famed for their ability to heal their own wounds.

"One week may be too long" Tobirama shakes his head, "We only have one month to train".

"One month before what?".

"The general who showed up asked us to spare his comrade" Tobirama explains once again to his niece, "In return he offered us a contest to decide the fate of this world".

"And you accepted?" Tsunade shouts as she points at her great-uncle.

To accept an offer of a contest from the invaders is tantamount to suicide. Before Naruto nobody had ever defeated a colonel, not a single person. There have been sightings of several different colonels, enough to guarantee that everyone who entered on their side would have to be at the level of a colonel. Currently, they are far from that goal.

"I wasn't the one who accepted, that was Naruto".

A sigh comes from the masked Hokage, Hatake Kakashi who knows Naruto better than the others. "Trust my student, he always was a bit of a fool".

"Not necessarily" replies the 2nd, "The way the general phrased his offer of deceiving the 'other generals' made it sound like he is the only general who knows of our situation. If that is the case, then perhaps this is the best chance we will ever get. It's a chance for peace for this world".

"This general, what did he look like" Sarada asks.

"He was a tall man with short chestnut hair, he had sideburns to match. He didn't look a day over thirty".

"Lord 2nd… Tobirama…" Sarada begins, "You talked about what might happen IF we win this contest. That's a big if because that general, he is the man who killed the Uzumaki Naruto of this time".

The entire circle goes quiet, taking in this information. Having felt Naruto's power from a distance it is a strange thought that there could be someone stronger than him. Not only that but this man defeated both Naruto and Sasuke at the same time, such a power is inconceivable.

"Naruto has always risen to his challenges" Kakashi nods as he stares a hole in the ground at his feet, "This time will be no different".

"You're right Kakashi" Minato praises his student, "All we need to do is win".

"We also need to decide on which seven shinobi will compete in the contest" Hiruzen adds, "We have to think carefully about that".

"Yeah, it would make sense if we selected them from within the Hokage" Minato nods in agreement. Of course, his statement is perfectly sensible, the Hokage are the strongest shinobi available to the hidden leaf, it is to that end that they were brought back.

"There are 8 of us, so I will leave it to you guys" Tsunade waves her hand with a sigh.

"Lady Tsunade…" Sarada breathes out.

"I know my limitations" Tsunade continues as she raises her hand, cutting Sarada off. "I'm a medic while you have all dedicated your lives to combat. For me to compete would be narrow minded, I will focus on keeping you in prime condition until the contest".

Tobirama agrees that Tsunade's plan is sensible before declaring who the team will consist of. "That means the team will be, my brother, myself, Hiruzen, Minato, Kakashi, Naruto and Sarada".

"If I may…" Hiruzen interjects.

"Go ahead".

"I would like Mirai to compete on my behalf".

"Hiruzen…" Minato mutters.

"Is this the time Lord 3r… Hiruzen" Kakashi changes the name, recalling the agreement he made to call the other Hokage by their name and not their title. "Hiruzen, right now we have to prioritise the survival of the village".

"Mirai has a special power" Hiruzen explains, "A unique ability to manipulate her chakra, if she can control that she will be far stronger than I".

"And if she can't?" comes a question from the 2nd Hokage.

"We have to believe in her" Sarada answers on the 3rd's behalf, "If we don't believe in miracles then we won't win the tournament".

"In that case we best begin training right away" Minato concludes. "Training for a miracle".

 **The Land of Thunder**

Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, a solitary door is hidden amongst the beautiful mountainous landscape in the land of thunder. This door only has a small structure of rock behind it, presumably a tunnel leading to underground. It truly could be said to be isolated from the world.

The only person that can be seen for miles around is a captain, patrolling the front of the door as if it is the most important job in the world, he makes larger than life militaristic gestures as he attempts to show off his importance. His importance is soon dwarfed though when two senior officers land before him.

TAP

TAP

General Clyde and Colonel Peterson land before the captain, staring at him without saying anything for a moment. The Captain quickly breaks from his stupor and salutes the duo before him.

"Go and get Colonel Sheer" Clyde orders.

"Yes sir" the Captain responds obediently, "But she may be in a bad mood, one of her key experiments failed not too long ago".

Sensing his hesitation, Peterson sends a deathly glare towards the captain, containing just a hint of his aura.

As the captain shudders, General Clyde sighs with a shaking head. "Stop it Peterson, you can't blame him for being afraid of sheer". Having said that Clyde reaches behind his back and pulls at the long golden piece of fabric attached to it. "Here take my cloak. If she sees my cloak she won't dare to attack you, no matter how frustrated she is".

"Thank you sir" the Captain bows slightly before accepting the cloak and heading in through the door.

"You are too forgiving sir" Peterson declares, "If you were a bit more merciless with your soldiers you would conquer worlds like this much faster".

"I'm just doing what the old man taught me" Clyde waves his hand.

Hearing the mention of this old man Peterson visibly slumps his shoulders before lowering his voice to a whisper. "Don't mention him, have you got a death wish?".

"Nobody can hear me nor are they going to report me Peterson, you should stop pretending that he never existed" Clyde chastises Peterson like a small child, "He always said that you should protect your troops".

Clyde smiles faintly as he pictures an old frail man, the old frail man who taught him many important lessons in life.

"You will be ruthless enough to win this contest, right?" Peterson asks.

"Don't worry, I won't show my opponent any mercy. The people of this world are not mine to look after. I will crush them all beneath my boot".

"Fine…".

Peterson shivers, rubbing his hands up and down his biceps before violently shaking his head, as if to snap himself from a trance.

"Is something wrong?".

"Sheer's experiments always freak me out" the Colonel explains, "She's a strange woman".

"Who's a strange woman" comes a voice from the other side of that door.

A second later a woman walks out from the door. She is of average height but has startling long purple hair and long fingernails to match. Her scowl can be seen through a pair of narrow framed glasses. This woman is Colonel Sheer.

"Sheer…".

"General, you just missed my finest experiment yet. It was a glorious feeling, watching it run off into the undergrowth, knowing it will crush our enemies".

"Sheer I just promised the enemy a contest. We will be fighting them in a traditional captained six challenge to decide the fate of this world".

"Hmm" Sheer strokes her chin upon hearing this, "Should I go and get the experiment back".

Clyde raises his hand up flatly before him, "No, don't bother, if they can't even get past one of your experiments then they can give on winning the captained six challenge".

"Well that's true" Sheer smiles.

"Head back to my headquarters. We will be spending a month together in preparation for the contest".

Sheer visibly shakes at the order, "Together… away from my experiments…".

"Yes, I hope you like team bonding exercises".

Sheer adopts an ugly expression before reluctantly lifting into the air and flying towards Clyde's headquarters.

"You tease her an awful lot General" Peterson notes.

"Hmphh, it's fun to watch the looks on your faces when I mention team bonding" Clyde declares as he watches Peterson's face contort yet again. He laughs in reaction to this, once again his subordinates have not disappointed him. "Come on, let's gather the others".

 **The Medical Area, The Hidden Leaf Camp**

An area has been set aside in the hidden leaf camp for medical purposes. Here medical shinobi and civilian doctors are working together to treat the sick and the injured. Set aside currently are two special guests of the hidden leaf's medical department, Uzumaki Naruto and Senju Hashirama.

Sat with the two injured Hokage are Uzumaki Mito and Hyuuga Hinata. The two who had made their journey to the future not only alongside this injured pair but because of their achievements in the past.

"Hinata, are you worried?" Mito suddenly asks.

"Yes" the Hyuuga clanswomen answers honestly, "But they'll be fine because they are Hokage right?".

Mito smiles at Hinata's forward and optimistic thinking, "I guess so".

A third woman approaches, familiar with the work of both these Hokage. It is the retired medical shinobi and team-mate of Naruto, Uchiha Sakura. "Hey, I just came to see how the patients are doing".

"It's not good Sakura" Hinata answers.

"He lost his arm again huh" Sakura says under her breath as she looks at her injured friend, "Wait, I thought he was brought forward from just after his fight with Sasuke".

"That's right" Hinata replies, "We had only been released from the infinite tsukynomi a few hours ago".

Sakura sighs to herself as she comes to a realisation, "Sarada must have summoned him from then because she lacked accurate control over the time she summoned from. Otherwise she would have brought him forward from the fight against Kaguya".

"Naruto only had that strength for a few hours" Hinata reinforces Sakura's story, "So that would make sense".

"I suppose the same goes for Kakashi sensei" Sakura continues, "He only had Obito's power for a very short time".

"I see".

"Still, this is a bit strange" Sakura scratches her pink hair as she racks her brain to conjure up the memories of the war. "The moment you got brought forward from, didn't Naruto have only one arm".

"Yeah" Hinata stammers, confused herself about what is going on, "The last time I saw him in the past he had only one arm".

"But he just lost that arm in this fight, why had it grown back?".

Mito watches the talking shinobi with absolutely no clue as to what they are saying. It is confusing for her having not experienced that time. So, Sakura explains that Naruto lost his arm in a fight against Sasuke before being brought forward in time, yet after being brought forward he had two arms once again.

"Could it be that thing you tried with implanting the 1st Hokage's cells into his arm?" Hinata asks, recalling Sakura's attempts at treating her two teammates.

"That didn't work at the time" Sakura shakes her head.

"But it worked for all the other amputees". Hinata thinks back to the end of the war, thousands of shinobi had lost their limbs but through use of the 1st Hokage's cells they had been regrown.

"That didn't work on Naruto and Sasuke because they had so much chakra. To store it all in that arm again would be impossible. The best we could do was to create a special prosthetic". Images come into Sakura's mind of Tsunade and Shizune hard at work thinking about how to help Naruto. They wouldn't have bothered for anybody else but Naruto was after all the world's hero. "Lady Tsunade put lots of work into it and it took weeks to grow even then".

"I see".

Mito walks over from her husband's side, thinking she may have the answer to the problem. "When we were brought forward we were all completely drained of chakra".

"That's it" Sakura clicks her fingers, "Because you were so low on chakra temporarily it's possible that the 1st's cells helped Naruto's arm to regrow, just like everyone else's".

"So he is actually weaker than he was when he had a prosthetic" Mito asks.

"Yes" Sakura nods. "We made the prosthetic from Hashirama's cells because that was the best we had at the time. We didn't have anything like Naruto's cells".

Sakura smiles as her mind computes the possibilities that have opened before her, "But if we were to use Boruto's cells, there is a chance that Naruto will get back to his full strength".

"His full strength" Mito gasps, struggling to imagine how Naruto could possibly be more powerful than what she witnessed not so long ago.

"You mean the strength he…".

"Yeah" Sakura nods to Hinata, "The strength given to him by the sage of the six paths".

"The strength he used to fight Kaguya".

Sakura's medical expertise open a world of possibilities. They facilitate the possibility that Naruto may truly return to his full power.

Could this be the first step in making the impossible possible?


	15. The Experiment Arrives

**MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – THE EXPERIMENT ARRIVES**

 **The Hidden Leaf Camp**

Come the evening the weather is mild with a red sky beckoning the imminent arrival of the night. Thankfully there is no rain, while the trees do help to shield those hiding under them from the rain, it would be bad for people such as Naruto and Hashirama. That is because the duo has recently sustained at the hands of the enemy's colonel, at the hands of Colonel Peterson. A cold would not go far towards assisting their recovery.

Uzumaki Naruto, the 7th Hokage remains silent and unmoving on the makeshift stretcher having not regained consciousness since he blacked out during his last fight. His body is hard to look at, whether it is the deep cuts are the darkened bruises or the missing arm. Sakura feels a sense of déjà vu as she looks upon her broken friend. He looks almost the same as the day he fought with Sasuke.

Following the revelation that Naruto's arm could be replaced and improved, Sakura gathered a group of individuals including Naruto's two children, Boruto and Himawari. Further to them, she also gathered two of the medical experts from the past, Senju Tsunade and Sarutobi Biwako.

"To create a fake limb from someone else's DNA" Biwako starts as Sakura finishes her explanation. "Is that even possible?".

"Lady Tsunade has done it before" comes the reply, "She showed me how to do it".

Tsunade is famed for medical capabilities unseen as far back as her grandfather Senju Hashirama. That is not to say that her medical jutsu are superior, quite the opposite, Hashirama could heal without even using signs, something Tsunade is not capable of, however, Tsunade came from a later era with more access to technology. Regardless of how great a genius the 1st Hokage was, the later Hokage would always be able to take his work and apply it.

"I don't have the experience required to do that yet" Tsunade notes, looking towards the woman who would one day become her pupil.

"I saw how you did it" Sakura replies, "I will explain it to you. I'm too old to perform the procedure but you… Lady Tsunade you can do it".

"Believe in yourself Tsunade" Mito approaches her granddaughter and places a hand on her shoulder. The 5th Hokage turns to see a brilliant smile and the face of her red-haired grandmother, "You were brought here for a reason, you were chosen. Doing this is your destiny".

"I may not have reached your legendary heights but I am a talented medical shinobi myself" Biwako promises to Tsunade, "I'll support you all the way".

Tsunade turns her head around, looking at the faces of each and every person in the room. Every single one of them radiates their belief in her, in her abilities. In a time where it would be easy to doubt her own abilities, the granddaughter of the 1st has no choice but to accept that she really could succeed.

She sighs, "OK, with you assisting me and Sakura's instruction I believe that I can succeed".

With a smile Sakura immediately begins to instruct to instruct her master on how the procedure works. There are many complicated elements to the process, to create a perfect arm that would compensate for the flow of six paths chakra is not an easy task, much less when you don't understand how to do it yourself. The first instruction is easy though, a tissue sample is required from Boruto.

"Is this OK with you Boruto?" Hinata asks her son. Though the procedure seems essential Naruto and Hinata are unanimous that their children shouldn't have to do this sort of thing if they don't want to. Even without Naruto awake to declare such Hinata knows that.

"Of course it is OK with me. Take my whole arm if you need to". Boruto enthusiastically declares his approval before rolling up his black sleeve and holding his arm out to his side.

Tsunade creates a scalpel from her chakra before taking a small tissue sample from Boruto. It is not a deep cut, something that you wouldn't notice unless it was pointed out to you but it is an important cut. This one cut could possibly change the fate of the ninja world.

"Still I don't get it" Boruto declares as he pulls his arm back into his sleeve, "Why did dad have an arm if you hadn't given him the prosthetic in the past yet?".

"It's because the method we used for other people was to apply Hashirama's cells to the wound, that regrew the limb almost instantly" Sakura recalls.

"My husband's regeneration ability is very impressive" Mito nods as she accepts the possibility of such a method.

"So why did dad need a prosthetic?" Himawari questions.

"Because Hashirama's cells only work because of his overwhelming chakra. His chakra was reliably far more than the patients, even just in one limb. Naruto is an exception to this rule" Sakura notes, "Also, we wanted Naruto at the strongest we could get him. We made the prosthetic specially to synchronise with his chakra. It was still limited though, the closest we could get to Naruto's cells was Hashirama's".

"Why not use his own cells" Himawari asks, "Couldn't you just take them from his other arm?".

Tsunade shakes her head, "It's to do with chakra points, how the cells are exposed to the chakra of the user".

"It's not something most medical shinobi would know" Sakura gives a wry smile as she sees the confusion on her friends faces, "Anyway, now that we have the tissue from his closest matching relative we should be able to create a perfect prosthetic".

"So dad will be at full power again" a smiling Himawari finishes.

"Exactly".

"Hold on, I remember dad fighting Momoshiki during the chunnin exams" Boruto thinks back to the day he learnt what it was to be a shinobi, the day he witnessed his father's strength. "Are you telling me that really wasn't his full power".

"No" Sakura shakes her head, "During the war he was stronger, much stronger".

Boruto looks at his own father in shock, "What a monster".

Mito shares the shock of her clan member. _'Despite being so far away I could sense this man's chakra when he was battling the Colonel'_

' _Naruto, just how strong are you?'_.

 **The Next Day, A Clearing Near the Hidden Leaf Camp**

Meeting in the clearing are an elite group. Boruto has chosen this spot to meet with his most trusted ally and his relatives. Gathered with him are his grandparents, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina as well as the current Hokage, the 9th Hokage, Uchiha Sarada.

"So they are going to give him a new prosthetic limb" Minato scratches his chin as he mulls over Boruto's story. "And it's going to be made from your cells?".

"That's right".

"The advances in medicine in this modern world are quite incredible" Kushina notes.

"You can say that again" Minato adds without knowing how to react.

"So the 7th… uh Naruto" Sarada corrects herself, again recalling the agreement that the Hokage should refer to one another by name, "He is going to be at his full power again".

"Yes" Boruto nods, "Apparently, he was significantly weaker after our births than he was during the war".

Of course, it was known that Naruto and Sasuke had a great power they used during the 4th great shinobi war, however, Boruto had always assumed his dad had trained and reached an equally impressive height following the conflict. To find out that his father, the strongest man he had ever met, could become even stronger still was incredible. It's enough to make any shinobi stop and think about just what they have achieved.

"No wonder he was so revered by our seniors" Sarada adds.

"Did you two really not know about this" Kushina asks, "It seems like a lot of other people knew more about their power than you did. Their own children".

"I think it's the position we were born into" Sarada concludes. Upon Minato pushing for a greater explanation she continues, "We took our parents power for granted. Our mothers always told us that our fathers were incredible but…".

"It's hard to understand how amazing someone is when you grow up with them" Boruto finishes, thinking back to when he jumped on his father to wake him up. That day was the day Naruto became Hokage, or took a nap, depending on who you ask. "Everyone looks up to their parents but they also fail to understand how incredible they truly are. That's human nature".

"I see".

"How is your training?" Boruto turns to his grandfather and clenches his fists, "I assume you are training harder than ever before?".

"Yes" Minato answers.

"To be given this chance" Sarada takes a deep breath of fresh air, "It's been so long since I've had the opportunity to just sit down and train".

"I assume you are trying to unlock the rinnegan?".

Hearing Boruto's question Minato's mouth opens widely, recalling all the stories he has heard, the legends. "The rinnegan, the eyes of the sage of the six paths…".

"Yeah. These eyes are the eyes of my father" Sarada explains while tapping the frames of her glasses, "While they were originally rinnegan I haven't been able to awaken it myself yet. Now, they are simply eternal Mangekyo Sharingan".

"Why" Kushina asks, herself not having an in-depth understanding of the Uchiha clan's eyes.

"The trick to awakening them seemed to be the chakra of the Senju clan" Boruto recalls the stories his master told him about the birth of his eyes, "But that didn't work".

"Hashirama's cells didn't help me to unlock the rinnegan" sighs the last descendant of the Uchiha clan, "I don't know what will".

"Don't give up" Kushina places a hand on Sarada's arm and smiles into her eyes, "You have to keep trying for the sake of the village. You are the Hokage".

"I know, it's just demotivating".

"We're all here if you need help Sarada" Kushina continues.

"Thank you, I'll be fine though". Sarada feels deep gratitude towards the Kushina's kind-heartedness in this moment. She had been thrust into the future without any knowledge of what was happening, she met her grandchildren despite not having had children yet and she was taking it so well and being so supportive.

"I'm going to see if my father has woken up" Boruto says as he begins to walk away.

"I hope he has… we need him right now".

Following their conversation, Sarada split off from Minato and Kushina and once more proceeded to train. She throws punches rapidly into the air before her, attempting to drain herself of all stamina as part of her exhaustion training. Beads of sweat drop down from her forehead as the speed with which she punches increases further and further, the microscopic improvements from her training are evident but she is clear in the knowledge that what she requires is macroscopic.

Sarada is distracted by the shaking of the bushes behind her, though after inspecting them with her eternal Mangekyo Sharingan she finds nothing of note, only some insects and a bird. She shrugs her shoulders and continues to train.

 **The Medical Area**

"No changes then" Boruto sighs as he approaches his family.

Hinata shakes her head as her son approaches the man who becomes her husband, he gets closer and closer until something happens very suddenly.

Naruto takes a deep breath of air.

"B… B…B… Boru… Boruto" he breathes out.

Boruto quickly grabs his hand, "Hey, I'm here dad, so is mom and Himawari too".

"The… the… there's…".

"Calm down Naruto" comes the chastising voice of Sakura as she approaches the makeshift stretcher, "You're in a state of shock".

Naruto swallows the saliva in his mouth, his voice becoming steadier thus. "There's something terrifying out there, I can feel it".

"Hey" Boruto says reassuringly, "Don't worry, we can deal with anything while you recover".

"You don't understand" Naruto says as he shakes his head quickly from side to side, "It's already got past our defences".

"Don't be silly, Shikadai and Shikamaru organised the patrols themselves, Mitsuki is leading them. Unless the enemy got a copy of our military procedures they wouldn't be able to get through".

"Don't you remember" Hinata asks with a smile, "The strongest enemies are all busy preparing themselves for the contest".

Naruto once more shakes his head, "It's not one of them, it's different. It has an aura like the insane warriors".

Himawari walks around to the other side of the stretcher, rubbing her father's hair, "See, that's nothing we can't handle dad".

"This one is stronger" Naruto's head shaking turns to nodding, "I can feel it, it's already gotten past the patrols… I can feel the negative emotion".

A moment of silence passes as everyone looks at one another, not knowing what to say to calm Naruto down. Until suddenly one of them speaks, saying something the others never would have wanted to hear.

"He's right" Mito says, "I can feel the negative emotion too".

 **Sarada's Training Ground**

Once more the bushes rattle behind Sarada, in the same way they did before.

She shakes her head though, _'You're just imagining things Sarada'_.

She continues to believe this, chanting it to herself as she hears the sustained rustle of the bush. She continues to believe this right up to the moment…

The moment chakra surges behind her.

So, she slowly turns around…

 **The Medical Area**

"THERE" Naruto shouts at the top of his lungs, "You can feel it can't you".

Suddenly Boruto's eyes widen, so much so that they look like they could pop from their sockets. Not a second later he runs without a word of explanation, he runs towards Sarada.

"Oh my god" Sakura mutters as she begins to fall to her knees, only for Tsunade to catch her.

"Hey Sakura, get a hold of yourself".

"What the hell is going on" Biwako asks, looking between the various people who seem to understand. "What is this chakra?",

"It's him" Himawari glumly declares.

"Him?".

"This terrifying chakra… it can only belong to one man".

 **Sarada's Training Ground**

Upon turning around, Sarada looks at the figure behind her, at the very least it is humanoid. Its eyes begin to open very slowly, revealing a pattern of black and red.

 **The Medical Area**

"Who does this chakra belong to" Mito asks hurriedly.

Himawari trembles as the words slip from her mouth.

"Uchiha… Sasuke…".


	16. Delaying Act

**MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – DELAYING ACT**

 **The Medical Area**

The raw panic begins to set in through the medical area as Biwako, Mito and Tsunade recall the tales Sarada told them of a man named Uchiha Sasuke, her father. This was the only man capable of fighting evenly against Naruto, the second member of the Uchiha clan to awaken the rinnegan. In the history of the ninja world Sasuke was one of the few people who had transcended the power of the Kage and reached a level comparable to the gods.

"Sasuke…" Hinata muttered with a shiver, her eyes wide as she recalls the aftermath of his battle with Naruto.

Naruto's battle with Sasuke happened only a few days ago for her, the damage on their bodies something she had seen for herself. The landscape had been completely decimated by the battle with the ten-tails and Obito yet the duo from team 7 had surpassed that level of destruction with just the two of them. They truly were monsters.

"Grandma Tsunade, you have to heal me quickly" Naruto says as he looks urgently over to the famed healer that is the 5th Hokage.

"There is no way to heal you quickly" she snaps in reply.

"THEN WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE" Naruto shouts impatiently.

Naruto is not exaggerating in the slightest, he of all people understands Sasuke's power, a power bestowed unto him by the legendary sage of the six paths.

As Biwako and Tsunade look between one another their sense of urgency elevates even further. Formerly, they brushed off the stories of Sasuke's abilities, thinking them to be exaggerations for the sake of legend. Now that they can feel Sasuke's chakra, that they see Naruto's alarmed expression despite his incredible powers, they don't hold any doubt in their hearts that the situation is critical.

Sasuke is here.

"Hold on" Mito says calmly, holding her hands out to her side, "There are several other Hokage here. Tobirama, Hiruzen, Minato, Kakashi and Sarada are all fine".

"Y… yeah" Tsunade nods, considering her grandmother's words carefully. "Yeah, yeah… you're right".

"No…" comes the voice of Uchiha Sakura, finally recovering her composure and, with Tsunade's help, her balance. "That won't be enough".

"How can they not be enough?" Biwako questions with incredulity, "That's five Hokage, five, not to mention all of the other shinobi in the village".

Sakura's voice quietens. "Other than Naruto I am the only one who has witnessed the strength of every single Hokage from the past. Further to that, I have seen the strength of the Hokage from the present as well as my husband's power".

Hearing Sakura's credentials everyone comes to appreciate that she truly is the most qualified to speak on this subject. A member of team 7, a friend to the 7th Hokage, mother to the 9th and a warrior from the war in which every one of them fought.

"Trust me, there are only two Hokage who could possibly stand up to Sasuke. They are both here with us and neither of them can fight for themselves".

"Then… what do we do?" Hinata asks.

Sakura frees herself from Tsunade's grasp with a struggle, returning to her feet before slowly standing up to her full height. "I'm going to go to him".

"Are you insane?" Tsunade practically shouts at her disciple.

"If there is anyone who can talk some sense into him it's me".

"Whatever the reason is Sakura, your husband is clearly not on our side" Biwako points towards the source of the chakra as she tries to talk Sakura out of it. "Can't you feel this killing intent".

"I know".

Tsunade continues, "If he is attacking us then he cannot be himself. He's not in his right mind".

"I know".

"To go would be to throw your life away".

"I KNOW" Sakura screams, stunning the others into silence, "But the chakra is coming from my daughter's direction. There is no way in hell I'm not going to her".

Naruto clenches his fist tightly before turning to his inner world, _"Kurama, can't you help me out here?"._

" _I'm too low on chakra right now"_ the nine-tailed fox answers, _"You shouldn't have made me use the Asura form"._

" _Dammit"_ Naruto curses, _"None of them are capable of stopping him"._

" _If I don't do something, everyone will die…"._

 **Sarada's Training Field**

Sarada looks on at her father yet despite his overwhelming chakra and the killing intent he is radiating she is not overcome with fear but instead emotion. The day the hidden sand fell Uchiha Sasuke had come out of retirement, he had left the village with Uzumaki Naruto at the head of a mighty hidden leaf army. That was the last day that Sarada ever saw her father, the day that he died at the hands of General Clyde.

"Dad" she quietly calls to him, "What are you…".

Before Sarada can finish a purple ribcage begins to form around Sasuke, this is the most basic form of his Susano. Along with the ribcage a giant hand slowly protrudes from above Sasuke, its palm comparable in size to a small room. Then, without warning, the hand falls towards Sarada, the open palm a signal for her impending death. In her emotional state Sarada realises what is happening far too late and becomes unable to react in time.

Just as the hand is about to reach Sarada, it is bound by the wrist. Several gold shining chains wrap around the arm of Sasuke's Susano, binding it into position momentarily. Sarada recognises these chains instantly as the adamantine sealing chains made famous by the Uzumaki clan.

In the short period for which Sasuke is bound, a flash of yellow occurs next to Sarada, a sign of the arrival of a hidden leaf legend. The 4th Hokage Namikaze Minato. Not a moment after the 4th arrives he has taken hold of Sarada and left again, escaping just in time before Sasuke smashes through the sealing chains and the Susano palm slams into the ground where Sarada was stood.

Arriving at the side of Uzumaki Kushina, Minato removes his hand from the shoulder of the 9th Hokage, allowing her a few seconds to take a deep breath.

"Thank you…" she eventually breathes out, "Minato… Kushina… thank you".

"Keep calm" Minato responds, "That man may be your father but right now he is our enemy, we need to find a way to beat him".

Although the knowledge has not been directly imparted to him, Minato quickly establishes that this man must be Sarada's father. An unmatchable chakra unseen throughout his life, the dark black hair and the Mangekyo Sharingan. This man can only be Uchiha Sasuke.

Another flash.

Tobirama arrives with Hiruzen and Kakashi.

"I can't believe that I am seeing you again. Sasuke" comes the dull voice of Kakashi, the Uchiha's former teacher.

Seeing his former teacher does nothing to affect Sasuke's mental condition. Remaining stationary, Naruto's rival does not say a word as his killing intent maintains a steady level. He is not responding to any external stimulus as a normal human would, he is showing the exact same conditions as one of the insane warriors.

"Haven't you got anything to say" Sarada asks, "After all this time. You are my father, aren't you?".

Once again Sasuke remains silent in response.

"He's no longer himself" Minato hypothesises, "He has been brainwashed or hypnotized. It's something like that I'm sure".

"Lord 2nd, this is similar the effects of your reanimation jutsu is it not" Hiruzen asks his former mentor.

"It is similar" Tobirama agrees, "However the only similarity is the lack of self-control, the lack of emotion. Not only does this man seem to be alive, he also maintained the monstrous strength that Sakura described him as having in the past".

Sarada takes a deep breath before stepping forward a few times, visibly putting herself in front of her fellow Hokage. "You guys get the villagers to safety, especially focus on Naruto and Hashirama".

"Sarada…" Kushina starts.

"If they die this will all be for nothing, it doesn't matter if I die here though. Yet, more than any of you I can buy us some time".

Sasuke's silence is then adopted by everyone. The Hokage are all people with a great deal of pride and self-respect, to run away from a fight such as this and leave Sarada to die is something none of them want to do, something forced on them, their duty as Hokage of the hidden leaf. Even Kushina, the only non-Hokage present is incredibly reluctant to leave, questioning just how much the 9th must give up before she has done her bit.

"Go" Sarada smiles as she turns her head back to look at them, "Help is on the way for me".

Not a second after saying that, a friendly face leaps from the bushes to Sarada's right. Uzumaki Boruto. Swinging his arm from his behind to his front in a grand arch, he throws a kunai straight towards Sasuke, a kunai which morphs into a rasengan mid-flight.

Boruto is not alone, from the bushes to Sarada's left emerges Mitsuki. Mitsuki stretches his arm out, firing it towards Sasuke such that it and the rasengan hit the opposite side of the Susano simultaneously. To smash the Susano individually would be impossible for these two attacks but together they succeed, breaking Sasuke's first layer of defence.

Taking advantage of the opening Boruto quickly weaves a series of signs, sending a tidal wave hurling towards Sasuke. Even someone with the might of Sasuke cannot face this attack head on without defence, as such he is knocked back several meters while Boruto and Mitsuki arrive at Sarada's sides.

Seeing their joint attack a smile comes to Minato's face, "We'll trouble you guys with this then".

"It's no trouble" Sarada replies, "He is my father after all. He is my responsibility".

Hearing Sarada's resolve the Hokage disperse and set about evacuating the camp.

"Sarada, are you OK?" Boruto asks, not taking his eye from his master's direction.

"I'm fine" Sarada answers, "But thank you, Boruto".

"I told the shinobi on patrol duty to help the villagers to get away" Mitsuki explains, "We need only keep him at bay".

"That's easier said than done" Boruto notes, "He's not even using the rinnegan yet".

"Boruto, you know my father's fighting style even better than I do. Do we stand a chance?".

"Right now he doesn't know about your full power" Boruto declares, "We have to use that to our advantage".

"A sneak attack" Mitsuki concludes.

"I need to get close with this power" Sarada declares as the tomoe in her eye begin to spin, "And if I miss…".

"Then don't miss" Boruto interrupts his Hokage, "I believe in you".

Sarada nods, grateful as ever to Boruto who has perhaps been her greatest supporter ever since she first dreamt of becoming the Hokage. They had always worked together to reach the peak, Hokage and Shadow Hokage, perhaps without one another, their dreams would be impossible.

Suddenly, Sasuke emerges from the water with a sword in hand. Sparks of electricity dance on the body of the sword, showing off his manipulation of kamui to strengthen the blade.

"Here I go" Mitsuki announces as he summons a snake sword to his hand and charges at Sasuke. They engage in sword-play that would be difficult for many to even follow with their eyes. The two onlookers though are using the Mangekyo Sharingan and the Byakugan, their observational powers are anything but ordinary.

As Sasuke's advantage begins to become more and more evident Boruto takes that as a cue to make his move. "Don't hold back, the man before us isn't your father nor my master".

Boruto dashes to Mitsuki's side to help him fight Sasuke, he throws two kunai, the first towards Mitsuki and the latter towards his teacher. Mitsuki understands Boruto's idea perfectly, ducking beneath the kunai to help confuse Sasuke. Following this dodge, Boruto creates an invisible wall, rebounding the kunai that Mitsuki dodged, putting both projectiles on course to hit Sasuke.

As Sasuke swings his sword with the intention to block the kunai, Boruto activates his transformation, morphing both kunai into rasengan. _'Not even you can use a sword to block this'._

As the rasengan bear down on him, Sasuke throws his sword up into the air, causing his daughter to start her run towards him. Ignoring his incoming child, Sasuke creates a chidori in each hand, slamming them into the rasengan before him. The time this bought is enough, Sarada arrives before Sasuke ready to attack.

Sasuke sees this coming though, a veteran of many battles and the wielder of the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan, he catches the sword he through into the air not a moment ago before sheathing it into his daughter's stomach.

Just as Sarada planned.

As Sasuke gazes into Sarada's eyes her tomoe rotate before her body disappears, she bursts into a sea of crows, disorientating Sasuke. Although the crows would be enough to make anyone flinch, his reaction is different, for a moment only he is himself again as the crows bring back memories of a man from his past.

Sarada materialises behind Sasuke before punching him solidly in the back. No ordinary punch could hurt Uchiha Sasuke but this is a punch from his daughter, from Sakura's daughter. While Sasuke was away Sakura often gave Sarada advice on her path to being a shinobi, naturally one of the things Sakura taught her was the keen chakra control that leads to otherworldly strength.

As Sasuke flies into a nearby tree Mitsuki and Boruto return to Sarada's side.

"Good work Sarada".

The 9th Hokage doesn't acknowledge the praise though, instead lowering her head slightly. "But…" she begins.

Before she can finish Sasuke's chakra starts to surge again, a purple aura flaring around him as a more developed Susano begins to form.

"… he's going to fight seriously now".


	17. A Team Reformed

**MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – A TEAM REFORMED**

 **The Battlefield**

Sasuke's aura overwhelms the trio of hidden leaf shinobi. Of course, amongst the trio only one of them has ever experienced the full might of this man Uchiha Sasuke, that is of course Boruto, the day they rescued his father. Regardless, even Boruto staggers backwards in awe as the purple armour surrounding Sasuke grows and grows until it reaches full size. A complete body Susano.

Even during the 4th great shinobi war the complete body Susano was rarely seen, used only by three people during the conflict. These three were Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Sasuke and Hatake Kakashi who had been lent Uchiha Obito's chakra. Thus, this could truly be considered the ultimate weapon of the Uchiha clan, a power to rival the tailed beasts and now it is staring down this team of hidden leaf shinobi.

"Guys" Sarada begins, "I think this maybe it for us".

This is not an unfair assessment, after all, few people have ever defeated someone who was using a complete body Susano. Two people who had are being evacuated at this very moment, Naruto and Hashirama had fought against Sasuke and Madara respectively.

"We at least need to make it difficult for him to kill us" Boruto declares, "We've already resolved ourselves to death haven't we".

As he is met with silence, Boruto walks up to Sarada and places a hand on her shoulder. "Go, the Hokage is required to protect the village".

"But…".

"Mitsuki and I may be strong but we don't have the potential you have; we don't have your strength either. So, go, protect our dream for us".

"I'm not going anywhere". Sarada waves her arm in front of her torso in defiance. She had experienced life and death with her teammates, how could she possibly leave them to die at the hands of her own father, at the hands of Boruto's master.

"Well, our death isn't guaranteed yet" Mitsuki turns his head and smiles gently towards his two best friends.

"What do you mean?".

Ignoring the questions posed by Boruto and Sarada, Mitsuki weaves a series of signs in quick succession. Tiger, snake, dog, dragon. Mitsuki weaves the signs slowly and steadily, almost as if he is reluctant to do so, a fact that, when combined with the signs nature, is quickly picked up on by Boruto and Sarada.

Sarada calls out, "Mitsuki, that's forbidden, you agreed you wouldn't use it unless we were desperate".

"You promised" Boruto adds.

Mitsuki frowns before sighing. "I know that I shouldn't use it, I will be OK with it if you kill me afterwards but… I really want to save you two first".

"Mitsuki…".

Following his emotional display, Mitsuki claps his hands together, a wooden coffin rising from his side before the lid falls off. Not a second later an enormous chakra emerges, not quite as great as Sasuke's but certainly enough to attract the attention of any shinobi with sensory abilities.

This is the reanimation jutsu.

Out from the coffin steps… Sarutobi Konohamaru.

"Konohamaru sensei" Boruto and Sarada call in unison.

"What's this" Konohamaru asks as he looks towards his hands, "The reanimation jutsu, how regrettable".

Looking up before himself Konohamaru takes in the sight of a complete body Susano, a giant purple behemoth. Then he turns his head around to look at the man who reanimated him, his own student, Mitsuki.

"To think that you would be forced into a position such that you would use this jutsu" Konohamaru begins, "This must be just as bad as it looks".

"Sensei, I promised I would never reanimate you". Mitsuki's eyes look downward to the shoes on his feet, not daring to look his mentor in the eye. Konohamaru had been like a second father to him, a fantastic teacher, an excellent friend.

"It's alright. It seems not much time has passed, you haven't any further with your sage mode training have you Boruto?".

"No sensei".

"Then there is no way you could win this fight" Konohamaru smiles sarcastically as his gaze returns to Sasuke. "I understand that you were forced to do this Mitsuki, I don't blame you. I indeed requested not to be reanimated but it seems that you had no choice".

"Boruto, you're not a full sage yet".

"Sarada, your eyes have yet to fully mature".

"Mitsuki, you are a genius technique user".

"But none of you, none of you are heavy hitters".

"As the 8th Hokage, I will create an opening for you".

Boruto thinks back to the days of Konohamaru training him, of his battles against the insane warriors and the occasional skirmish with a captain. Despite his talk of 'heavy-hitters' the 8th Hokage himself has never been a heavy hitter. His mightiest weapon the rasengan, Konohamaru was much like the 3rd Hokage and 6th Hokage before him, a genius who knows thousands of jutsu yet not one that could smash a Susano.

Sarada also grinds her teeth, believing this to be a fight that Konohamaru couldn't possibly win. _'Sensei used to battle with me when I first gained use of the Susano. He never used a big hit to destroy it, instead he always used a clever technique to pull me outside and make me vulnerable'_.

However, Mitsuki thinks differently to his teammates. He knows Konohamaru can muster a heavy hit, that is why he is comfortable that his sensei is the ideal man to help them in this situation.

 **One Year Ago, The Sarutobi Compound**

Konohamaru sat cross legged in the centre of the compound, attempting to focus on meditation but easily being distracted by incoming birds and insects. Not only is he distracted by the various wildlife that arrives to bother him, he is also distracted by the arrival of his pupil, Mitsuki.

"You sure are quiet in arriving" Konohamaru smiles without opening his eyes.

"As expected of the 8th Hokage" Mitsuki smiles as he approaches his teacher less subtly than before, "Even when I do my best to remain quiet you still detect me as if I'm stood right before you".

"I did ask you to come here after all". Konohamaru stands up and raises his thumb to Mitsuki.

"So, how can I help you?".

"Did you hear about what happened yesterday?" the 8th Hokage asks with a heavy voice.

"Yeah, the hidden sand was defeated" Mitsuki replies with an equally heavy voice.

"If Shinki and Gaara couldn't overpower their attackers then how am I going to do so if they attack the hidden leaf? Am I going to force Naruto and Sasuke to do all the work for me? No, if these attackers reach the hidden leaf, I am going to defeat them, no matter how strong they are. That's why I need your help".

"What do you want me to do" Mitsuki asks.

"I want to develop an attack. A powerful attack that could destroy anything in its path, to do that I require chakra, an unearthly amount of chakra and there is only one way to obtain it".

"How?".

Konohamaru looks Mitsuki in the eyes resolutely, forcing the words from his mouth as if they pain him. "You know the way don't you… to Ryuchi Cave".

"Ryuchi Cave". Mitsuki starts as he realises just what his sensei is thinking. "I know the way but… it's not a place highly thought of by the hidden leaf, nor is it a place that thinks highly of the hidden leaf. The last two people who went there were my father and Kabuto, when I went there the sage didn't want me. He said we shinobi were too fickle".

"The circumstance is exceptional, I'm sure he will realise that" Konohamaru reassures his younger, "Please Mitsuki, I'm counting on you".

 **The Present Day, The Battlefield**

Mitsuki smiles, remembering the determination he witnessed that day. _'I'm counting on you, sensei'_.

Konohamaru starts a slow walk towards Sasuke, his speed increasing slowly until he breaks out into a run. His run is not unaccompanied though, his hands also move rapidly, weaving signs as he approaches his opponent. Finishing the pattern, he claps his hands together, a thin block of earth raising from perfectly beneath his feet, propelling him into the air.

He doesn't stop, he keeps rising higher and higher until he reaches a height which he can look down on Sasuke from. _'Don't worry Sasuke, I will protect the younger generation'_. He stretches his hand out to his side, a gigantic rasengan forming in it. The rasengan is so large that it would appear like a normal rasengan in the hands of the Susano.

Konohamaru swings the rasengan, perfectly hitting it into the head of the Susano. _'If you still had your wits about you, you would have blocked that Sasuke. I can smash this Susano'_. Yet despite his resolve, the Susano does not even start to crack, on the contrary, Sasuke raises the Susano's hand forcing the rasengan and Konohamaru back away from its head.

' _NOW'._

Dark black lines start to appear all over Konohamaru's body, altering his appearance and making him appear quite animalistic. The animal in question resides in Ryuchi cave, Konohamaru appears as a snake sage.

As his transformation takes hold, Boruto questions just how this is possible. _'Sensei never trained as a sage did he… and to switch to sage mode you are required to be perfectly still'_.

"He was still" Mitsuki comments, acting like he can read Boruto's mind.

"Huh….".

"While pushing that rasengan into the head of the Susano, he didn't move at all".

' _While pushing the rasengan… he didn't move at all'._ Boruto considers this and finds it hard to believe, _'He was pushing that rasengan without moving, with his chakra alone. Just how strong are you, sensei?'_.

Following the transformation, Konohamaru begins to use his muscles to push the rasengan, slowly mixing in nature chakra, slowly increasing its spin until the breaking point is reached.

SMASH

It's like the shattering of glass, Sasuke's Susano, is broken.

"Sensei…" Sarada breathes out.

"He's strong" Boruto shares her surprise, "He's stronger than we ever knew".

As Sasuke falls to the ground he glares at Konohamaru, not out of anger or rage, nor out of a hatred for the man. Indeed, if Sasuke were conscious right now, he would be thanking Konohamaru for protecting the younger generation, his daughter and his disciple. Sasuke is not conscious of his actions though, instead one thought pulses through his mind in time with the beating of his heart. _'Kill, Kill, Kill'_.

The 8th Hokage is a different picture, as he falls towards the ground he turns his head to look at his three ecstatic students. All three of them are smiling towards him in return. He had shattered not only the Susano but the barrier between the rest of the world and those two. Now everyone knew it could be done, Naruto and Sasuke's level can be reached, or so they thought.

SLICE

Just as Konohamaru is about to reach the ground he instead is caught on Sasuke's sword. Despite the destruction of the Susano, Sasuke thrusts his weapon straight through his heart. His attack is so merciless one could be forgiven for thinking he had never met Konohamaru, much less lived in the hidden leaf while the latter was the Hokage.

"Sensei" Boruto shouts.

"Don't worry" Sarada smiles, "That won't kill him, he has been reanimated anyway".

Despite this Mitsuki trembles, his whole body covered in goose bumps as he feels what his teammates cannot. The reanimation jutsu allowing him to sense the jutsu the sword has been laced with.

"No" he mutters in disbelief, "There is a seal on the sword".

"A SEAL" Boruto shouts, unsure of what to do now.

If Konohamaru is to disappear again, even if Sasuke cannot reform the full body Susano he has an enormous advantage. This is Uchiha Sasuke, master of a space-time jutsu far more powerful than the 4th's or Kakashi's. A man who was among the most proficient genjutsu users in history, who's taijutsu was among the best in the world and who's ninjutsu could only be outdone by Uzumaki Naruto. Can these three shinobi defeat such a man just because he doesn't have a complete body Susano.

The chances are still unfavourable.

"Don't worry" Konohamaru smiles to his students, "I didn't want to be reanimated anyway and I'm glad that I was able to help you for a while".

"Sensei… I should have stopped you" Mitsuki stutters, "You were putting all your effort into fighting, I should have been watching out for something like this".

"Hey" Konohamaru shouts, snapping his students from their saddened states.

"You are shinobi. My part of this battle may be over but yours is only just beginning". A white aura appears around Konohamaru as Sasuke's seal begins to take effect.

"I worked hard all my life to become the Hokage. I made Naruto my rival and aimed to go higher than even he but I never could. That's not because I'm a failure it's just because he was too incredible".

"Sasuke is the same, someone that I could never reach the stellar heights of. Still I had my pride, I succeeded in my dream, I became Hokage".

"But that is not all, being the Hokage was far from my greatest honour, it wasn't my greatest pride".

"My greatest source of pride is that I taught three shinobi like you".

"You've made me proud so many times, you've defended the village even more. Now you need to do it against this man, perhaps the toughest you have ever faced".

"You can do it. This time, you need to make yourselves proud".

As his body starts to disappear Konohamaru finds the time remaining to say his final seven words.

"Go my students, I believe in you".

Sarada takes a deep breath, seeing her sensei sealed an emotional experience yet nothing compared to the torment she is being put through by this fight. Nothing compared to battling her own father.

"OK. Let's do this" she says as she punches her own palm.

"Yes" Boruto and Mitsuki call in return.

For a moment, a team had been reformed.

For a moment, Konohamaru was back.

And for a moment, he has given them an opening.

Is defeating Uchiha Sasuke, really possible?


	18. Uchiha

**Author Note**

I'm sorry for uploading this a bit later in the day than usual.

Here is the final chapter for the week.

I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks as always,

Me

* * *

 **MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – UCHIHA**

 **The Battlefield**

With newfound resolve Sarada leads Boruto and Mitsuki in the attack against her father but nothing changes. With taijutsu alone, he repels attack after attack. If it is taijutsu, he is superior and comes out on top. If attacked with ninjutsu he dodges time after time, his speed far superior to his opponents. As for genjutsu, it is not even worth considering, nobody can put Uchiha Sasuke under a genjutsu, such a thing is impossible for all but a select few. As for those few, they are all deceased

Boruto throws as many kunai as he can track, rebounding them off his own invisible walls to hit Sasuke. This attempt ends in failure, while such a devastating barrage of rasengan-kunai was enough to hit a captain this man is in another class, an equal to Uzumaki Naruto, the only man to have ever defeated a Colonel.

Mitsuki's offence relies on trickery and techniques, though this is an intrinsically weak strategy against Sasuke. Truthfully, even Boruto and Sarada can see through his distractions, it is not that they are weak, merely the visual prowess of those in this battle is too strong. The Byakugan, the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the Rinnegan, not one of these legendary eyes can be tricked by such trivial tricks.

Even Sarada fails. Attempting to make use of her own Susano its weaknesses quickly becomes apparent. It is a large target to hit and it is very slow. The other power granted to her by the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan is Amaterasu, however, the power of flame control is something Sasuke also possesses, it would be totally useless in this situation.

"He's regaining chakra while we are wasting it" Mitsuki notes as he once again attempts a sneak attack on Sasuke. Once again failing he continues, "Something needs to change, have either of you got any ideas?".

Boruto, instead of answering, begins to laugh hysterically. "I knew he was strong, I've seen it with my own eyes, I've felt it, his chakra. Still, I had no idea about how terrifying he truly is. He has thought so many battles in the past, his strategies are almost on par with those of the Nara clan".

Sarada shouts at Boruto, insisting this is not the time to admire their opponent but Boruto only snaps in return.

"Don't you get it?" he asks, "We need to experience ten more years of battle before we could defeat him. This is someone with more experience than even the Kage of the past".

"This is a man who has travelled the world facing all kinds of strong opponents".

"This is Uchiha Sasuke".

"Shut up and think of something. You are his disciple aren't you" Sarada asks. "If he regains any more chakra, there is a chance that he will be able to use the complete body Susano once again".

Mitsuki trembles. The complete body Susano, a power on par with the tailed beasts. So, few people have used the power in history, it is a legendary ability, anyone who can do it will surely have their name sang throughout all time. _'Perhaps that is just it'_ Mitsuki says in his head, _'The fact that he can use that power at all. Even if he lost access to it inexplicably he could still beat us. That power is why he is able to use it in the first place'_.

' _He isn't strong because he has that Susano'._

' _He has that Susano because he is strong'_

"I have a way" Mitsuki finally sighs.

"EH".

"Why haven't you used it already" Boruto shouts to his comrade.

"This method could endanger the villages if they are not at a safe distance. I am not confident that it will work out at all. The result may be that we die and he lives".

"We've already resigned ourselves to death haven't we" Sarada asks, "The villagers should be at a safe distance now, we only have two options left, we win or we lose".

"Either way we have accomplished what we set out to do" Boruto finishes.

The stretchy shinobi sighs. "When my dad's labs came under attack I ran to them urgently. It was the same day that I found him dead that I also found the source of this technique. It was well hidden and protected by many barriers and when I finally found out what it was I understood why. Prior to the war its very existence was probably a sin".

"Things change" Sarada comments, "I am the Hokage and trust me, no matter what it is I won't persecute you".

Mitsuki repeats an earlier action, weaving signs even slower than when he summoned his sensei from the dead. Yet, they are the same signs, and once again a wooden coffin rises from the ground.

"Are you really sure about this?" Mitsuki asks to his teammates.

"DO IT" Boruto yells, seeing that Sasuke is about to attack them once again.

The son of Orochimaru claps his hands together, the lid of the wooden coffin falling towards the ground. As Sasuke leaps towards the trio with the intention of killing them, he never reaches his target, the coffins occupant leapt with the same speed from his confines and kicked Sasuke square in the chest, sending him backwards.

' _I don't believe it'_ Sarada notes mentally, _'Mitsuki summoned someone who is my dad's equal in taijutsu'_.

' _This chakra is godly, who the hell is this man'_ Boruto questions. The only person who he can compare this level of chakra to is his own father, such is the strength of the summoned one.

"This is the former leader of your clan Sarada" Mitsuki says, during the eyes of his friend.

"This is…".

"… Uchiha Madara".

"Uchiha Sasuke" Madara speaks his first words, "You're still here. I wouldn't have thought you would allow me to return, not even in this weakened form".

Madara then turns his gaze to the man who summoned him, to Mitsuki and then to Sarada and Boruto in turn. _'That woman has got the same eyes Sasuke had back then. After all this time, people still steal the Sharingan from the Uchiha'_.

"Lord Madara" Mitsuki starts, resisting the temptation to drop to his knees and beg, "I am not capable of controlling you with the reanimation jutsu and I don't want to anyway. I would never sink so low".

"I can only plead with you Lord Madara, please protect the villagers from Sasuke".

"Protect the village?" Madara starts in return, the words not what he expected. "So, you three are on the side of the hidden leaf village and Sasuke is the villages enemy. It seems many things have changed since I died".

"Regardless, I'm not going to help you" Madara closes his eyes as he folds his arms.

"Are you not Uchiha Madara of the hidden leaf village" Boruto asks, hoping to sway Madara by associating him with them.

"It seems they didn't teach you history after the fourth great shinobi war. I am the Uchiha Madara who battled against the hidden leaf not for it".

"I haven't got any problems with the hidden leaf village anymore, however, I will certainly not turn my back on the Uchiha clan. After all, it seems you have seen fit to steal our eyes once again".

"No you don't understand…" Sarada begins but is interrupted, Sasuke is attacking again.

As Sasuke charges toward the trio of leaf shinobi, Boruto grinds his teeth before running back towards him, all that he can do now is to give it everything he has, to follow his father's ninja way and never give up.

Before Boruto can get far though, his position suddenly changes. "DAMN" he shouts as he realises what just happened, his master swapped places with him.

Now next to Mitsuki and Sarada, Sasuke kicks Mitsuki in the abdomen, launching him into the nearby foliage with a force rivalling both his wife and the 5th Hokage's capabilities. That leaves just him and Sarada.

"STOP IT" Boruto yells as he turns in horror towards the father-daughter pair.

Ignoring Boruto, Sasuke punches Sarada, in the arm, disarming her by forcing her to drop the kunai she is wielding. This naturally leaves her wide open.

"WOULD YOU REALLY KILL YOUR OWN DAUGHTER".

Unperturbed by the shout of his disciple, Sasuke thrusts his sword straight towards Sarada. On course to pierce her throat, however, his sword does not reach his throat. That is because someone has caught his arm from behind. Only one man could have done such.

Sasuke has been stopped.

By Madara.

"Boy" Madara calls with a raised voice, "What did you just say?".

"What did I…" Boruto stammers.

"What did you just shout at Sasuke, I'm waiting for your answer".

"I asked if he could really kill his own daughter".

Madara turns his eyes from Sasuke and towards Sarada. "So those eyes are not stolen?".

"Well, these were my father's eyes originally but… I am a member of the Uchiha clan. The last member".

Madara takes a deep breath. "In the past I thought I had made great strides to accomplishing the destiny of the Uchiha clan but that wasn't the case".

"For years I danced around in the palm of Zetsu's hand, in the palm of Kaguya's hand. The name Uchiha Madara brought fear to the world because I did what they told me I should".

"That's why I have never truly acted as Uchiha Madara of the hidden leaf village but instead as Madara of the Uchiha clan".

"Woman, what is your name" Madara questions.

"Uchiha Sarada… I'm the 9th Hokage".

"The Hokage" Madara begins, "So the Uchiha clan was finally acknowledged by the village. The clan made peace with the village as well. That must have been your decision Sasuke".

Despite his proximity to Madara, Sasuke doesn't speak, it's as if the words don't reach him as he radiates killing intent and a chakra that previously seemed unmatchable.

"I have always been Madara of the Uchiha clan, meaning that I couldn't be Madara of the hidden leaf village".

"However, if the village has finally accepted our clan. If our sole survivor is the Hokage then I guess that changes things. It is now because I am Madara of the Uchiha clan that I am…".

"I am Uchiha Madara of the hidden leaf village".

A smile comes to Sarada's face. The darkest part of history was brought about by the work of the Uchiha clan's leader, it was a source of much distrust from the older generations when she was growing up, it was what made becoming Hokage so hard. Despite that, right before her eyes, that man had made a new decision, at long last the history books could be changed, the Uchiha clan was now truly part of the village.

Sasuke uses his space-time technique once again, swapping his position with Madara's before thrusting his sword towards him.

' _That sword has a sealing juts attached'_ Mitsuki realises as the sword hurtles towards Madara.

However, Madara is a different class of shinobi to Konohamaru, this is the only other man in history to have awakened the rinnegan by himself. The two greatest members of the Uchiha clan, two people who understood just what the other was capable of.

Madara doesn't dodge, he dodges Sasuke's sword while launching a counterattack of his own. He places Sasuke under a genjutsu. Normally this would be impossible, it is only because of the latter's impeded wits that he falls victim to the jutsu.

Of course, Sasuke's enormous chakra means that he breaks free from the genjutsu almost instantly. Almost instantly, however, is not quick enough when facing Madara, who takes advantage of this brief opening to punch Sasuke firmly in the head. The blow indicates just how strong Madara is, even in this reanimated state where he cannot use his full strength, Sasuke is launched into the nearby trees, crashing through enough of them to leave a trail of destruction that could be seen for miles around.

Madara quickly begins to weave the signs created by his old rival Hashirama. He uses his technique, deep forest emergence. For all the trees that were destroyed by Sasuke's body a few moments ago, they are replaced a hundred-fold by the deep forest emergence.

The forest is burnt down not too much later by the black flames of Sasuke. The Amaterasu.

"The flames that cannot be put out" Sarada comments, "How will he deal with Amaterasu".

Madara though, casually absorbs the Amaterasu using his rinnegan. Absorbing all ninjutsu one of his eyes most beneficial powers. He follows up by creating several wood clones, each charging towards Sasuke and battling it through the medium of taijutsu.

The result is the same as when the hidden leaf trio tried, despite the clones taijutsu excellence and their supreme coordination, they cannot defeat Sasuke.

' _So you have become this strong Sasuke'_ Madara smiles, lost in the euphoria of a battle with a worthy opponent.

After every wood clone, has been destroyed, Sasuke throws his sword towards Madara.

Madara leans away from the sword but keeps his eyes fixed on Sasuke's weapon. _'Did you think I would fall for your old tricks again. Now, Sasuke, swap places with your sword, I am ready for you'_.

As Madara steadies his body, preparing to throw a punch towards Sasuke, he is surprised when the sword disappears from stabs him from the rear.

The sword with the seal weaved in, has got even Madara.

"How…" Mitsuki stutters.

"Dad…" Sarada stands with her mouth agape.

Boruto continues to admire his master's power though. _'He even defeated Uchiha Madara'_.

Madara turns his head, looking from his rinnegan at his assailant to his rear. "I see, so that sword that I watched sail past me was a genjutsu".

Madara is met with silence from Sasuke.

"Of course, you are no longer capable of conversation, I will speak instead to your daughter then".

"Madara…".

"Uchiha Sarada, I worked hard all my life for the sake of our clan".

"Please don't let the Uchiha end with you. You have to survive".

"I…".

"Survive Sarada. That's an order from a former clan leader".

"… OK".

"And… protect the village, that's an order from one of the founding members".

"I will" Sarada finishes.

Madara disappears in a blaze of white light as he is sealed.

"What do we do now" Boruto asks. If even Madara couldn't defeat Sasuke then who could?

Then a newcomer calls from nearby.

"SASUKE!".


	19. The Unstoppable Eyes

**MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – THE UNSTOPPABLE EYES**

 **The Battlefield**

"Mom…" Sarada stutters as she looks to her side.

The arrival of Sakura at now of all times shocks her daughter. It must be understood that Sakura is no longer a warrior. Sakura of course, still has masterful control of her chakra granting her superhuman strength, should she get into a fight she would still hold her own, yet, this is no ordinary fight, everyone here is a shinobi with the power to write their own name into history.

Sakura does not arrive on the battlefield alone, standing just behind her is her own master, many years younger than her pupil. Tsunade has accompanied Sakura as a means of protection rather than coming with the intention to fight though. One of the three legendary shinobi of the leaf, Tsunade went on to become the 5th Hokage whose strength was feared by many foes. Her prospective foe in this battle has no fear of her.

Sasuke stands opposite from Sakura and Tsunade, his rinnegan glowing with a purple brilliance, his face unchanging despite the arrival of his wife. The only thing in Sasuke's mind the threat level of the newcomers. Sakura is an old woman with above average strength but you would need a thousand of her to rival Sasuke. As for Tsunade, she is a Hokage, there is only one Hokage who Sasuke truly respects on the field of battle, his strongest foe and greatest ally, his eternal rival, his best friend, Uzumaki Naruto.

"Sasuke" Sakura breathes out as she slowly approaches her husband, "Why are you doing this?".

To Sakura's surprise the man before her doesn't reply. He simply stands watching her as he has with everyone else before her. Though as Sakura continues to walk towards Sasuke, Sarada becomes the only person to notice a difference.

' _He's not attacking'_ Sarada notices, _'With us even if he paused it was to assess our openings, he is showing no killing intent towards mother'_.

"You know" Sakura smiles as she continues her approach, "I remember when we were kids and I used to fawn over you. It's kind of embarrassing now that I think back on it but… I really did love you".

"And now look how far we have come. I never would have believed it when I first met you but we went on to live together happily. We got married, we had a daughter, we took the abuse everyone threw at us and we conquered it".

"You're… You're my husband, you're Sarada's father, you're a member of the hidden leaf who vowed to protect the village, just like your brother wanted".

"That technique that made you hesitate earlier" comes the voice of the 9th Hokage, "It was the technique my uncle used, the one you always used to tell me about".

"Please Sasuke, I'm begging you to stop this".

Tsunade looks on in astonishment. She understood when Sasuke turned up that this would be an emotional experience for Sakura, however, it is not until this moment that she truly appreciates how strong the bond of this generation is. This is a generation that went through a war together, that battled against the Akatsuki together, that stopped Kaguya together. After all he went through, Sasuke came back to the village, a victim of the world he was born into and so many people hated him. Together Sakura and Sasuke ignored their hatred, they persevered against all the odds. They turned the hatred of the Uchiha clan around, they transformed it into a love that allowed Sarada to grow up happily. Together despite what everyone else thought they changed the destiny of the cursed clan.

Mitsuki also contemplates just how much the couple before him must have gone through, his teammates parents, the man who changed his father. While Sasuke did many vile and horrible things, he brought death and destruction to so many with the forgiveness of just his team, the love of his wife, he took those good things and brought the world that he once plunged into darkness, back into the light.

"My father saw something in you Sasuke" he explains, thinking back to his childhood, "He saw something worth protecting, worth coming back to the village for".

"If it weren't for you I wouldn't be here today. The village wouldn't have survived. Please, don't turn your back on the village you love. Because…".

"That village loves you too".

Sakura finally reaches her husband, reaches Uchiha Sasuke and slowly wraps her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"I love you Sasuke" she smiles.

The whole world seems to stand still for a moment.

Then something terrifying happens.

A disaster heralded by the ringing of steel.

As Sakura's clothes begin to change from a light shade of brown to a deep shade of red it becomes evident that blood is flowing from a wound.

Sasuke has stabbed her.

"MOM" Sarada screams as runs towards the falling Sakura.

Tsunade ignores her falling disciple and immediately runs towards Sasuke, intending to use the moments opening to her advantage.

Sasuke is no fool though, perhaps having the most combat experience of any shinobi ever, the 'shadow Hokage' pulls his sword from his wife's gut before kicking the pink haired shinobi into her master.

The second Sakura is out of the way Boruto exerts himself to the utmost, throwing a constant stream of kunai towards his master, a barrage of rasengan smacking against the quickly formed ribcage of a Susano. If Boruto was to think rationally, he might notice that Sasuke's Susano is beginning to reform, a terrible sign.

"Mitsuki, haven't you got any more historical summons" Boruto asks hopefully.

"I have more summons but they are all weaker than we are" Mitsuki shouts in response.

"Get the others to safety, I will fight him" Boruto declares. He is the child of Naruto, the disciple of Sasuke, the last hope in this desperate situation.

"You will die" Mitsuki replies bluntly.

"JUST RUN" Boruto shouts even louder at Mitsuki, his voice beginning to crack as his endless pleas for his friends to escape fall on death ears.

It's as Sasuke ignores their arguments and begins to throw the duo around like skipping stones that they come to appreciate they could never win. If the stars aligned and all the right things happened at the right times, if Sasuke gave all three of them an opening to use their most powerful attacks, he would take them and be fine. Uchiha Sasuke is a man with so much talent who has earned so much power that he no longer needs to use his skills.

This power he has is something that could not be acquired, something linked to his destiny, to his birth.

This power is the unstoppable eyes.

Sarada, runs over to Sakura's new position, Sasuke having kicked her and Tsunade while his wife was injured.

"Mom…" Sarada begins, tears starting to form in her eyes, "What is happening… you're going to be fine aren't you".

Sakura smiles gently towards her daughter. This woman before her is the 9th Hokage, her daughter with Sasuke. A symbol that together they had worked to change the perception of the Uchiha clan and that it had work. This woman before her is Hokage because of the unity shared by herself and Sasuke, because of the ninja way coined by Naruto being adopted by them both and so many more who followed.

"I don't think so Sarada…".

"I can't really feel anything right now but I stabbed in the torso, wasn't I?".

Sarada shakes her head rapidly, believing that if she shakes faster then perhaps the truth will become a falsehood and falsehoods will become the truth.

"No… No…".

"Sarada, I think it's over for me".

Sakura doesn't say these words with the intention of upsetting Sarada, instead that is her honest assessment of her condition. For years Sakura trained not as any shinobi but as a medical shinobi, an apprentice to the legendary healer Senju Tsunade, grand-daughter to Senju Hashirama, the most famous healer of all.

Sakura is the medic from the fabled team 7, consisting of herself, the 6th Hokage, the 7th Hokage and the 'shadow Hokage'. Her battle experience, while not on par with her husbands, remains extensive. A woman who has battled Otsutsuki Kaguya, the most dangerous villain this world had ever seen before the invasion.

"Don't say that" Sarada shakes her mother as she scolds her lightly, "Dad would never kill you"

Sakura shakes her head gently, not wanting that to be Sarada's memory of this moment. "Your father didn't kill me… it was whoever made him do this to me".

In that moment things become clear to Sarada, nobody from the ninja world can do such a thing to Sasuke, it must be the invaders. They have arrived in this world, destroyed the villages of her friends, 'killed' her father and her inspiration. They destroyed her village and forced her to evacuate while the crown jewels of her ancestors burnt. Time after time the invaders had taken from Sarada, forcing her to endure the toughest reign of any Hokage and now they were adding her mother to the list.

The Uchiha curse would have had Sarada experiencing only one emotion in this moment.

She would have experience hatred.

However, Sarada doesn't feel hatred in this moment, only sadness.

Unending sadness.

Even in times like this the 9th Hokage is the ultimate symbol that the curse of hatred has been broken.

As Sakura groans, Sarada gets to her feet. "I'm going to get you to a medic" she says as she places her arms gently beneath Sakura.

Sakura screams in response, something she rarely did even on the field of battle, "No, No, no… please don't Sarada, it hurts so much".

Seeing her mother in such pain causes Sarada's tears to flow even faster than before. She has never seen her mother scream before, having never thought on the battlefield with her it comes as a great shock. Everyone assumes their parents are immortal, that they are immune from damage and pain until they see it with their very own eyes. If that day comes and a child cannot do anything for their mother it is perhaps the greatest emotional torment, they ever experience. When people are young the ones they depend most upon are their parents, for that dependency to never be reciprocated weighs heavy on the souls of many.

"Just let me die here peacefully" Sakura groans.

Could Sakura die, throughout time so many people had strived to protect her. Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Sarada, Uzumaki Boruto, Mitsuki. The Hokages 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 all had moments where they focused on the protection of Haruno Sakura, could someone with so much trust, who so many people have cherished over so many years die, were they not immortal.

"You can't die mom" Sarada smiles through her tears, "Not until I've saved the village".

"Sarada, when you save the village I will be watching, you know that right?".

"I know" Sarada nods, "No matter what you have to keep watching".

"I promise" Sakura smiles while adopting a motherly voice that she used when Sarada was very young.

"I always thought that I would feel cold when I died" the last member of team 7 suggests, "But with you here it's nothing like that all".

"Your chakra is perfect Sarada, you are perfect, your father and I have always thought so".

"Mom…".

"Your chakra is… so… warm".

Saying that Sakura's eyes slowly close, as she spends the last few moments of her life in the warm embrace of her daughter. Looking back on the day Sasuke tried to kill her, his chakra was so cold, it was quite amazing that it could become so warm.

"Mom… Mom… MOM" Sarada yells as Sakura's eyes don't open again.

The 9th Hokage acts pathetically, shaking and spinning her mother in the hope that her eyes will open once more, that they would be allowed a few more seconds together, but it doesn't happen.

Haruno Sakura, is dead.

As the second's pass, Sarada's sobs turn into cries. Her cries turn into whimpers. Her whimpers turn into screams.

She screams into her mother's chest before finally drawing the attention of her father. As her head turns to the sky her screams pierce the ears of all the present shinobi. She cries so hard that she swears her tears must have changed to tears of blood. The rivers streaming down her face in such volume that her eyes pain her just to keep them open.

As Sasuke launches towards his daughter, Boruto realises he can no longer do anything himself. He simply yells a warning to Sarada as loud as he can.

It is futile though, in her present state Sarada can't hear anything.

Just before Sasuke reaches his daughter her head snaps to him and her eyes gaze firmly into his head.

BANG!

Without any warning Sasuke's course changes.

He does not reach Sarada, instead slamming into the floor, creating a small indent around the spot he lands.

Looking onward Boruto's face changes greatly, "Sarada that's…".

"Jariya told me about this once… the unstoppable eyes" Tsunade begins breathlessly, "That's the rinnegan".

Through Sarada's transparent glasses her eyes are no longer red, instead shining a brilliant colour of purple much like those of Sasuke and Madara before her.

It is as Tsunade said.

Her eyes have transformed.

This is the rinnegan.

Sarada gets to her feet, gently laying her mother down before returning her gaze to her father.

"Now, you won't be killing anyone else".


	20. The Battle of the Rinnegan

**MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – THE BATTLE OF THE RINNEGAN**

 **The Battlefield**

"That is the rinnegan" Mitsuki starts, "The eye spoken of in legends. Unlocked only by the two most famed members of the Uchiha clan".

"The three most" Boruto corrects his friend, "It's been unlocked by the three most famed members of the Uchiha clan".

"But Sarada has only just unlocked it" Tsunade stutters.

"Lord 5th is right" Mitsuki turns his head to face Boruto, "Sasuke has inherited a power far greater than just the rinnegan, his chakra is nearly limitless, even having obtained the rinnegan, can Sarada win".

"Not normally" Boruto replies, "But this case is special, my master has had his complete body Susano destroyed by Konohamaru sensei, he was assaulted by Uchiha Madara and has battled the four of us in short spells".

"He's getting tired… he may start to recover slowly but right now…".

"Sarada can win… she can win".

Sarada slowly gets to her feet, her vision clearer than ever before as she focuses her gaze onto her father. While she has not spoken a response Boruto's words reached her loud and clear, this is an opportunity that came about through miraculous circumstances, likely it wouldn't happen again if she let it slip.

She can fight.

She can win.

With a flicker of Sarada's eyes Sasuke begins to rise from the floor uncontrollably, as if his body is weightless.

If Sasuke had his full analytical prowess at this moment he may be able to fight back against Sarada but in his current state, fighting based on experience and feel he is hopeless against this technique that he has never seen before.

A light before Sasuke draws his eyes, it is his daughters fist. It lights up as bright as the sun, her fist glowing a brilliant golden light. The golden light continues to intensify as it spreads from her knuckles around the back of her hand to her palm, a brilliant light seldom seen in the ninja world.

BANG!

Sarada throws her illuminated fist towards Sasuke, launching him backwards through the air as so few people have been done before. Her father's body whistles as it is slowed down by air resistance, his speed difficult to keep track of with the naked eye.

Sasuke feels his backwards momentum and spreads his arms, his body becoming his parachute, he slows himself down as much as he can. It is not from battle experience but from feel that he decides to prepare himself for another attack, after all, each rinnegan user's abilities are truly unique. As for Sarada's abilities, they are unlike anything he has experienced before.

Sarada transforms into an oval shaped light before flying towards Sasuke. That is not to say that she moved so fast she appeared to transform, she had transformed into the light itself. Of course, her speed is great as well, as her teammates expressed in their own minds.

" _No way"_ Boruto thinks to himself, _"I've fought against so many people from across the world. Even lightning shinobi from the hidden cloud don't move that fast"._

" _Her speed is… incredible"_ Mitsuki assesses.

Upon reaching her father, Sarada transforms from her ellipsoid form back into her human form. Her actions do not stop however, instantly she illuminates her fist again before throwing it towards Sasuke. A punch powered by the might of her mother and the strength of her father.

Before the punch reaches him, Sasuke uses his rinnegan to once again swap the positions of the two Uchiha. While before he could throw his sword around and chose how to use this jutsu at his leisure he is now being pressured into using it. A combination of his own fatigue and Sarada's now found power.

Sasuke is being pressured.

As both rinnegan users rotate to face one another Boruto uses his byakugan to its fullest potential, the only way in which he can follow the fight. He makes a chilling observation, without her ellipsoid form, Sasuke is still faster than Sarada.

Boruto's fears are unfounded though. As the father-daughter duo turn to face one another, Sarada's rinnegan twitch, symbolising the activation of another of her powers. The result; Sasuke's fist slows down abnormally, it is clear that he is hindered in some way. That matters little to the onlookers though, they feel only jubilation as Sarada lands yet another punch on Sasuke.

That joy transforms into terror quicker than one could imagine as a purple light gathers around Sasuke. The delaying act had failed it would seem, as the purple light continues to grow and grow.

It is Sasuke's full body Susano.

Sarada feels no despair despite her father's transformation and the yellow light of her own Susano begins to gather around her.

Tsunade's eyes almost bulge from her head as she leans closer to the fight, "Don't tell that she too can…".

The 5th Hokage's question is answered before she can finish saying it. The yellow light continues to gather around Sarada until she moulds it into the shape of a giant warrior.

That is the birth, of Sarada's own complete body Susano.

Sasuke wastes no time, manifesting a giant sword before forcing his Susano to swing that weapon towards his opponent, his Hokage, his daughter.

Sarada is more than prepared for the attack, despite her giant incarnation she ducks swiftly beneath the almighty sword. She has no weapon of her own but everyone soon realises that she has something even greater. The light that gathered on her fist earlier, gathers on the fist of her Susano.

SMASH!

She punches straight out ahead of her. In one blow smashing a hole straight through the chest of her father's Susano.

Sasuke's complete body Susano, is destroyed just as quickly as it is remade.

As the father falls towards the ground, the daughter dissipates her own Susano a few seconds later, maintaining a constant distance between them as she topples just ten meters above him.

"She… she got rid of her own giant form" Tsunade stammers, "Why, why would she do that".

"I get it" Mitsuki's eyes widen, "It's because of her other power… that power is…".

Before Mitsuki can announce it Sarada stretches her palm out before her, positioning it such that it faces the former 'shadow Hokage'. Once more her eyes twitch, once more her powers are activated.

Suddenly Sasuke's speed rockets, he accelerates enormously right up until he hits the ground with an earth-shaking thud. As the dirt from the ground is thrown up into the air many would be worried that Sasuke may get up, but, Boruto and Sarada both have exceptional visual powers.

The children of Naruto and Sasuke smile certain of the fights outcome.

Sarada has won.

 **The Evacuating Villagers**

As Naruto and Hashirama are wheeled away with Hinata and Mito at their respective sides, a knowing smile comes to Naruto's face.

"Naruto" Hinata starts, "What is…".

"It's Sasuke's daughter" Naruto explains.

"Sarada…".

"Yeah, she's incredible, that 9th Hokage".

 **The Battlefield**

The dust around Sasuke clears, revealing a heavy side wound that he is nursing. Blood drips slowly from the large gash in his flesh as Sarada looks downwards to her father. Downwards is where she looks because his fall not moments ago, saw his speed increase enormously. His apparent weight was so great when he hit the ground that enormous crater formed, one large enough that Sarada must lower her head to look at him.

She walks down into the crater, slowly approaching Sasuke as she tightens her fist, gathering light on it once again.

"The power from the stars" comes the voice of Sasuke.

Sarada stops in her tracks, not knowing whether to smile or to burst into tears. Instead she simply dissipates the energy from her fist and lowers her head.

"Dad…".

"That is the power of your rinnegan Sarada, the power of the stars. Your punch using the power of the sun, your ability to manipulate gravity, to transform into a comet" Sasuke smiles at his daughter, "It's a truly beautiful ability".

Boruto, Mitsuki and Tsunade all arrive at Sarada's side after seeing that she isn't attacking anymore. The Uzumaki clansmen is the quickest to draw his kunai as he looks towards his master.

"Don't worry Boruto" calls said master, "I have regained control of my body".

Boruto drops his kunai to his side in disbelief. However, Sasuke was being controlled, that control has stopped, Uchiha Sasuke is back.

"Lord Sasuke, what happened to you" Mitsuki questions.

"It was the enemy, they brought me back to life. A woman named Sheer brought me back… it's just like the insane ones".

"Just like the insane ones?" Tsunade asks.

"Yeah" comes Sasuke's answer, "The insane ones are all warriors that they have defeated and brought back from the dead".

"It didn't go to plan for them, they couldn't bring Naruto and I back to life in the same way. So, we were separated while they experimented on us".

"My dad" Boruto stammers, hearing of Naruto going through the same process. "Is my dad…".

Sasuke shakes his head though, "He disappeared half way through the process, judging from present company I think I can say why". Pausing before speaking, Sasuke looks to Tsunade, not the Tsunade he knew who used her powers to change her appearance, instead a Tsunade who truly was young, a Tsunade of the past.

"Dad, I used a space-time manipulation jutsu" Sarada explains, "I brought the Hokage back from the past".

"I brought them all back from when mum said they were strongest and… well, not everything went according to the plan but…".

"Don't worry Sarada". Sasuke smiles as he interrupts the blabbering 9th Hokage, "Naruto will get his full strength back. Not even I could stop that idiot".

A smile comes to the face of the onlookers as Sasuke reminisces about his fight with Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto is a man they have placed all their hopes on and nobody understands his full strength as well as Uchiha Sasuke. Some positive reinforcement, especially from a man who gives it so rarely, is incredibly beneficial to them.

Sasuke groans as he holds the wound at his side.

"Sasuke, allow me to heal you" Tsunade offers.

He only shakes his head in reply though. "It's too late, the moment I regained control I knew that there was every possibility I would lose that control once again. So I made the best decision I could".

"I started the process of killing myself".

Sarada begins to shake her head, "So you are…".

"I'm already dead Sarada, I'm just finishing the process".

"That's…".

"Sarada, at least this time I can die in peace and I have a few moments to say a few goodbye words to you".

"In that case I think we should leave you alone" Mitsuki decides as he turns around and walks away.

Boruto and Tsunade also begin to walk away, to leave the last Uchiha in peace but they are stopped.

"Boruto…".

"Master…".

"I would like you to stay as well" Sasuke requests.

Boruto starts upon hearing this. Though after a moments consideration it does make sense. Sasuke had spent very little time with his daughter when she was young, his duty as 'shadow Hokage' meaning he was often away from the village acting in the shadows.

When Sasuke rarely did return to the village not only would he speak to Sakura and Sarada, he would also devote some of his time to Boruto, teaching him, giving him pointers, mentoring him and often offering him personal advice. Boruto's road as a shinobi was always destined to be difficult, something Sasuke knew all too well when he agreed to become the youngsters master.

"Of course" Boruto nods, returning to Sarada's side.

Sasuke turns his eyes back to his daughter.

"Sarada, that technique you performed earlier, you fooled me using a collection of crows. I never used that technique, it was a technique of your Uncle Itachi, do you remember?".

"I remember" Sarada nods, against her wishes tears once more begin to flow from her eyes. She doesn't want her dad's last memories of her to be of her crying but deep down she knows he will understand.

"Those eyes you are using are actually his eyes. It was his dream to protect the hidden leaf and all of its citizens. You inherited his eyes and now you must inherit his wishes too".

Sarada continues to nod quickly, Boruto though has a question.

"Master, if Sarada has your brother's eyes then who's eyes are you using?".

"These are my original eyes" Sasuke comments, "I was released as an experiment without any eyes. It would seem my experience caused me to believe that I would be at my strongest if I went and got them".

"Boruto, these eyes of mine…".

"I know" the blonde interrupts, "They should be destroyed with your body right. That is a lesson to be learnt from the history of the Uchiha clan".

Sasuke smiles, thinking back to his battle against Shimura Danzo, the harrowing experience of watching him waste the eyes of his clan. How many of his friends and family had died that day so that Danzo could use the eyes against Sasuke, he had long ago resolved that this should never happen again.

"You really are my student". As Sasuke declares this legs slowly begin to fade away into nothingness.

"Dad… please don't go…".

"Though I may disappear from this world I will always be watching over you, just like your mother and your uncle, understand?".

Sarada nods. "I love you dad".

"Boruto, look after her" Sasuke drops his smile and faces his disciple.

"Of course. I won't fail the role of shadow Hok…".

"No!" Sasuke snaps.

"I'm not speaking to you as your master, I am asking you a favour as Uchiha Sarada's father. Uzumaki Boruto, please look after my daughter".

Boruto takes his turn to get emotional. A single tear rolls down his cheek as he thinks back to all the time he spent with Sasuke, venturing the world, learning what it meant to be a shadow Hokage. Being taught things that his father was always too busy to teach, this man truly was like a second father to him.

"I will Sasuke… I promise".

As his torso begins to fade Sasuke approaches Sakura, what's left of his body floating towards her as he continues.

"Your mother and I always thought you were perfect. You have done so much for the village in your time as Hokage and you have done even more today".

"It doesn't matter if you can't save the village, it doesn't matter what you do from this point on, just remember one thing".

Sasuke grabs the back of Sarada's head, remembering how Itachi had done the same to him during the 4th great shinobi war.

"I will love you… always".

As Sasuke's body disappears Sarada falls to her knees, crying like she had done so often today. This time Boruto shares her tears though, he also lowers himself to his knees before giving her a gentle comforting hug.

 **Nearby**

"So he even brought your father back to the village" Tsunade starts after hearing about Sasuke's relationship with Orochimaru.

"Yeah, he's the reason I'm alive today" Mitsuki explains, "A man who betrayed the village yet still changed it for the better".

"Uchiha Sasuke…".

"Rest in peace".


	21. I can't do it

**MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – I CAN'T DO IT**

 **The New Hidden Leaf Camp**

Eventually the villagers stopped their retreat, settling on a spot they considered ideal for a camp. It is here that the Hokage would train for the upcoming tournament, that either the impossible would become possible or they would all die. This was the place that their destiny would be decided, that they would either overcome the odds or die trying.

Shortly after reaching this place Naruto and Hashirama were separated from the others, left alone under the shade of the wispy trees. Not even Hinata and Mito stayed with them, having more urgent things to arrange, shelter, water and medical attention for those with injuries.

Hashirama had woken up with only Naruto for company, the two Hokage who mirrored one another in so many ways.

"He was my best friend" Naruto explains, thinking about Sasuke, "He was a good man at heart and after the war… it seems he was a good man until the very end".

"It was the same for Madara and I" Hashirama smiles while noticing the similarities between them. It seemed to him as if he and Madara had been born again in the future, the result being the rise of Naruto and Sasuke. Of course, this is closer to the truth than the 1st Hokage realises.

"Well Old Man Six Paths did say that you and I were both transmigrants of his son Asura". It was not too long ago that Naruto met the sage of the six paths, that they shared a conversation about Naruto's ambition, about his philosophy. It is a philosophy created by Asura and passed down through Hashirama, Naruto and many more before them.

"Asura?".

"Yeah, Sasuke and Madara were transmigrants of Indra, the more talented brother. We are transmigrants of the brother with no talent to speak of".

Hashirama bursts into a bout of laughter. "That sounds about right".

"Don't you think it's funny old man 1st?".

"What's that?".

"You and I are sitting here, broken and beaten yet we have to prepare for the contest, we have to defend Earth. Despite that, our talented friends are dead".

"From what you told me, they did their bit to defend us today" the 1st Hokage leans gently back against the stretcher, referring back to Naruto's version of events.

If what Naruto had sensed was correct then both Konohamaru and Madara had been summoned, probably by Mitsuki. Both had fallen before Sakura arrived, making Sasuke stop in his tracks. After Sasuke had killed Sakura, their daughter Sarada had been driven mad, meeting the final requirement for her unlocking the rinnegan.

Naruto understood the conditions for required for the rinnegan better than most. The rinnegan had been unlocked by Madara and Sasuke when they had fused Senju and Uchiha chakra together. Though that hadn't worked for Sarada, the loss of a loved one had. He silently concluded that because Sarada's Mangekyo Sharingan was taken from Sasuke that she had yet to fulfil the condition of losing a loved one. That is perhaps, why Sakura's death had been the awakening for her daughter.

"I guess they did their bit to defend us. They really are special, the Uchiha clan". Naruto has had limited experience with the Uchiha clan, most of them dying when he was very young. He had met a few though, Sasuke, Itachi, Madara, Obito, just with this sample his words took a lot of meaning. Truly they were something special.

Footsteps sound from the nearby grass as a woman approaches. A woman who had not so long ago been in the heat of battle against Uchiha Sasuke. That woman is Senju Hashirama's granddaughter, Senju Tsunade.

"Grandfather… Naruto…" she calls.

"Tsunade" Hashirama waves more enthusiastically than his condition should allow. "You've come to visit your poor old grandfather".

"Stop acting like an old man" Tsunade shouts while she waves her fist at her grandfather, "You're not that old yet".

"Hey Grandma Tsunade" Naruto then shouts as he too waves enthusiastically towards Tsunade.

"I'm not that old either, I'm not that much older than you kid".

The 1st Hokage laughs hysterically at the scene before him. With all the death and destruction this world has become filled with, he decides that it is good to laugh when he can. The childish banter that Naruto generates is always a good source for laughter.

"All of us are old men and women when you think about it" he declares.

"Are we… if Himawari is… uh… how old is Himawari?". Naruto hasn't been in this time for very long, not long enough memorise the ages of his children, the dates of their birthdays. Things he hopes to do after liberating the world.

Tsunade shakes her head at the duo. This world had become so serious with so much death, with nothing but bad news and these two were taking it so lightly. It is as if they have no recollection of the upcoming contest, no idea that it will probably be their turn to die next.

"So Tsunade, to what do us old men owe the pleasure of your visit". The old-man / grandfather asks.

"Actually" Tsunade answers, "I'm here to see Naruto".

"Me…".

"What did you want to see me for" Naruto questions.

This is the first time that Tsunade has seen Hashirama awake since the battle against Peterson. For that matter, with the exception of Naruto has seen Hashirama awake. Now that his granddaughter is here she hasn't come to talk to him but instead his 'roommate'.

"It's about your new arm" Tsunade explains. Even Naruto who is not an expert at reading people can tell that she is not in a good mood.

"The one that will allow me to use my full power again?". Indeed, the arm would give Naruto access to his full power once more. A power he hasn't been able to use since losing his arm against Sasuke in the final battle of the 4th Great Shinobi War.

"I won't be able to give you a new arm".

"What… but… why…" Naruto stutters one word after another. Perhaps Sasuke could do it but from a purely selfish point of view he didn't want to walk around with an arm for the rest of his life. More importantly than that the contest was fast approaching. Together he and the Sasuke of this time were unable to defeat General Clyde so how could this him possibly do it without his full power.

"In the panic after Sasuke arrived, the prosthetic we were developing was destroyed" the 5th Hokage elaborates.

When Sasuke had arrived, panic had indeed been the reaction. Those from the past were actually relatively calm compared to the villagers, that is because those villagers understood just how legendary the Uchiha clansmen was. They had grown up with the knowledge of Sasuke's deeds, of his battles against the Kage, against Madara and against Naruto. Such a man was more respected than anyone with only one exception to be found. Uzumaki Naruto himself.

"Can't you just make another prosthetic".

"Without Sakura to talk me through the procedure" Tsunade begins before hesitating, "I'm sorry but I can't do it".

"There has to be another way" come the protests of the man who would become the 7th Hokage, "I need to be at my full strength to fight Clyde".

Tsunade knows that Naruto is right. This man Clyde is a general. That may not sound threatening, after all Kakashi was a general in the 4th Great Shinobi war but this was a general of the invading forces. Only two generals had ever been witnessed by the people of this world and one of them was secretly seen by Boruto. Every general that had ever been seen was incredibly strong, stronger than even Naruto and Sasuke who had inherited six paths power.

In her mind Tsunade did question how the generals were so outrageously strong, but quickly dismissed the thought, deciding that it didn't matter. All that matters, is their survival.

"Perhaps grandfather could do it. He was a genius medical shinobi".

"Tsunade, I may be a medical shinobi, that much is true. Further to that, I could also heal wounds without weaving signs. That is enough for me to be considered a genius".

"Still, you are more than that" Hashirama asserts. "You are a doctor, someone who understands the way the body works, the way chakra flows through it. I cannot do what you do, I can only heal wounds. Transplanting an arm… no, this has to be you".

Naruto firmly resolves himself. "Lady Tsunade, what are the risks? If you were to make a mistake in the procedure how bad would it be".

"You would die".

A blunt response leads to an explanation.

"If I joined your new arm incorrectly chakra would flow through key points in the wrong direction. If I created the prosthetic incorrectly then it would be just as much a disaster".

"So it's not a very enticing choice" Naruto sighs.

"Choice" the 5th Hokage says the word as if she has just heard a great joke. "How is it a choice at all? If you let me do this operation you will die".

"Probably".

"Almost certainly" Tsunade retorts.

"But, it's not that different if I don't have the operation, is it? You weren't there when we fought the colonel, his power was on level with if not greater than my own".

"I cannot win if I don't get stronger".

Tsunade raises her hand and shakes her head, "I'm sorry, I can't do it".

After that, she walks away without another world said.

"Tsunade…" Hashirama says under his breath.

 **Four Days Later, An Abandoned Field**

Four days after the battle of the rinnegan users, Kakashi stands opposite Minato in an abandoned field. He judges from the climate and the environment that they have now reached the land of hot water.

As the copycat shinobi looks at his teacher he admires the rasengan in his hand. Namikaze Minato had created this technique but had never mastered it, that duty was accomplished instead by his son.

"That's right sensei" Kakashi encourages, "Just add spin".

As the rasengan begins to spin even more violently Kakashi encourages his teacher further.

"Just a bit more spin and you're there".

Minato is unsuccessful in adding said spin though. Instead the blue ball of chakra in his hand begins to expand rapidly before blowing up in the face of the 4th Hokage. The power of the explosion is quite dramatic, knocking Minato onto his back and several meters away. To him this sort of power is incredible, unthinkable even. Despite that he recalls the tales of his son's power, Naruto had become even stronger, Naruto had become the one to unite the tailed beasts and fulfil the prophecy left to the sage of the six paths by the great toad sage.

Kakashi approaches Minato and offers him a hand. The hand is quickly accepted and working together they pull the Namikaze clansmen to his feet.

"Dammit, how did Naruto master this so quickly?" Minato resists the temptation to stamp his feet. He had been told that his son didn't have much talent, so how could he accomplish so many legendary feats.

"He used clones, thousands of them, that way he could learn quicker" Kakashi explains. He understands the method well, after all, he invented it.

"I can't train with clones" Minato shakes his head, "I don't have the chakra required for such a thing".

"I know, you will have to rely on your own talent Minato sensei".

"Yeah. Kakashi, you're spending this time helping me with my training, how is your own training going?". Minato has no recollection of Kakashi training since coming to the future. The 6th Hokage was a relatively weak Hokage as well, his lack of training against a foe like a colonel could prove fatal.

"I have my own training planned, Mitsuki is going to help me with it. We will be leaving shortly".

"Leaving?" Naruto's father starts.

"Don't worry, I will be back before the contest begins". Although the mask covers Kakashi's face Minato can tell that he is smiling. It brings him a personal sense of satisfaction, rarely had Kakashi been seen to smile in his youth. It would team 7 brought a great deal of joy to him.

Looking to his side Minato smiles, "Here she comes".

"Hey, Minato, Kakashi" comes the call of the aforementioned woman. That woman is of course Minato's wife, Uzumaki Kushina.

"Hey Kushina, how is Naruto?".

"It's not good" Kushina frowns, "Tsunade has said that she cannot do the operation without Sakura's support".

The masked shinobi sighs, now that Sakura has died perhaps he knows Naruto's past better than anyone in this world. It is important to understand that even Boruto and Himawari didn't fully understand the full power of Naruto and Sasuke until they witnessed it recently.

"I would never have imagined that my students would be so important in so many different way". Despite his regret Kakashi feels a semblance of pride. Not only was Naruto being relied upon to save the world with his strength but Sakura was a legendary medical shinobi who even Lady Tsunade herself came to rely upon.

"Can't she at least try?" Minato asks.

"She says that the chances are Naruto would die. He told her to do it anyway but… she says she can't".

"Is there really no way?" Minato is anxious at this. The only display of his son's strength that he has witnessed was his ability to create clones but that was amazing enough. Not only was it so amazing but it was also completely effortless and despite everything, when a captain arrived Naruto didn't even flinch at the thought of fighting him.

"Mito and Biwako are trying to convince her to try it anyway but it's not looking hopeful" Kushina sighs, wishing that she herself could do something, her powers are unique but unfortunately not even the Uzumaki clan powers can help her now.

Kushina continues. "It's an enormous burden, if she were to get it wrong, that is probably it for this world".

"True" Kakashi notes.

"But if she doesn't even try then we'll die anyway".


	22. A plan put into Motion

**MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – A PLAN PUT INTO MOTION**

 **Near the Hidden Leaf Camp**

Tsunade lays on her back, head resting on her hands as she looks at a nearby waterfall. Watches as the water tumbles from the ridge above. Listens as it crashes against the rocks below. Smells the scent of the wildlife, of the flora and fauna gathered here. It is a place where nature gathers, plants and animals come here to drink, a waterfall truly is a beautiful thing that way.

She listens as footsteps approach from behind her, sighing internally in anticipation. Everybody who had spoken to her in the last four days had been trying to convince her to go ahead with the operation. This was, in turn, the reason she came to the waterfall, to have a moment of peace away from them.

The footsteps frequency and their weight imply to her that the newcomer is a man, a man who she quickly identifies as someone close to her. The man who was brought into the future with her, that man is of course Dan.

"Hey" Dan calls, approaching from behind.

"Are you here to try and convince me too" she asks, her eyes not straying from the waterfall.

"You know I wouldn't do that" Dan says as he lays down next to Tsunade. "This is your decision and I trust your judgement".

"Thank you". Despite her apparent gratitude Tsunade's tone doesn't change, as if she wasn't expecting Dan to be so receptive and instead expected yet another argument.

"But I still have to ask you something".

"What's that" the blonde Hokage asks.

"What is your judgement Tsunade. In your honest opinion, what do you think would happen if you operated on Naruto?". Dan hasn't had much time to spend with Tsunade since reaching the future, there have been other things to do, a village to protect, sick and elderly to care for. Tsunade's duties had been different though, she was a Hokage, it was her duty to make the important decisions, the important judgements, just like this one.

"If I operate on Naruto then there will be a 99 percent chance of him dying" Tsunade calmly assess. Despite the fluctuations in her voice her face remains unaffected as she rattles off this prophecy of doom.

Dan sighs, finally hearing her opinion. "That's quite a high chance of death".

"Yeah".

"Tsunade, it was destiny that I was going to die young. It was destiny that the two of us were going to be separated when I died. Despite that we are here, in the future and we are here together".

Tsunade finally averts her gaze from the waterfall, her eyes falling squarely on the face of Dan. The two of them had indeed travelled through time together, despite their destiny being to separate from one another they had still somehow remained together. Their presence here is defying fate, their presence here is defying destiny.

"What's your point?" she asks.

"Tell me, what do you think the chances of that happening were?".

Tsunade pauses, understanding where he is going with this line of questioning.

"If I were being truthful. The chances of that would be less than 1 percent" she responds so quietly it is barely a whisper.

Tsunade frowns as Dan smiles at her, quickly making her counter-argument, "The dice was rolled once and landed on the right number. That doesn't mean it will continue to roll on the right number every time we throw it".

"You know, Sarada told me that she put everything into that summoning; that she would have died if she failed. She told that she was throwing herself off a cliff and relying on fate to catch her".

Tsunade sits up waving her fist before her as her tone switches to one of anger. "And you want me to do that?".

"You want me to throw the world off a cliff and hope that somebody catches us?".

"No" the blue haired shinobi defiantly shouts in return, "Naruto is the one who wants the operation. He is the one throwing the whole world off a cliff".

He continues, "I want you to tell me. In that situation, whose job would it be to save the hidden leaf".

Tsunade pauses, hesitating for a long before finally giving her answer.

"That duty would fall to the Hokage".

She says this with a heavy heart, it had not been her dream to become the Hokage, that dream had belonged to Dan. Circumstances that were not fully understood by either of them lead to his death and lead to her becoming the 5th Hokage, the 5th leader of the hidden leaf village. That wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

"Everyone else believes that you can succeed with even these odds, everyone believes that if anyone can hit that 1 percent change then that person is you".

"I will believe in whatever your judgement is but I need to ask you another question".

"Do you believe that you can succeed with those odds?".

Tsunade shakes her head gently, "The risks with the operation are…".

"It doesn't matter" Dan interrupts her, "What is your judgement of yourself?".

"… before that it is my turn to ask you a question. Kato Dan, what is your judgement of me?".

Dan smiles widely, for him this is such an easy question to answer. "I judge that you can do anything you set your mind to, that you can make the impossible possible. I judge that you are the 5th Hokage".

Sighing deeply, she finally answers his question. "Very well… I'll believe in your judgement of me".

"Tell Biwako that it is back on. That we will need another tissue sample from Boruto".

"We're going to attempt the operation".

 **The Next Day, The Medical Area**

Waiting in the medical area are, as always, Hashirama and Naruto, the two living transmigrants of the sage of the six paths son, of Otsutsuki Asura. They do not wait alone however, waiting alongside them are the young family of Naruto. Waiting with him are the trio of Hinata, Himawari and Boruto.

They are waiting with expectation and some level of jubilation, that is because last night they received the news that Tsunade had changed her mind, that the operation was back on. Naruto is so excited, claiming to his family that he couldn't sleep at all last night. Unfortunately, while that is boast for him it is a complaint of Hashirama who was kept awake by Naruto's cheers. Still the 1st Hokage is happy for his eventual successor because this is a great leap forward for the world.

As Tsunade arrives, Naruto waves to her as excitedly as is conceivable. Kuruma groans thinking of the embarrassment of his host waving to him after the 4th Great Shinobi War. He would never be able to live that one down.

"Grandma Tsunade, I'm really happy that you're going to do it" Naruto shouts.

"Don't be too happy yet" she retorts, "the odds are that it will still go wrong".

"It won't go wrong" the 7th Hokage claims, the smile still glued to his face from just a moment ago, "Trust me, I know you won't make a mistake".

Tsunade takes a moment to consider what her reputation must be like in the future. This man, seemingly the most legendary shinobi to ever be born has such unwavering confidence in her. Even with a matter so huge Naruto didn't flinch, just what kind of man is he and what kind of women must she be.

"So what needs to happen before the operation" Hinata asks.

"We need to wait another three days before the prosthetic finishes growing" Tsunade explains, thanking Boruto for donating his cells again quickly afterward. "We also need to wait another two days before grandfather will be well enough to use the wood release again. We need a suitable building for the operation and only he can create such a thing in such a short time".

"There is no need to wait" Hashirama holds his hand out before him, "I can do that right now if needed".

Though as the 1st Hokage begins to weave a series of signs, he is soon punched in the top of his head by his granddaughter.

"Don't be stupid" the 5th Hokage shouts as she waves her fist aggressively towards her grandfather, indicating that she could strike again at any moment.

Boruto sweatdrops. _'That probably won't help his recovery'_ he thinks to himself as he watches the Hokage's of the past interact so freely.

Hashirama rubs the bruise on his head, "Ah, you're so harsh Tsuna".

Himawari approaches Tsunade, "Growing the prosthetic is one of the places that this could all go wrong. Do you think you got it right Lady Tsunade?".

"I've had Sarada look at it with her rinnegan. She wasn't able to spot anything wrong with it".

"There's no need to worry Himawari" Boruto smiles to his younger sister, "There is no way that Sarada would get it wrong".

"I suppose not" Himawari smiles.

She thinks back to her childhood and the memories she has of her elder brother. He was a good brother, not always as kind as he could have been but he always had her best intentions at heart. Regardless, when he did upset her she would get angry, becoming powerful enough to scare him. It is a flawed sibling relationship but one they both cherish dearly.

Naruto turns to his inner world. _"In the mean time I will be depending you to recover as quickly as possible Kurama"._

" _You can count on me Naruto"_ is the reply of the nine-tailed fox.

Hashirama sighs before falling backwards onto his stretcher.

"Lord 1st, is something wrong" Boruto asks.

The aforementioned 1st Hokage turns his head to face Boruto, a frown covering it he comments, "Recovery is so boring".

As everything looks between each other, not knowing how to reply it falls to Tsunade to search for the cause of his boredom.

"Where is grandmother anyway. I thought she was staying with you".

"She has visited me every day" Hashirama explains, "But other than that, she went to see if she could help the others with their training".

"I should do the same really" Boruto says, turning to his father, "Sarada may require my help".

"You'll be back before the operation, won't you?".

Boruto turns to look into the downcast eyes of his mother.

"It could be… you know…".

"I know" he replies, "You'll see me again father, don't worry".

"Yeah" Naruto smiles, "I intend to spend a lot of time with you and Himawari before any of us die".

"I'll hold you to that old man".

 **Outside a Small Palace, The Land of Water**

Peterson and Clyde land just in front of the palace. It is an ostentatious dwelling to say the least, lined with decorative gold and silver. It truly would be a place fit for a king, a residence far nicer than any enjoyed by the feudal lords or Kage.

"General, do we really have to ask him to fight" Peterson turns to Clyde, his voice bordering on protest.

"Without him we won't have enough Colonels to fill our team" Clyde responds simply.

A snort comes from the Colonel with the scarred face, "I would sooner rely on a captain than ask this guy".

"You think that a captain would be enough" General Clyde raises his eyebrow as he asks this question.

"It's exceptionally rare for the locals to have strength on par with a captain".

"And yet we have encountered several who do just recently" Clyde reminds Peterson of his battle against the hidden leaf trio. The first time a Colonel had lost since invading. "Plus now they have a chance to get stronger, to train while we have called off our attack".

"Still….".

"My job is to keep you all alive" Clyde explains, "And asking this guy for help maximises our chances".

His voice raises in pitch as he thinks back to the previous recruits, "Anyway, you hesitated when I asked Sheer as well".

"Sheer creeps me out but I have no problem with her, this guy is different. I don't like him; you can trust him general".

The General smiles, "I know" before yelling as loud as he can, "MARTIN GET OUT HERE".

Clyde's voice is enough to shake the heavens and rattle the floor as it booms through the forests and the valleys. Despite the thunderous call, a few moments pass without any sort of response. The palace door remains shut.

"See what I mean" Peterson says, pointing to the door as he looks at the General, "This guy is lazy, he's barely been of any help at all since getting here. On top of that he is a complete coward".

"Hmm" Clyde begins before walking up to the door. Without hesitating he punches the door and punches it right in the centre. The grand entranceway comes from its hinges and is propelled down the long corridor behind it.

At the end of this corridor is a throne, a short man with short blonde hair is sat on it, though he quickly jumps off the throne before it can be hit by the door.

His hands shaking and his teeth chattering he looks to the now vacant entrance to his palace. "Oh General Clyde, so good to see you again".

"Silence" Clyde's voice thunders down the corridor.

"Yes sir".

"We are participating in a traditional captained six challenge against the locals" Clyde tells Martin, "That is how we will decide the fate of this world".

Martin raises his previously lowered head, "But why sir?".

"To save Peterson's life. I had to agree to this or one of the locals would have killed him".

Martin's face becomes ugly as he looks towards his fellow Colonel, "Peterson you idiot, you are a disgrace to your position, losing to one of the locals…".

He continues, "You should have been left to die".

Hearing that General Clyde stamps his foot, shaking the floor in something that could be compared to an earthquake. The vibrations are targeted though, targeting only the area stretching from Clyde to Martin, knocking the latter onto his chest.

Clyde walks along the corridor calmly before reaching Martin, "It's time to stop being such a coward Martin".

"You are going to fight the locals in this contest. That is an order. Understood?".

"But sir, surely if they could defeat Peterson I'm not…".

Clyde stamps his foot once again, this time the whole building shakes as a result, various expensive ornaments fall to the floor and shatter.

Marin winces, "Understood sir".

"Report to my headquarters at the earliest opportunity you get" Clyde demands before turning and walking towards the space formerly occupied by the door. "Let's go Peterson" he declares as they leave.

"Are you alright sir?" comes the concerned voice of a captain. This captain is one of the many under Martin's command, one of the many residents of the palace.

After the Captain helps Martin to his feet, the Colonel lashes out in frustration, pushing him into a wall with a single strike of his palm. It may not look impressive and Martin may indeed be a coward but this single strike is enough to break several of the Captain's ribs.

Martin approaches another captain, "You will find out where this enemy is and you will execute the plan. Got it?".

The Captain's eyes widen as he hears the mention of 'the plan'. "But sir, with what the general just said…".

Hearing the dissention is almost enough to make Martin attack again. Though this time the attack would be much more fatal, symbolised by the gathering of mauve energy on his clenched fist.

"Am I understood captain?".

"Yes sir, loud and clear".

And just like that Martin's plan begins.

A diabolical plan.

It is put into motion.


	23. A Devastating Technique

**Author Note**

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for uploading later in the day than usual. This seems to be a recurring issue for me on Fridays, I'll try and keep it more regular in future.

By reading, following and reviewing this story you have made it great fun for me to write it so I will try to keep to the schedule I promised.

As always thanks for reading,

Me

Please enjoy chapter 23, A Devastating Technique.

* * *

 **MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – A DEVASTATING TECHNIQUE**

 **Atop a Lake, Near the Hidden Leaf Camp**

The lake is a quiet place, a place where people have come for all manner of reasons. Quiet reflection, to enjoy a leisurely swim or perhaps to engage in a bit of fishing. Indeed, all of those are quiet pastimes. The blue surface of the lake shines beautifully as it reflects the sun. Birds and insects divebomb towards the surface, looking for a drink on this exceptionally hot day. However, the lake currently has taken on a new purpose. Stood atop the lake are a grandfather and granddaughter sharing the surname Sarutobi. This lake has become the training ground which Hiruzen is using to train Mirai.

While the lake is normally near silent, Mirai and her grandfather do little to protect the reputation it had amongst the now-dead locals. As they repeatedly practice with the aim of increasing Mirai's strength things only get louder. As the blazes of fire sizzle and the gales of wind whoosh with increasing volume, one could hear the racket it was making for miles around. This power is a demonstration, a demonstration of the incredible strength of Sarutobi Mirai. Her strength from the past though, is not good enough for what is required in the here and now.

In the left hand of Mirai is a blazing inferno, flames so intense that they were almost unrivalled. This fire would be hot enough to melt even the most resilient of metals, to evaporate the oldest of rocks, against this sort of fire there is only one defence, the defence Mirai herself is using at this very moment, the defence provided by chakra.

In Mirai's right hand is the invisible formless power of wind. While it cannot be seen by the naked eye it can easily be detected, the whirling air may not create an impressive visual effect but it generates so much sound that harmonics begin to appear in the water below her. This is a symbol that Mirai is pushing the very boundaries a shinobi can reach through normal means.

"That's right" Hiruzen begins, looking at the two elemental powers Mirai is wielding, "Release the wind first, then all you need is spark".

Mirai follows the 3rd Hokage's instructions, first swinging the hand manipulating wind chakra. As the wind chakra leaves her hand it creates a packet of super condensed oxygen in the space before her, just as she had planned.

Next she throws the fire chakra from her right hand, straight towards the packet of oxygen she created but a moment ago. Fire always gets bigger when exposed to more oxygen, however, when suddenly exposed to such a super condensed sample the effect is much more dramatic.

BANG!

An enormous explosion, it leaves the ears of both Hiruzen and Mirai ringing for a half minute before their hearing is finally restored to them. If that attack were to hit anyone below the Kage level, they would surely die.

"Impressed?" Mirai smiles to Hiruzen as she places her hands on her hips.

Hands behind his back and with a frown fixed to his face, Hiruzen shakes his head. "No, that wasn't it".

The 3rd Hokage is thinking back to his sparring session against Mirai. During that session, a small spark had mixed with her wind natured chakra to create an explosion that was not impressive in size but instead impressive in power. Despite his distance from the attack at that time he could feel it radiate through his skin. This attack that Mirai had performed was incredibly impressive but it wasn't the same, instead it is completely different. Furthermore, in Hiruzen's opinion this sort of attack would not be enough to hurt a Colonel.

"Grandpa, aren't you overestimating me" Mirai sighs as she places her hands behind her head, "I don't have any special power, none of this is working".

Mirai's point is not that she is weak. On the contrary her training has indeed proved that she is very strong. Her point is rather that while her power is impressive it still follows all the rules, it is still as you would expect.

"No" Hiruzen retorts, "I have seen it with my own eyes, you have a truly wonderful power, something unlike anything I have ever seen before".

It must be understood that even at this stage of his life, Hiruzen has experienced more than any other Hokage. He has seen other Kage rise and fall, he has witnessed the emergence of many great shinobi with strange and wonderful techniques. Though it could be his bias as her relative, he claims the power he saw in Mirai is truly unique, that is a symbol of just how important that power has the potential to be.

"We don't have time to give up" he continues, "Using that power is the only way that we can defeat a Colonel".

"Don't you hear yourself old man? Are you saying that you don't think you can win? Are you saying you no longer believe in yourself?".

Hiruzen pauses before answering, "I'm saying that your chances are better than mine".

Mirai's shoulders relax as she takes a deep breath of air. She looks to her grandfather's face and sees no deception. It would appear that he really does mean what he says.

"Do you really believe that?" she asks, still refusing to accept the fact she could have more potential than a Hokage of the past.

"Mirai, I truly believe that within this month we have been given, that you will reach a level that I could never reach. I believe you will shatter through a barrier that even I could not".

"Old man…".

The 3rd Hokage continues, "If I can help to push you to that level than I will have fulfilled my role as the Hokage".

"And if I can't reach that level?".

"I don't need to consider that" he answers.

"Because I know for a fact that you can".

"Thank you".

Hiruzen lifts his arms above his waist and positions them in front of himself, adopting a specialised fighting pose. "Now come at me Mirai, fight me with your full power. And, let's bring that hidden potential out of you".

Raising her chakra blades to her hands Mirai smiles, "I hope you are ready".

"Always".

Hiruzen quickly summons Enma to his hands, the monkey king already in staff form as he arrives making it obvious that this attack has been planned in advance. Not hesitating for a moment, the 3rd Hokage swings the staff towards Mirai, not a full force attack but the first in a potential barrage of battering blows.

' _Last time I only needed to use the friction'_ Mirai thinks to herself, _'Then the spark can fuse with the wind natured chakra'_.

Mirai makes this assessment and throws one of chakra blades towards the staff.

Hiruzen starts. "Oh".

Her thinking pays off, like a stone the chakra blade skims along the surface of the staff-formed Enma. Each time it touches the blade a small spark combines with the wind circulating around it, a small explosion being the result.

Seeing these explosions dance along the body of his friend, Hiruzen releases Enma from his end, causing the blade to deviate from its calculated path. Instead of along Enma's body, the blade instead hangs in the air, falling slower than usual due to the circulating wind around it.

The blade doesn't reach the floor though, it is caught by a dashing Mirai, on her path to Hiruzen. The explosions had not only served as an attack but also a distraction, not even the 3rd Hokage had noticed her approach amongst all the sound and light. As Mirai catches the blade she soon reaches Hiruzen, lifting the blade to his neck.

In this exchange, she is the winner.

"See what I mean now" smiles the Hokage, "You have to believe in that special power Mirai, you have to believe in yourself".

"The power to create explosions using wind and fire?" she smiles, not quite believing that such a power is worth all the hype Hiruzen has been placing on her.

"So that's what you think your power, oh well". As he comments that his body disappears in a puff of smoke.

A hand touches Mirai's back from behind, the second it does she knows this hand belongs to her grandfather.

"You still have a lot to learn" he chuckles.

' _A clone'_.

"This is no time to rest" the 'old man' suggests before leaping backwards to create some separation, "Come at me again".

"Yes".

After that Mirai and Hiruzen continue to train, improving her technique her power. The rate of improvement has seldom been matched throughout the history of the ninja world, such is the power of Mirai's ability.

Just what is her power?

 **Three Days Later, Just Outside the Leaf's Camp**

"Is something like that really possible" comes the questioning voice of Uzumaki Mito.

She has heard some very strange things from this man in her life, he had always been a creative man, a pioneer in the process of creating jutsu. Regardless, this time her brother-in-law, Senju Tobirama, had truly surprised her.

"Only for an Uzumaki" he answers.

"An Uzumaki" Kushina questions. The trio having the conversation does consist of one Senju clansman and two Uzumaki clanswomen, therefore Kushina feels it unlikely that Tobirama has the most extensive Uzumaki clan knowledge among them.

"Your clan is famous for its recovery rate, its ability to use seals. Only you two could possibly do it".

"I think you're right" Mito nods while scratching her chin.

"Mito" Kushina's voice lowers as she gets further through the word. She sounds as if she is whingeing, as if she has heard this line of thought before and doesn't like where it goes.

"Independently we may not have much of a chance but if we work together we can do it".

Kushina smiles at Mito's confidence, she has always admired this woman and this only adds to that admiration. "You understand the risks?".

"The risks are nothing compared to what we are facing".

Kushina's smile persists, just as she is about to respond a voice calls, "HEY".

Up to the group walks the newcomer. The 4th Hokage, the yellow flash, Kushina's husband, his name, of course, is Namikaze Minato.

"Minato" she smiles, "How is your training going?".

The blonde smiles cheekily, his extroverted movements making it clear that he is an even better mood than usual. "I have made a breakthrough".

"Really?".

"That's great".

"Congratulations Minato".

Minato enjoys the praise of his peers. To be praised by this group is truly something special even for someone like him who Hiruzen believed to be the hope of the hidden leaf village. Praising him is Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the 1st Hokage and a legendary shinobi in her own right. Also, offering praise to him is the 2nd Hokage, the man who created so many jutsu including the flying thunder god jutsu that he bases his entire offense around. Lastly, praising him is his wife, Uzumaki Kushina; there is nobody in the world he likes to please more than this woman.

"I came up with the idea when I was watching Hiruzen practice that fire technique with Mirai" he explains. Minato had been spending a lot of time watching Mirai train when he was unable to make any progress. It is always good to observe others, to learn from others, watch those who are learning and see what they are doing differently to yourself.

"Are you going to show us then?" Mito asks.

"We've been waiting eagerly for you to succeed".

"Very well" Minato answers before stepping away from the others, distancing himself so that he can avoid injuring them or catching them off guard.

Raising his hand above his head a rasengan forms in it, that is not all though, the rasengan begins to spin faster and faster. Its rotation keeps improving until several blades form around its perimeter, these blades symbolise the transformation from the rasengan into the rasen-shuriken.

"This is Naruto's technique, the rasen-shuriken".

"Notice the blades rotating around the outside of the rasengan, they only have one axis of rotation".

"Of course; you can only focus on the one direction" Tobirama folds his arms, "It would be impossible to spin it in every plane at once".

"That may be true if you only depend upon a shinobi's ability to control the wind" Minato nods, "However, heat also has an effect on air flow".

"And if you heat it exactly the right way, constantly moving the heat to the area of the greatest gaseous density…". As Minato explains his theory he uses fire natured chakra, not to change the nature of the rasengan, instead to change the temperature of different parts of the 'ball' repeatedly.

Suddenly the blades of the rasen-shuriken multiply, appearing not only in the one axis but every other access as well. The rasen-shuriken expands into a giant white ball and the screeching sound evolves into a far louder howling noise.

"Isn't that just a giant ball?" Mito asks.

"No" Tobirama replies with wide eyes, "He's done it, that rasen-shuriken is spinning in every plane at once".

"Minato" the 2nd Hokage continues, "Does this technique have a name".

"I call it the super 360 spinning rasen-shuriken of doom" Minato smiles.

As Mito sweatdrops she looks towards Kushina.

"He never was good with names" Kushina closes her eyes as she raises her hands up before her, "Minato, how about calling it the rasen-bomb".

Minato thinks for a moment before the lost smile returns to his face once more, "Yeah, that sounds good too".

The 4th Hokage waits for a few moments before gradually shrinking the technique down. First it turns back into a rasen-shuriken, then back into a rasengan, finally fizzling out as it stops rotating and gently pops.

Despite the gentle dispersion of the jutsu, Minato falls to one knee. Prompting concern from those around him.

Kushina calls her husband's name, while running to his side and lifting his arm around her neck.

Despite his poor condition Minato chuckles, "That technique uses a lot of chakra, unless I improve I will only be able to use it once".

Tobirama snickers, "One shot is all you need with something like that, 4th Hokage".

"That's right" Kushina says in an attempt to comfort the ever-self-critical Minato, "The rasen-bomb… it truly is incredible".

Suddenly from a nearby bush appears a man with short dark hair, he is tall and has a familiar set of clothing. A bronze cape, a uniform marked with the number three, this man is showing all the signs of the invading forces. His presence is truly threatening.

This man is a captain!

The captain wastes no time with formalities, immediately lunging for Kushina and swinging a knife vertically downwards.

The attack doesn't reach Kushina. That is because with the last vestiges of his strength Minato places himself in the way.

Minato is cut!

As the 4th Hokage falls slowly to the ground the captain raises the knife once more, his plan seems to be attack as furiously and repeatedly as possible, his next target is Kushina.

The only reason this has been allowed to happen so far is because of the human reaction time. As the knife, lower towards Kushina again, Tobirama doesn't let pass. With a flash, he appears between Kushina and the captain before swiftly kicking the latter in the chest.

As the captain stumbles, backwards the 2nd Hokage looks for an opportunity to pursue him but that is quickly lost. The bronze cloak disappears from sight as its owner vanishes into the foliage. His plan must have been a hit and run attack, for now it seemed his decision is to flee.

"MINATO" Kushina shouts as she slowly lowers him to the ground.

"Don't worry Kushina" Mito's maintains her cool as well as she can, "It's only a light flesh wound".

Despite this warning Minato's body begins shaking. It's not dis-similar to a fit as he shakes uncontrollably, foaming at the mouth as he agonises on the floor.

"No, something is wrong" Kushina looks to her fellow Uzumaki.

Eyes widening Tobirama understands instantly. "He's been poisoned!".

"Oh my god" Kushina's breathing accelerates as she holds Minato's head, "Minato, can you hear me, keep calm, take deep breaths".

"We need to get him to Mitsuki" Mito asserts, trying to bring some order to the chaotic scenario, "That guy has a cure for most poisons".

"That was an enemy Captain" the younger Senju brother announces, "The chances are he was using a poison we haven't seen before".

Minato's wife frantically turns her head to look at the 2nd Hokage. "Then how are going to get the antidote?".

"Kushina, you take Minato back to Mitsuki and the medical shinobi. Tobirama and I will chase the Captain".

Nodding, Kushina lifts her husband up as delicately as she can and starts running towards the make-shift hospital.

As Tobirama throws a kunai into the distance Mito places a hand on his shoulder.

Then together, they disappear.


	24. Don't die Minato

**MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – DON'T DIE MINATO**

 **The Medical Building**

The days have passed and Hashirama has recovered, producing this medical building upon returning to full health. The medical building is not something he constructed without thinking, it is spacious enough for Tsunade and her assistant Biwako to be relaxed. It has enough storage around for the tools required, in a procedure as complicated as this you could come across all sorts of different emergencies, of course Hashirama understood that when he created it.

Though the walls are made of wood they are not rough, they are perfectly smooth. Hanging from the ceiling are two electronically powered lights, these were installed by some engineers shortly after the 1st Hokage created the building. Those from the distant past were sceptical about the use of these electronic lights but they were not disappointed, the technology in the world had evidently come a long way since they were alive last.

There is a terminal feeling in the room, Tsunade compares the sensation to having an invisible hand, squeezing tightly around her throat. When she stands up her legs hurt, when she lies down her back hurt, when she leans against the wall her shoulders hurt. This feeling can be easily summed up in one word. What Tsunade feels is fear. If this operation goes wrong that will spell the end for the people of the hidden leaf village.

The 5th Hokage looks on as Naruto and his family talk with one another, discussing their past, discussing the present and discussing the future. She smiles at the last one, to discuss their future together means that they truly believe this operation is going to be a success. This is a double-edged sword though she realises, while they expect the operation to be a success, it also holds true that they may not be ready for failure.

Naruto looks away from Himawari and calls to Tsunade. "Grandma Tsunade, I think I'm ready now".

Tsunade is leaning against a wall while he says this, she closes her eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath. This is the moment of truth. She pushes herself forward from the wooden surface, "Of course Naruto, if you guys have said everything you want to say, then now is the time to leave".

Boruto is the first to react, rising from his chair he walks towards the door and waves to his father. "See you in a short while old man" he shouts.

"See ya" Naruto waves once in reply. _'That kid, is that all you have to say to your father… Thank you, I'll see you later Boruto'_.

Throwing her arms around her father, Himawari sniffles once or twice. While she does her best to hide her sadness from Naruto he would have to be an idiot not to notice it.

"I love you dad" she whispers to him as she tightly holds him.

Naruto reciprocates the hug; he has not had much of a chance to get to know his daughter but in the short time they had spent together he has come to know one thing. That is that he loves her unconditionally, no matter how old she is, no matter what time she is from.

"I love you too" he smiles as the two separate.

Himawari offers him one last smile before she follows Boruto out of the door.

That leaves only Hinata, Naruto's wife who he has yet to marry. Though the two have known each other for several years they have never become family, they have just been thrust into the future and told that they are family. It is an awkward situation for the two of them.

Hinata rises to her feet and smiles to her children's father. "Good luck Naruto" she says before turning to leave.

Before she can leave though, however, a hand grabs onto her own. That hand belongs to Naruto. She takes a moment to react, to realise what has happened before she turns to face him. "Naruto…".

"I can't tell you what it is" Naruto begins, "But there is something wrong with Boruto".

"Something wrong with him?" Hinata looks at Naruto with confusion.

"If the worst happens, promise me you will keep an eye on him". Naruto thinks back to that energy he felt flood from Boruto's body, the energy he had to deal with constantly that nobody else knew about. He cannot betray his son's confidence in him, if he dies there is only one thing he can depend on and that is that Boruto will confide in his mother too.

"I'll keep both eyes on him Naruto. Himawari too, I promise".

Smiling, Naruto leans gently back onto the stretcher he has rested on for the last part of his life. "Well, I have always had a good feeling about those eyes of yours".

"This eye has been passed down through the Hyuuga clan for years" Hinata nods in reply, "It's my duty to use it, to look after my children".

"That's not what I mean" the 7th Hokage shakes his head.

Hinata stares wide-eyed at the man she would have married.

"Hinata, it's not the Byakugan. I just… I've always thought you had nice eyes".

A moment of silence passes, the only sound to be heard is the sound of Hinata biting her bottom lip.

"… please survive, Naruto".

"It will take more than an operation to kill me Hinata" he smiles as she leaves.

With that only Tsunade and Naruto remain in the room. The 5th Hokage and the 7th Hokage.

"You're making everyone worry so much" Tsunade sighs as she approaches Naruto with a needle in her hand.

Naruto laughs croakily, "Sorry about that".

She looks at him, all this time he has maintained that he believes in her and that is probably true. Something had changed though, perhaps it is saying goodbye to his family, the strangeness he mentioned about Boruto, the sadness of his daughter, the emotional moment he shared with his wife. Whatever it is that has changed, there is something new in his eyes, something that wasn't there before. Naruto is afraid too.

"When you wake up again, this strength… this strength had better be worth it".

"Wait and see Grandma Tsunade…".

"Wait and see…".

Tsunade nods to the entrance, Biwako emerging a few seconds later with a metallic container. The metallic container consisted of a metallic frame with a clear glass body. Through that glass one could spy an arm, a fully grown human arm floating in a yellow bubbling liquid. Naruto isn't very knowledgeable about these things but guesses the yellow stuff is to help preserve the arm until the operation.

"Don't be afraid" Tsunade calmly whispers as she pushes her needle into Naruto's good arm, "You will be back with us shortly".

As the legendary 7th Hokage falls asleep, Tsunade once more takes a deep breath as she looks towards Biwako.

"Right then, let's begin".

 **Outside the Medical Building**

Hinata turns to Boruto, ironically the man who has seen the most of Naruto's life, the one who knows him the best of the trio in many respects. "Will he be OK?" she asks while leaning towards him subconsciously.

"He will be fine" Boruto frowns, "I've know that old man all my life".

"He's annoying and he's hard to please but he will definitely not die".

"He's survived the abuse from having the nine tails sealed within him. He survived against Pain, against Obito, Madara and even Kaguya. After that he even managed to survive living with Himawari and for 18 years".

"He's not going to die to something so easy like an operation".

Himawari smiles. Raising herself and Boruto should be trivial compared to all those battles but she appreciates what Boruto said about the two of them being difficult. It was on the day that Naruto was supposed to become Hokage that the two of them bickering caused him to miss out on the ceremony. So often Boruto took to painting the Hokage monument for attention, if nothing else it's surprising their father didn't die of embarrassment.

"That's right" Hinata's daughter continues, "Dad's survived a lot tougher than this when he was with you in the past. Right mom?".

Hinata smiles hearing the opinion of her more experienced children, "I suppose he has hasn't he".

At that moment, the trio hear a terrifying noise. A woman's cry, a plea, a wail. Looking the opposite direction from the medical building, Himawari is quick to notice who this woman is. It's her grandmother, Uzumaki Kushina.

Kushina stumbles towards them, carrying Minato in her arms. Her dishevelled appearance, particularly her red eyes show that she has been shedding tears. Her clothing dampened from sweat shows that she has rushed herself to get here, despite being a talented shinobi she is out of breath. There is such a thing as trying too hard, even for those who seem to be invulnerable.

Boruto runs over to his grandmother, taking Minato from her and beginning his walk towards the medical building. Though it is a few seconds before he realises the situation, "There's no room in the medical building, dad's operation has started". His lack of options gives him only one choice, he lays Minato down gently on the grassiest part of the floor. Hoping that is a sign that it is the softest part of the floor as well.

"What happened?" Boruto asks as he looks towards his grandmother.

"He was attacked" she gets out despite her shortness of breath, "An enemy captain… he has been… poisoned".

"Poisoned?" Boruto practically shouts in shock, "I thought the enemy had called off all attacks".

"It doesn't matter" Himawari kneels down opposite Boruto and looks into his eyes. "You need to calm down, go and get Mitsuki, poison is his specialty".

"I can't…" Boruto starts.

"What do you mean you can't?" Kushina shouts towards Boruto. While she is not angry with him the situation is urgent and the possibility of losing her husband, is of course getting to her.

"Mitsuki left the village to train with Lord 6th".

"With Kakashi" Kushina whispers, "Then how will Minato…".

"Then go and find Lord 1st" Himawari keeps her eyes firmly locked onto her brothers, "He is the best healer we have".

It is important to draw a distinction between Tsunade and Hashirama here, while Tsunade may be the best person to help Naruto that is because of her understanding of the human body, her experiences with operations, she is the best doctor. Unlike Tsunade, Hashirama has not performed operations to the same level and has rarely treated the inside of someone's body, despite that his manipulation of medical chakra is the best in the villages history, never has anyone been able to compare to it.

"Lord 1st can only delay his death though" Hinata puts her hand in front of her mouth, scared to speak the truth in such horrible circumstances.

"If that's the best we can do then that's what we must do" Boruto declares as he runs into the village with his Byakugan activated. He makes it his personal mission; he has to find Senju Hashirama as quickly as possible.

"What are we going to do?" Kushina looks between Hinata and Himawari.

"The six paths power" Himawari starts, "When my father had the six paths power, he had a miraculous healing power, he lost it after his battle with Sasuke but…".

"Perhaps he could save grandpa".

"It could be days before Naruto gets that power back" Kushina replies.

A hand shoots up and grabs Kushina's wrist, it is the hand of Minato. "If that's how long it takes then so be it".

"I will… I will hold on for a week if I need to".

A tear falls from Kushina's eye at the obvious pain her husband is feeling. "Minato…" she whispers.

"This is my village, my family… I'm… I'm not willing to let it die so easily".

 **In a Nearby Mountain Range**

As the captain continues to flee he chuckles to himself. _'I was lucky there. Those guys were stronger, stronger than anybody else I've faced in this world'_. His thoughts do not occupy him for long though, he is distracted by the weapon that appears before his face. It is a kunai.

As the kunai strikes the ground before the captain, in a flash two people arrive at that kunai. First is Senju Tobirama, the 2nd Hokage and the creator of the flying thunder god technique. Second is Uzumaki Mito, not only is she the wife of the 1st Hokage but she is a master of seals, a cornerstone who helped the village even through the majority of the 3rd Hokage's life.

Arriving, Mito quickly weaves a series of signs before spitting a fireball towards the captain.

He snorts. "Laughable". With a swing of his arm he knocks the fireball away, it takes so little effort that Mito finally understands, she understands that it is miracle that the people of this world have survived as long as they have.

The fireball is not a simple attack though, it is a disguise, for behind it Tobirama closely follows. He uses it to hide his run as he arrives right before the enemy captain and thrusts his kunai towards the bronze cloaked man.

The captain only smiles though, tapping Tobirama's arm exactly at the pivot between its upper and lower halves. As the 2nd Hokage's attack misses, it provides a new opening for the captain. The white haired Hokage rolls forward to regain his footing but the captain throws his poisoned knife forwards.

SHUNK!

Tobirama turns around wide eyed to see that the knife has reached his target, it is not him. The target is Mito.

The knife is lodged firmly in the chest, of Uzumaki Mito.

"MITO" he shouts before teleporting to her side and pulling the knife from her chest.

The red-haired woman takes quick successive breaths, "Tell Hashirama I…".

"Don't say it" Tobirama warns her firmly as he places her head down on the ground. It is not comfortable but he hasn't got time to find a more comfortable spot for her, "I'm going to beat this guy OK, then I'll get the antidote for you and for Minato".

Saying that, the captain starts to cackle, his finger pointing towards Tobirama in a mocking gesture.

"What's so funny?".

"There is no antidote to that poison" the captain smiles, "There is no hope of survival once you have been struck by it".

The 2nd Hokage tightens his grip on his kunai. _'This isn't how it was supposed to go'_.

' _Time after time, my brother was a hero, he always saved everyone, he always looked after the people he cared about, ever since our brothers died, he gained that sort of power'_.

' _But for me, I fail, every time, I fail to protect the people I care about'_.

"Tell him I love hi…".

"DON'T SAY IT" Tobirama shouts this time, as if refusing to believe that his sister-in-law will die.

"So Tobirama is your name huh" the captain mocks him, "Why don't you let me explain why you cannot defeat me".

"Why I can't defeat you…".

"It's because you don't use your anger. You refuse to give into your hatred. You will always hold back from rage, the negative emotions that can enhance your power, you don't use them".

As Tobirama further tightens his grip on his kunai the captain continues.

"Go ahead, unleash that anger on me".

To the great surprise of the captain though, Tobirama's grip on his weapon loosens, his posture becomes more open and his body language more relaxed.

"You don't understand something about the people of this world it seems".

"We have suffered for so long. We have seen the deaths of 8 Hokages".

"But we did that to change the way we act. No longer do we act out of hatred for our killers, we act out of our love for the fallen".

"I'm going to beat you" Tobirama resolutely declares, "And I'm going to do it my way".


	25. Senju Tobirama

**MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – SENJU TOBIRAMA**

 **Outside the Medical Building**

Rain gently patters against the floor as Minato lays, eyes closed, on the dampening grass. This is a critical time for the 4th Hokage who can ill afford to lose concentration, what is important right now is the control of his chakra. Indeed, for one so talented as the 4th Hokage it is possible to slow down the spread of poison in your body with good chakra control. This is only a delaying tactic though, that is why Boruto has gotten the most proficient healer he could have possibly found.

Above Minato's chest are two hands, dancing above a field of green chakra, a healing dance. The man performing this medical jutsu is the 1st Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Though, once again, what Hashirama is doing is only a delaying act. Together they form a near perfect team to delay death as much as possible. The talented 4th Hokage, the legendary 1st Hokage, there is but only problem, how long can they hold out for.

Hashirama's head tilts to the side slightly, his proficiency in sage jutsu enough to help him sense what is happening in the mountains. He can sense it, the suffering of his wife. Naturally, the 1st Hokage does his best to take his attention away from Mito, she is able to take care of herself and Tobirama is with her, but to stop worrying about someone you love is far from easy.

A groan of pain escapes the lips of Minato as he does his best to focus on his self-control.

"Minato…" Kushina whispers.

"Lord 1st, isn't there anything we can do?" Hinata asks.

She is concerned for Namikaze Minato, her father-in-law. The two of them had little opportunity to meet one another. They talked briefly at the family reunion they held in this time and before that Hinata had only shared a battlefield with the 4th Hokage during the 4th great shinobi war. That was only a few days ago from her point of view, she doesn't know him well at all and perhaps it is only for Naruto's sake, but, she wants him to survive, no matter what.

' _Mito, you have to be alright'_ Hashirama calls in his head as his eyes glass over while fixed on Minato's chest, _'Without you I…'._

"Lord 1st!" Himawari shouts at the Hokage, snapping him from his moment of prayer.

"Sorry, I lost my concentration for a moment" he replies. He could tell them about the fight in the mountains but he considers that the Uzumaki family have more important things on their mind at this moment in time.

"Isn't there anything we can do to help?" Hinata asks once again, this time leaning down to look into Hashirama's downcast eyes.

The older Senju brother answers with a shake of his head though. "This is the best we can do to keep Minato alive. For whatever saves him, this is the only delaying tactic I have".

With that the strangest of families hold on. They pray for a miracle. However, they don't realise what Tobirama has come to realise.

There is no antidote!

 **Inside the Medical Building**

Looking down on Naruto's severed arm, a sweat comes to Tsunade's brow, the preparation is complete. Finally, it is time for the most difficult part of the operation, the joining of the arm. This is critical, whether Tsunade succeeds or fails here, the fate of the hidden leaf village lives and dies with Uzumaki Naruto.

Biwako hands a needle to Tsunade. The needle is very ordinary, long and thin, though made of a special metal as Biwako understands it. Tsunade takes this needle and pushes it into an artery in the upper half of Naruto's separated arm.

"OK" she mutters as she bounces lightly on her heels, "You can do this Tsunade".

"I'm right here with you" Biwako nods to Tsunade, not taking a deep breath for herself nor showing any signs of nervousness.

That is not to say that Biwako is not nervous, the butterflies in her stomach transformed into eagles long ago. She feels an enormous need to be sick but she doesn't show it, for the sake of Tsunade's comfort she holds herself back. She displays nerves of steel; she endures for that is the path of the shinobi.

Tsunade places her hand above the needle lodged in Naruto's upper arm before slowly injecting a chakra into that needle.

"Now, show me Uzumaki Naruto… just what kind of man you are".

 **The Mountains**

Tobirama looks along the length of the knife he pulled from Mito's body. There is a mauve liquid on it, the sort of thing you would see in children's stories. Though Tobirama does not find the liquid amusing, on the contrary it disgusts him, his sister-in-law may be about to die to this poison. If she is in this state, what sort of condition will the 4th Hokage be in he wonders. Could this cowardly attack be the death of the hidden leaf village?

He throws the knife to the floor before charging at the captain before him. The captain starts, he knows that Tobirama can teleport but he wasn't aware that he was so fast in his own right. Space seems to bend as Tobirama passes through it, it's as if it is not him that is moving but instead the whole world.

The captain reacts with a click of his fingers. Though his hand is down by his side it becomes the origin for a chain reaction. Cell by cell, his skin transforms into stone. An impregnable defence, or at least it would be to anybody else.

Seeing this defensive move, Tobirama weaves a quick succession of signs. These are the signs for the jutsu that births the water dragon. The liquid dragon rises from behind Tobirama before coming down onto the captain, slamming into him with a force that could be felt for hundreds of meters.

As the captain's stone shell is shattered, the 2nd Hokage doesn't waste a moment on the offense. He thrusts his marked kunai straight towards the most open vital area available to him, straight towards the captain's chest.

The captain dodges this kunai using a shoulder roll, no sooner has he regained his footing than he begins to swing his fist towards Tobirama, with this speed, the shinobi knows he cannot dodge this attack.

Tobirama cannot dodge, instead he throws his kunai past the shoulder of the attacking Captain. Not a second after he throws the kunai, the 2nd Hokage is punched in the chest, it's a punch that feels like it has the weight of the world behind it. If not for the armour that Tobirama had always worn, he may well have cracked his ribs there and then. That can make it difficult to breath, that can make it impossible to fight.

As Tobirama begins to hurtle backwards from the momentum of the punch, he activates his flying thunder god jutsu, teleporting himself instantly to the kunai at the captain's back.

This is an opening.

This is a chance.

The captain's arm is wide open. So Tobirama attacks, he thrusts his kunai straight into the arm. However, the reaction is not what he expected, the Captain had been baiting him. The moment the steel pierces his flesh that flesh transforms into stone once more. No matter how hard he pulls, Tobirama cannot retrieve the kunai, it is stuck in place.

Seeing another arm swinging towards him, Tobirama feels he has no choice but to retreat. With a flash, he reappears at Mito's side, instantly pulling out another marked kunai as he arrives.

The captain frowns as he observes his opponent, _'I need to be careful here, this guy is not like the others I have fought since getting here'._

' _His speed is remarkable but without teleportation I am still faster than him. All I need to do is wait for him to get close and then hit him as hard as I can'_.

Tobirama lowers his hand towards the ground, taking this chance to observe the surrounding area at the same time as measuring up his opponent.

' _Stabbing him in the arm didn't seem to do any damage at all. He is faster than I am. I have to keep my cool in this fight'._

The captain smiles, seeing Tobirama also taking an opportunity to contemplate how to proceed. _'One good punch to your head and I can crush your skull'_.

Tobirama continues, _'Even if I stabbed him in the heart he may not die. I've got no overwhelming attacks to use like Naruto… but there is still one way'_.

As one of Tobirama's muscles contracts a frown returns to the captain's face. _'He intends to make use of his ability to teleport. All I need to do is make sure I keep track of all his weapons'_.

Tobirama crosses his fingers, executing one of the many jutsu he created, the shadow clone jutsu. His clone is quick to act, taking out a kunai of his own while the original Tobirama throws his kunai towards the captain.

The original Tobirama teleports to the kunai before kicking the captain in the chest.

The captain reacts in rage, covering his arm in stone before throwing a punch towards Tobirama. For some reason though at the last second, he misses. It's as if Tobirama's position changes instantly but he is in the same place, something he cannot do with the flying thunder god jutsu.

The shinobi quickly works to punch the Captain in the arm, a distracting blow before the main course. He thrusts his kunai once more towards the heart of the invader, only for the bronze cloaked soldier to leap backwards at the last second, creating separation between them.

That was a golden chance.

Missed.

' _His body just moved instantly there, could it have been a result of his teleportation'_ the Captain questions, _'No, it's that clone he is using, they are both wielding that same weapon. They must have swapped places'_.

' _I see, so your technique is more advanced that it seems'_.

While the Captain feels, he has gained a measure of safety now that he has understood the trick, Tobirama's thoughts are entirely different, in his head it boils away, a plan is formed.

' _I've made sure that it works now, I've only got one shot though. To do this with clones is exceedingly difficult but… I have to try'_.

Tobirama crosses his fingers once more, creating a second shadow clones. Now a trio of 2nd Hokage's line up against the one captain.

The first clone throws his kunai towards the captain before teleporting to it. The Captain wastes no time though before he throws a punch in retaliation. Just as expected, the fight goes the same way as last time, Tobirama's second clone swaps positions with his first.

As the two clones swap positions, they manage to dodge the punch, as the second one immediately thrusts his kunai towards the captain's arm.

' _This cloning technique is obviously straining you'._ The poisonous captain smiles to himself, finally seeing a clear path to survival. _'Your facial expression makes it obvious, all I have to do is outlast you'_.

The clone's kunai reaches its target, a non-lethal target. The shoulder. The captain decides not to cover this part of his body in stone, it is of little importance, it serves no purpose in the fight going forward. Naturally, Tobirama knows this, his decision being to deliberately attack the captain in a place where it would hurt, in a place where he would be distracted, if only slightly.

The captain once more throws a punch that misses, signalling the coming of Tobirama's original body. It's finally do or die time for the 2nd Hokage who lunges his weapon straight towards the captain's heart.

' _Go ahead fool. That attack won't kill me even if it does pierce my flesh'_.

Then with a flash the kunai disappears from Tobirama's hand and is quickly replaced with a knife.

A dyed mauve knife.

The poisonous knife.

' _WHAT!'_.

By the time the captain realises what is happening it is too late. The knife has pierced into his chest; the poison begins to spread.

"H… How" he coughs out as he looks hatefully at the silver haired Hokage.

"I marked your knife with my formula the moment I pulled it from Mito's body" the younger Senju brother explains through his enemies sustained coughs and splutters.

"You're going to die, you know that, don't you?"

Tobirama has no more patience for this man, this captain who has potentially destroyed the hidden leaf. With a jerk, he pulls the poisoned knife from his chest and thrusts it into the rear of his skull. In the captain's defenceless state, it is an instant kill.

Tobirama has won.

The Hokage dissipates his two clones before walking slowly over to Mito's side. "Mito, are you?".

"Tobirama" she cuts him off, her voice very faint, a symbol of her weakened state. "You'll tell him, right?".

"I'll give my brother your love" he answers punctually. He has experienced much death, he understands the value of words at this point, he gives Mito all the time she can use.

"Good" she smiles while watching her brother-in-law clench his fists in regret.

She sighs gently, "Don't regret this Tobirama. There was nothing more you could have done".

"That's what I regret" he calmly replies, "My own powerlessness, my own inability to change things".

"You know, right, you know what to do. You know how to change things?".

"I know".

Mito smiles once again. "Tell Hashirama and Tsunade and… and all the others that I… I really hope they all find happiness in this world".

"I will".

"And you better find it too" her eyes dart to the man beside her. "If you come to the other side having lived a miserable life I will be very annoyed".

"I will find happiness Mito, not just for me but for everyone. That is my promise to you" he sincerely answers as he looks her in the eyes.

"That's very good. Good. Good luck… Tobirama" she says as her eyes slowly close.

' _Hashirama… Tsunade… for me… live'_.

Tobirama stays by Mito's side, keeping a respectful watch over her for two minutes before he gets an ominous feeling. He feels a tingling in his spine.

"Now then" he begins, "It's time to change things".


	26. What if he dies?

**MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – WHAT IF HE DIES?**

 **Outside the Medical Building**

Hashirama's greatest wish in this moment is that he could stop being a shinobi, that he could stop feeling what he does. He is not a great sensor like Tobirama, he is not a legendary teleporter like Minato and he does not have unrivalled vision like Sarada. Though, he is still the 1st Hokage, there are some people in this world who have enormous chakras, chakras that you cannot help but feel when they are there and miss when they are gone, at least, if you are the 1st Hokage.

If Hashirama could stop being a shinobi then he wouldn't have to feel this, this sense of loss. His ability to manipulate nature chakra was described by many as a gift but by none as a curse. That is what it is though, to feel the death of a loved one without being able to move, while being powerless to help them, that can only be described as a curse. If that cannot be described as a curse, then what else can be.

As Mito's chakra slowly disappears Hashirama thinks back to the times they spent together. From the moment, they met, to when they decided they would marry one another. He thinks to all the support she gave him in his time as the Hokage. Then his mind drifts to their journey to the future, into an unknown world that is not only confusing but also intimidating. In that world where so many people are depending on him he felt there is only one person he can truly depend upon and now she has vanished. Now what can he do?

' _Mito…´_ he speaks her names in his own head, almost pleading for her to speak with him one last time.

No, this is not a plea, this is a prayer.

A wish that is not granted.

"Lord 1st, is something wrong" Hinata asks, noticing a solitary tear rolling down the bronzed cheek of the world's first Kage.

"I can sense it" he replies after a few seconds. Despite his anguish he keeps his eyes firmly locked on the body of Namikaze Minato, while other people would run he stays. That is his duty as a Hokage of the hidden leaf village. "Mito just died".

Kushina's eyes widen as she finally focuses her senses. The words are quickly proven right to her, the previously overwhelming chakra that exuded from Uzumaki Mito is gone. Only one conclusion can be drawn from this.

Mito is dead.

"Lady Mito died…" she breathes out, struggling to believe that this day could get any worse.

Mito had been an important part of her life, convincing her that the most important thing for a jinchuriki was love. That conviction lead Kushina to Minato, it is because Kushina was instilled with that conviction that Naruto, Boruto and Himawari were born into this world.

"That's…" Hinata mutters, not knowing what to say. From the brief time, she spent with Kushina, she learnt that Mito was very important to Kushina, another survivor of a near dead clan.

"Lord 1st, I'm very sorry for your loss" Himawari bows her head, doing her best to maintain her composure in this situation where everyone else has lost there's, "I'll go and find Aunt Ino, she can take over the healing process while you go to Mito".

Himawari gets to her feet before realising that this isn't necessary. The aforementioned Yamanaka clan member is to her rear, brought here by her brother Boruto.

"There he is" Boruto says as he points his finger towards Hashirama and Minato.

Despite her old age, Ino runs over to the 4th Hokage at full speed. "Lord 1st, allow me to take over from you".

Hashirama's expression has changed from before, previously it was an expression of steely focus, of icy concentration but now it has changed to a blank expression. It is the sort of face you would expect to see in a school classroom when a child has lost focus, it is devoid of emotion, of consciousness, of caring.

"I can't do that" he replies after a few seconds.

"What… why not?".

"Lord 45h hasn't spoken for a while, that is because the two of us have come to an understanding, we have reached an equilibrium" Hashirama answers in a dreary monotone voice, "Not only is medicinal chakra required to help keep the poison at bay but so is nature chakra".

"Nature chakra?" Hinata leans forward, thinking back to Naruto's stories of his time at Mount Myoboku.

"The chakra of sages" Boruto explains.

Kushina's eyebrows lower to her the tops of her eyes before she turns to Boruto out of curiosity. "You're a sage".

It would seem that sages ran in the Uzumaki family. Minato, while not an expert, is a competent user of sage jutsu. He spent his time at Mount Myoboku on the orders of his sensei, Naruto, of course, became a legendary sage who defended the world from Madara, Kaguya and Sasuke. Now Boruto too is a sage. Even Naruto's godfather, Lord Jariya, was famed for his use of sage mode.

"I struggle with it" Boruto answers with a small shrug of his shoulders, "I cannot compare to dad who wields such incredible power with nature chakra. Still, it's true; I am a sage".

"It has to be me" Hashirama continues, as if ignoring what Boruto has just said, "I'm the only sage who is proficient enough in medical jutsu".

Hinata starts, "But your wife…".

"I KNOW".

The 1st Hokage's shout stuns everyone into silence, the usually relaxed and clumsy Senju Hashirama has snapped. To see him become angry like this, to lose his cool is very unusual. Something even Mito and Tobirama cannot claim to have seen many times. This is the change in attitude that only Mito's death can cause to her husband.

"I know" he says again more quietly, "But if we lose Minato as well she will have died for nothing".

Once again a frosty few moments of silence pass, broken by the tightening of Kushina's hands on the edges of her sleeves.

"Thank you Lord 1st … thank you".

"Don't thank me yet" he replies blandly.

Then the door to the medical building opens, emerging are two women in medical garb. Clearly from their reaction they did not expect to see this when they came out.

"What is going on?" Biwako asks as she runs over to the side of Kushina.

"Lady Tsunade" Himawari turns to the 5th Hokage and quickly approaches her, "What happened, did the surgery go well?".

Tsunade shakes her head gently, "Only time will tell, now we're just waiting".

"He will either die or he will wake up, those are the only two options".

Kushina pulls her hair from in front of her eyes, finally realising what a state she has gotten into. "Hinata, would you explain the bad news to Tsunade please. I don't think I'm up to it right now".

"Yes" Hinata smiles gently as she rises to her feet, "Lady Tsunade, please come with me".

 **5 Days Later, Outside the Medical Building**

As a small wooden shelter, has been built around Minato's position it has made it practical for him to remain here. Even a shinobi of his calibre would struggle to focus on his chakra for 24 hours a day if he was bombarded by rain and wind. This structure has made it a lot easier for both the 4th and 1st Hokage.

With them is the doting Kushina. Her dishevelled appearance not so different than it was 5 days prior. Her clothes still the same, the smell around them noticeable for anyone who passed. As Boruto and Hinata approach for a visit, they quickly realise that Kushina hasn't once left Minato's side.

Kushina looks to her approaching daughter-in-law, as if not stressed enough already she is reminded that Naruto is also on death's door.

"Is Naruto showing any signs of recovery" the red-haired woman asks.

Hinata shakes her head slowly from side to side, "I'm sorry Kushina".

"My family was torn apart in the past. That is what Sakura told us. I never met my son, I had far too little time to spend with my husband and naturally I never knew I had grandchildren". Kushina reflects on the difficult of her family's life.

"Now fate has given me a second change to enjoy a life with my family and it is all slipping away right in front of my eyes".

Hinata's lack of self-confidence is evident but she pushes through it kneeling next to Kushina and hugging her mother-in-law gently to her. "It'll be OK" she whispers, "They are both strong".

Kushina nods, accepting the wisdom in Hinata's words. Naruto and Minato were two veterans of the 4th great shinobi war, two people who had a very short time together but in that short time had saved the entire world. If anybody could survive these torrid circumstances, Naruto and Minato could.

"I'm really glad I met you too Hinata" Kushina smiles momentarily, "I'm really please Naruto married someone like you".

"Thank you".

"Lord 1st" Boruto calls to the previously silent 1st Hokage.

"… yeah" his croaky voice replies.

"It's time now…".

"… it's time to stop healing him".

Hashirama's head rises from Minato's chest and his eyes fix on Boruto.

"Boruto…" Kushina stammers in horror, "What are you saying".

"I know this is hard, I know that just as well as anyone, this man is my grandfather after all. Still, every second you spend healing him is a second of sleep you lose Lord 1st".

"You're not honestly suggesting we give up on Minato are you" Kushina asks mouth agape. That family she was so desperate to spend more time with, it was suggesting that they let her husband die, just what is happening she wonders.

"What if dad doesn't wake up" Boruto points the medical building as he leans forward, "What if you spend this entire month healing my grandfather and don't do any training yourself".

"Lord 1st if that happens then you will be our strongest shinobi come the contest and you would have done no training".

"Boruto…" Hashirama rolls the name of his tongue, not quite believing what he is hearing. _'Is this man really Uzumaki Naruto's son?'_.

"You couldn't even defeat a Colonel before" he points out before his voice raises to a shout, "How are you going to defeat a General?".

"No, you have to stop" he finishes.

Hinata rises from her knees again approaching her son with downturned eyes. Upon reaching him she lifts her hand up to his face.

SLAP!

As Boruto's eyes widen at his mother's reaction Hinata begins to scold her son. "You idiot. Has your father never told you of his ninja way, of my ninja way. We never give up!".

"You've not lived in this world as long as I have" Boruto explains, "You haven't had to endure what I've had to endure. This may look like the paradise you lived in but it isn't".

Kushina's voice practically a whisper, she raises her objection, "Sarada… Sarada would never leave Minato to die".

"That's why I exist, to make those hard decisions she can't" Boruto says as he takes a step towards his grandmother, "For the good of the hidden leaf, that is my duty, that is the duty of the shadow Hokage".

"My wife died in the hope of protecting this man" Hashirama's voice remains croaky as he looks from Boruto back to Minato, "I refuse to let her die for nothing".

"If we all die that's exactly what she will have done".

Hashirama pauses, "Sarada brought us here to save the people of this village".

"She didn't do it to protect herself but to protect the weak. This compassion is what binds all living creatures, it's what makes us what we are" Hashirama suggests, "Even if the village has to die to preserve it, I will preserve that compassion until the very end".

Boruto sighs, seeing as the 1st Hokage will not change his mind. "Very well" he says as he turns to leave, "On your head be it".

 **The Lake**

Hiruzen and Mira continue to train with one another, their goal the perfection of her hidden power.

"Keep calm…" Hiruzen instructs his granddaughter.

Mirai does her best to relax as she gathers her chakra into her two hands. In her left hand is the howling wind originating from the north and in her right hand is the blazing fire spoken of in legends. These two alone would be enough to make most shinobi quake in their boots, however, Mirai's goal is not to battle shinobi, no, her goal is to battle a Colonel. Her goal is to reach a level that only Uzumaki Naruto has reached previously.

"NOW".

As her grandfather commands her into action, Mirai pushes the two sources of energy together before expelling them into the air before her. Out from her hands comes one of the most beautiful attacks either has ever seen, a bright orange explosive flame.

Hiruzen chuckles lightly as he sees the attack form. In his life, he would have gone on to teach many people many things, however, none of them would have brought him the pride and delight that this has. Seeing this attack, this power he spoke of come to fruition is truly satisfying.

Mirai smiles widely as she comfortably controls the exploding flame before her. Despite its repeated explosion it does not disappear as she changes its shape. She forms it into the shape of a dog, a horse, a dragon, the exploding flame reacts exactly as she wills it.

"Old man, I can control this flame" she smiles, struggling to stop herself from laughing, "I can control this explosion".

"Mirai, your ability is so much more than that, you will come to realise that in the coming weeks".

Finally dissipating her flame, Mirai jogs over to the 3rd Hokage before embracing him in a tight hug.

He smiles as he reciprocates the hug, "Hey, what are you getting so emotional over?".

"I've never had the strength to protect the people I care about" she explains, "I've had to watch as they die for so long, I've retreated without making any progress at all".

"But then you came along from the past, you and grandma changed everything. Thank you so much".

Eventually letting go of Mirai, Hiruzen continues to smile knowingly, "Mirai, this strength is nothing yet".

"Nothing?" she chuckles, "This power is incredible".

"This power within you can do much more than just this" Hiruzen declares. A man who was revered for his knowledge of jutsu he is more than qualified to make this remark, after all, he proved everyone wrong, he brought out Mirai's special power, "We're going to bring your full power out, OK?".

"Yes".

"That was impressive" a voice startles the duo from nearby, Biwako is approaching, "Congratulations on controlling your power Mirai".

"Thank you Grandma".

"What is the news of Minato and Hashirama" Hiruzen asks, the smile finally dropping from his face as he thinks of his two fellow Hokage.

"Still nothing, we're stuck waiting for a miracle" Biwako answers.

The 3rd Hokage sighs, his exhalation lasting for a controlled five seconds, "Without them I'm not sure we can win this contest".

"I know" his wife nods, "Hiruzen, you should prepare to compete in the contest, if Minato dies we will need your help".

"I know…" he answers, "But Minato's potential is a lot greater than my own and if Lord 1st doesn't get any training done then…".

"Let's not talk in ifs" Mirai suggests.

She finishes her sentence in her own head.

' _Because if that comes to pass. Then we will all… die'_.


	27. Minato's Fate

**MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – MINATO'S FATE**

 **Outside the Medical Building**

If one were to look outside the medical building they would see the same three people who had been there for days now. First, laying on the ground, his eyes closed but his consciousness fully active is Namikaze Minato, he could easily be mistaken for a man asleep but he is not. If the poison is to reach his heart then he will die, to slow down the advance of this poison he is utilising nature chakra to its fullest.

Second is Senju Hashirama, the most proficient medial shinobi in the village, now or at any time in its history. He too is one of the few sages that the hidden leaf village has seen rise in its short but turbulent history, that is what qualifies him to be a Hokage, the legendary 1st Hokage. Together with Minato he pools nature chakra, slowing the advance of the poison as much as possible, not only does he do this but he uses standard medical jutsu to sooth Minato's pain at the same time, an impressive healing tandem that very few people could form.

Lastly is Uzumaki Kushina, Minato's wife who had travelled to the future with the 4th Hokage. She too is a great shinobi remembered fondly by all of her peers. Though, her formerly loud attitude is not reflected in her current state, she has fallen asleep. While Kushina is sleeping, it is evident she didn't want this, for she has fallen asleep while sitting upright, her clothes the same as the day she brought Minato here. Through her incredible willpower it has been these three who have remained here unmoving for days on end.

They are not alone for long though, a 4th person approaches. Her green robe and blonde hair help Hashirama to quickly identify her despite his tiredness. This woman is naturally the 5th Hokage, Senju Tsunade.

"Grandfather…" she says quietly, as if she has just entered a library

"Tsunade" he acknowledges her presence after a moments delay, "You've finally come to see me".

"Yeah".

This is the first time the two of them have spoken since the poisonous captain struck. The first time they have spoken since Tsunade learned of the tragedy that was her grandmother's death. Finally, they speak about it.

"I'm sorry" he begins, lifting his reddened eyes to look at his granddaughter, "I'm sorry that I couldn't protect your grandmother Tsunade".

Tsunade nods before looking over to the woman sat next to Hashirama. "She fell asleep?".

Hashirama then copies Tsunade, turning his head slowly to look at Kushina. "Yeah, she hasn't slept in days".

Hashirama points this out and emphasises his selflessness at the same time, not only has he also not slept for days but he has simultaneously had to focus on the treatment of Minato, something that the 4th Hokage himself has also had to focus on. Despite that, Hashirama does not blame Kushina at all, to stay awake this long, even with the aid of chakra is an incredible feat, perhaps only a Hokage could manage it.

"She must be worried" Tsunade walks over to Kushina before gently laying her on the ground and taking her place at Hashirama's side.

"Yeah…".

"Tsunade" the wood user begins, "Do you blame me, do you blame me for what happened".

"You're not to blame grandfather, nobody could have known what was going to happen". Tsunade offers these words in consolation to her grandfather, the man who would hold the position of Hokage long before herself. During her youth, she may not have had a full appreciation for just how incredible Senju Hashirama was. Still, when she was young Hashirama quite rightly appeared unbeatable to Tsunade, like a god who could not be touched, however, even with this appearance, she would never blame him if he failed.

Something few people understand about the Hokage is that they are still human.

She continues. "Even if you were to know what would happen you will still have had to remain here with Minato".

"Tsunade…".

"I heard that Boruto tried to stop you" she brings up a new line of conversation.

"He did" Hashirama answers.

It was something deeply distressing to him, even though he refused and possesses a near unwavering heart on these matters, this circumstance was special. Firstly, he had lost his wife, he could only question whether his mind was in the right place to make that call. Secondly, Boruto had endured the cruel realities of this world for far longer than he had, perhaps the shadow Hokage was more qualified to make those decisions. Lastly, and most importantly, Minato is Boruto's grandfather, to conclude that the former must die the latter must truly have removed all bias from his mind.

"Don't stop" Tsunade says, looking down at Minato, "She fought for his life".

Hearing that the 1st Hokage sighs gently, "Thank you Tsunade… I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from…"

"Lifted from…".

"Grandfather?".

As Tsunade questions the repetition she realises what is happening. The eyes of Hashirama that were open only a second ago are now closed. After days of tirelessly putting himself out, the only thing keeping Hashirama awake was the fear of what his granddaughter would say.

The vital 1st Hokage has fallen asleep.

"GRANDFATHER" Tsunade shouts as she takes his place and begins healing Minato. Immediately upon her jutsu contacting the chest of the 4th Hokage, her sense spread through his body, she realises how hopeless the situation is.

The poison is almost at Minato's heart and it is now advancing even quicker than before.

Waking up as a result of the noise, Kushina surveys her surroundings briefly. "T… Tsunade, what's going on?".

Panic begins to spread in Kushina's eyes as she gets up onto her knees and realises that Hashirama is no longer tending to Minato, he has been replaced by the frenzied Tsunade.

"My grandfather has fallen asleep" Tsunade shouts as she attempts to heal Minato.

"But he was using nature chakra" Kushina gasps, "He was the only one who could keep Minato alive".

"You have to wake him up Kushina". Tsunade's voice booms as loudly as possible even when speaking only to Kushina, in the hope that it will wake up the most important man for this whole process.

She punches him in the gut. "Lord 1st".

She slaps him across the face, "HASHIRAMA".

She uses a water jutsu do dowse his head in water. "WAKE UP".

Yet none of it works, no matter what she does, the 1st Hokage does not wake up. The state he has fallen into is deeper than sleep, it is almost as if he is unconscious.

"The poison… it's advancing on his heart… I can't stop it".

Realising the futility of her efforts Tsunade removes her hands from Minato's chest, the only one who could hold this off any longer is Hashirama and he cannot wake up.

Kushina takes hold of Minato's hands with her own. "Minato, you have to hold on, you have to live".

As she realises that her husband truly may be about to die tears begin to stream from the corners of her eyes.

"This was supposed to be our second chance to live".

"Kushina" Tsunade barely whispers the name, "I'm so sorry".

Despite the distress his wife is feeling Minato does not give up. He resolves that he will continue to circulate his nature chakra until the last second. He must survive, not for himself but for the hidden leaf, for the village that he vowed to detect.

Kushina rests her head against Minato's chest as she continues to cry, herself deciding that she would hold on to him until the very end, that even if he would continue to persevere in silence she would not allow him to persevere alone.

"I love you Minato" she says, "I love you so much".

Then, through her blurry eyes is the outline of the door to the medical building, though she feels that blur is obstructing something. Maybe it is her use of chakra that allows her to feel a presence, maybe it is her instinct or maybe it is the feeling that fate still has a role to play.

As her eyes, clear and she realises that she was correct she takes a deep breath.

Tsunade shares her shock. "You… you're here".

Kushina's tears finally stop. This whole thing has been a delaying act, hoping there was one way to save Minato, a miracle that the others spoke of. The source of that miracle has at long last arrived.

Kushina hold back her tears for a moment and manages to speak his name.

"Naruto…".

Yes, he is here. The man who they have all been waiting for, the one who had endured a life and death operation. The one who defeated a Colonel. Uzumaki Naruto is awake.

Naruto realised what the situation was the moment he woke up, so he wastes little time in walking over to Minato.

"Mom, please move".

Kushina immediately removes her head from Minato's chest and sits out of the way, wondering just what her son will do.

Naruto falls to one knee by his father's side. Assessing what is wrong with him before placing a hand on his chest.

Tsunade looks on, though nothing is happening as the 7th Hokage touches his father's chest, she can feel a strong chakra building up within him. The chakra isn't the thing that stands out to her though, no, there is another sense that is overwhelming her, her entire body tingles as she watches. This feeling is anticipation.

She watches the inside of his body using a medical jutsu Sakura detailed to her. As something amazing happens.

A blue chakra stems from Naruto's hand, immediately moving inside Minato's body and attacking the poison. She doesn't dare to believe as the slowly advancing poison suddenly changes direction.

The poison retreats.

With a deep gasp of air Minato sits upright. He opens his eyes for the first time in a week.

Kushina embraces Minato tightly as tears once more flow from her eyes.

Minato is saved.

"That's" Tsunade starts, not understanding just how Naruto had done what he had done, "That's a miracle".

"Sorry" the 7th Hokage smiles before looking at his exhausted parents. "Was I out for long?".

His mother gets to her feet, slowly approaching her son. She does not hug him though.

BAM!

She lands a solid firm punch to his upper arm. "Far too long you idiot".

"Hey that hurt you know" Naruto complains as he rubs the length of his arm, "I only got that recently and you're already breaking it".

Kushina changes her tone completely and now switches to tightly hugging her son. Holding him tight as if she would lose him if she let go. Hell, has turned to heaven in just a few moments for Uzumaki Kushina. When it looked like she would lose her husband and her son, they had both been saved. Whether this is fate, whether this is destiny, even if this is a gift from the devil, she doesn't care.

They still have their second chance together.

"Thank you" she says to him, "Thank you".

"Naruto" Minato speaks the first words he has spoken in days, "Thank you for saving my life".

"It's no problem old man, we're family right".

The 4th Hokage smiles, deciding that a thumbs-up is a suitable gesture to answer that. Whoever had raised Naruto in their place when they had died, he decided that he was truly grateful to them in that moment. Their son had become a fine shinobi, a fine man.

"I suggest we go and tell the others that the two of you are awake" Tsunade smiles, "It's a huge relief, I almost thought I was going to have to participate in your place".

Naruto's smile becomes a frown, "Lady Tsunade, dad won't be able to compete in the contest".

"What do you mean?".

"I wasn't able to completely remove the poison" he explains, "I just moved it away from his heart and his other vital areas. Unless we find a more permanent solution then I will have to move it away again every few months".

"At least we can wait for Mitsuki to find an antidote" Tsunade sighs, "Still he left to train with Kakashi".

"So he won't return in time" Minato notes, "I definitely won't be able to compete.

"You're alive, that's all that matters to me". That is the sentiment of his smiling wife, seldom did Kushina wear a smile comparable to today's.

"Sorry" Minato smiles, "Did I make you worry".

"Don't every do that again" she shakes her head.

Looking at his wife Minato chuckles, "I can assure you I will try not to".

 **Near the Hidden Leaf Camp**

This open grassland is the training area that Boruto and Sarada have been using, preparing the 7th Hokage for the tournament. Now that Sarada has unlocked the rinnegan she has achieved a power that only the 1st and 7th Hokages can compare to. She has become a big-time player in the upcoming contest. Truly, she is the one who the entire village placed their hopes on and she is doing her best to see that their hopes come to fruition.

Hinata approaches them with a smile on her face. "Boruto, Sarada".

Himawari arrives alongside her mother from the past, "Someone has come to see you".

That is when the man they have been waiting for arrives. The man of the hour, Uzumaki Naruto appears.

"Hey" he waves to them.

"DAD".

"Lord 7th… you're alive" Sarada beams.

Their reactions are of course delightful for Naruto to see. He is the 7th Hokage who became revered as the greatest Hokage to ever live, no, not only that, he became revered as the greatest shinobi to ever live. This is a man who took on everyone's hatred, who forgave everyone, who gave everyone a home to go back to.

"I'm alive and well" Naruto nods to Sarada.

Quickly the message spreads to the others from the past, who arrive in quick succession.

"You're awake Naruto" Hiruzen smiles as he arrives, "This is excellent".

"Tsunade's hard work really has paid off" Biwako smiles, understanding that the 5th Hokage had gone through a great deal of stress and personal torment to facilitate this revival. Indeed, Tsunade had facilitated more than a revival, instead this is a miracle.

"I told you that you could do it" Dan pats Tsunade on back encouragingly.

"Yeah" she smiles, "Thanks for believing in me".

The next to join the group is Kushina who is pushing Minato along in a wheelchair.

"We're here Naruto" she informs her son, gesturing to her behind where Hashirama is stood as well.

The bags under Hashirama's eyes are obvious for all to see and he is very unsteady on his feet but he explains swiftly why he has come.

"Not even a week without sleep could keep me away".

"You guys…" Naruto stammers.

"Lord 7th, we want to see it. This power of yours" explains Sarada. This is a power they have all lost sleep over, a power that belongs only to Uzumaki Naruto, "The power of the six paths".

"I didn't put you through that operation for nothing, did I?" Tsunade asks.

Mirai who tagged along with her grandparents speaks of her impatience too. "We're all waiting Lord 7th".

Himawari pushes Naruto gently in the back, "Go for it dad".

Smiling, Naruto thinks to himself, _'Well, who am I to deny their request'_.

"Very well then". He separates himself from the others, walking about ten paces and ten meters away so that they can all see him and so that he is confident they are all safe.

Naruto closes his eyes and allows the nature chakra to gather towards him. Hashirama who is the most competent user of nature chakra notices the rate at which the chakra moves, the distance from which it is being sourced.

The 7th Hokage's close begin to change colour, switching to an even brighter shade of orange than normal. One after another, six jet black balls of chakra begin to form behind him, Hinata recognises these from the 4th great shinobi war as the truth-seeking orbs. Then, as the last orb finishes forming it happens.

An unending chakra pours from Naruto's body.

Boruto begins to chuckle merrily, not even he has seen Naruto use this power before. It is truly on another level. This merry reaction is the catalyst for others to do the same, what starts as laughter eventually spreads to cheers, the reaction more exaggerated the longer time went on. This is the 7th Hokage's true power.

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

Here in the HQ, General Clyde stands at the head of a group of six, preparing for the captained six challenge. Within this group of six is Peterson, the man who would have defeated Hashirama if not for Naruto. Also, Sheer is at this place, the woman whom experimented on Sasuke, only to release him to fight against his own daughter. Lastly, Martin is here, the coward who sent a captain to kill Mito and almost kill Minato.

Despite their fearsome reputation though, Peterson and the other 5 colonels all turn their wide-eyed heads towards east as they feel a strange sensation.

"What the hell is this?" Martin asks as he trembles slightly.

"They've been hiding their true expert until now it seems" Sheer notes as her gaze comes back to Clyde.

"General, I've felt this chakra before" Peterson recalls. That time was a harrowing experience for him, this is the same chakra that was used to defeat him. HIM. He was defeated by a man who merely used chakra and now that chakra had gotten even stronger.

"Yes" Clyde sighs, realising this is bad for his team, "It's that man… he's preparing to fight me".

 **Near the Hidden Leaf Camp**

Naruto smiles as he finally drops out of six paths mode. He looks left and right to the jubilant faces that have amassed before him.

"There are two weeks left, right?".

"Yeah" Sarada nods.

"Let's train like there's no tomorrow" Naruto clenches his fist tightly, "And when the contest arrives, let's beat them so bad they never come back again".

This day has been a terrible day for the invading forces.

This day has been a great day for the people of the hidden leaf village.

Uzumaki Naruto, is back.


	28. Preperation

**MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – PREPERATION**

 **A Clearing, Near the Hidden Leaf Camp**

The clearing in the trees is narrow but flat, the ground mostly dirt with occasional patches of grass. It is well concealed and has a good amount of space, this can be said to be the perfect space for a shinobi to train. Not just any shinobi is training here though, the shinobi in question is Uzumaki Naruto, the 7th Hokage.

' _I need to improve in my base form'_ he concludes to himself, _'If I get twice as strong in that form, then I will be one hundred times stronger in six paths mode'_.

This may be exaggeration but the basic principle is sound. If Naruto were to double his strength in six paths mode, his max power would be double what it was previously. However, if Naruto were to double his strength in his base form that power increase would be multiplied as he used six paths mode. The pattern isn't linear, still, nature chakra will have that effect on Naruto, truly this is the most effective way to train.

This is not all though, for miles around Naruto can be seen doing the same thing. He uses clones, this is the method of training that only Naruto can use, training with shadow clones. This is a training method invented by the 6th Hokage, by Naruto training his mind in one thousand places at once he can improve one thousand times faster, it's an experience gaining method, a practice farming technique.

In each clearing Naruto jumps around, throwing kicks and punches with enough speed to make the air whistle. He dances with an invisible partner, a technique similar to that of shadow boxing. It is a process by which he fights an imaginary opponent, someone whose moves you can see in your mind, that you can learn to counter. This is not easy though, for his opponent is not someone he has seen fight before. He is judging the fighting style of General Clyde purely based off the man's mannerisms.

"Naruto" a woman's voice sounds from his rear.

Naruto throws one final punch as hard as he can into the space before him, a whistle coming along with his fist. _'Through good chakra control you can make your punches truly incredible. I'm not up to the level of Tsunade and Sakura yet, I have to keep working'_.

The blonde shinobi smiles at his fist for a few seconds before looking towards his visitor. "Hey Hinata, how are you?".

"I'm OK" she replies with a smile. For all the difficulties Hinata has endured recently, to be unable to stop all the suffering around her, to see Naruto happily training is a blissful sight.

"A lot happened while you were gone" she continues, "A lot happened with your parents, with Mito and with Boruto".

Indeed, during the time Naruto was asleep it was a landslide of bad news, no good came of it. His father had been critically injured; his son had suggested leaving his father to die and Uzumaki Mito had died trying to help Minato by getting a cure. All of this had been caused by the enemy.

While these tragedies all appear to have stem from a single man the truth is far more grizzly. This was all a premeditated plan by Colonel Martin. A man who the Hokages of the hidden leaf village are destined to meet one day very soon.

"Yeah" Naruto frowns, "I gathered that this has been a tough time for the Uzumaki clan".

Hinata lowers her eyes to look at her feet, not daring to look him in the eye. In the back of her mind she feels slightly guilty that she could not do anything while Naruto was away. "It has…".

"But, I think you are going to turn it all around" she looks back at the man who she would have married and smiles.

"Of course I will" Naruto asserts as his speech quickens, "I'm going to beat that general and all of the others too".

"I'll make them think twice before they take on a shinobi again" his fist tightens as he thinks back to the suffering son described to him, "I will never give up, that's still my ninja way".

Hinata gazes at Naruto contentedly. It is truly refreshing in this world of suffering and despair to hear someone talk so positively. _'That is Naruto's power'_ she decides, _'No matter how bad the situation, no matter how dangerous it is he just keeps walking forward. That determination, his ability to make you smile, to inspire you no matter how bad things get, that is true strength'_.

"That's what I like to hear" a man's croaky voice comes from behind Hinata. The sounds of his voice oust this newcomer as being very aged. Regardless, the owner of this voice has a presence to him, an air of confidence.

Walking out ahead of a group of followers comes the owner of that voice, an old friend of Naruto's.

Nara Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru, is that you?" Naruto smiles as he looks at the old man before him. "Choji, Ino, Kiba and Akamaru, Shino, Tenten, is that really you guys?".

Smiling, Shikamaru confirms it. "It's us Naruto".

Despite his apparent calmness this is an emotional moment for Shikamaru and the others. Ever since the Naruto of this time died they had felt like hope was all but gone. Of course, there was Sarada, Boruto and Mitsuki but they didn't have the same ability as Naruto. An ability described perfectly by Hinata a moment ago, an ability to inspire people. Naruto is the sun who burns so brightly that he is able to pierce through the clouds, something unique throughout all of history.

"Wow" Naruto says, looking rapidly between his friends, "How do I say this, you all look kind of old".

"Come on now, that's not very good manners" Shikamaru places his hand out before him, his voice echoing his sarcastic remark. _'Of course we look old, we're from the future Naruto, even your own children are older than you'_.

"Sorry, sorry, it's kind of overwhelming to see you like this" Naruto holds his hands out before him as he worries about offending his friends who have aged for so long without him, "I'm really glad you're all still alive… is Lee…".

"He died taking on a Colonel" Tenten explains while looking at her own feet, "Nobody ever came so close to defeating one as Lee but… even with the 8 gates he couldn't do it, that Colonel outlasted him".

Kiba places a consoling hand on Tenten's shoulder, "Lee died a hero and we intend to honour his sacrifice".

Shino steps forward with his hands buried in the deep pockets of his beige jacket. "That's why we are here Naruto".

"Why you are here" Naruto starts, "Why is that?".

"We are all going to train you" Ino smiles knowingly, as if relishing the prospect of putting Naruto through a torturous practice regime.

"You guys are going to train me" Naruto's surprise is conveyed by a rise in the pitch of his voice.

"Whether it was you or Sasuke, Konohamaru or Lee, we have been forced to watch so many of our friends die" Shikamaru sighs as he thinks back to their deaths. Naruto and Sasuke died fighting a general. Lee died fighting against a colonel. Konohamaru died holding back the enemy while they fled the village.

"It's a hopeless situation" Choji frowns, "We haven't really had any chance to make a difference".

"This is our opportunity Naruto" explains Tenten, "We are old now, just like you say, we are retired but we understand you better than anyone. It's our job to forge you into the perfect blade".

Kiba continues, "It's your job to strike the enemy straight through the heart".

Naruto looks from face to face, determination steely on each and every one. These people have all been stuck in hell and now a battering ram has been summoned to the gates. They will all grab that battering ram and push.

"Well if you guys think you know what you are doing then I will do whatever you ask of me" the 7th Hokage smiles.

"Well then" Shikamaru joins his old friend in smiling before looking to Choji, "Let's begin shall we".

The ever-hungry shinobi steps forward, "Every fighter must start with a solid foundation of strength and speed".

"Prepare yourself, I'm about to put you through the toughest physical training of your life".

 **The Day Before the Contest, The Open Grassland, Near the Hidden Leaf Camp**

The contest is tomorrow and everyone can feel the tension in the air.

One day left, it is do or die now.

A repeated sound, bang, bang, bang. That is the sound that echoes along the grassy plains that Sarada has spent her time in. Here she trains, preparing herself for the upcoming contest, a contest for earth.

The sounds of collision stem from her defence against Boruto, her training partner. Boruto's attacks consist, as usual, of a barrage of rasengan. Each rasengan has undergone the transformation from a kunai into the rotating blue ball of chakra. Sarada counters this by covering her fist in the energy of the sun, an attack she unlocked with the rinnegan and punching the rasengan.

Sarada has taken to calling this punch the 'solar punch'.

Running low on kunai, Boruto moves to change his offensive, he ceases the ranged attack and dashes towards Sarada before throwing a volley of punches and kicks towards her. This sort of thing is child's play to the 9th Hokage though, she is easily capable, with the help of her visual prowess, of defending against Boruto.

Naruto's son switches up his assault once again, this time activating his byakugan as he targets Sarada's chakra points. Carefully placed strikes flow repeatedly, still, none of them reach their target, Sarada blocks them all seamlessly.

Boruto stops attacking, they had agreed that Sarada would not attack him in this drill and would simply defend, this is defensive training.

"Good work, it's time to go back to endurance training" the shadow Hokage instructs his Hokage, "Use the Susano, maintain it for as long as you can".

A yellow Susano begins to form around Sarada, the speed with which it forms is much quicker than before, though Boruto notices that is not the only thing that has changed. Sarada looked so pained when she used the Susano in the past, though as her visual prowess improved this transformation became increasingly easy for her. Her development is something he cannot compare to.

"Boruto…".

"What is it?".

"About what you said to Hashirama" Sarada looks her teammate in the eyes, "That he should give up on your grandfather".

Boruto sighs, his black jacket swaying in the breeze as he momentarily closes his eyes. "So my mother told you about that then?".

"I'm worried Boruto. I know this war has taught us to make sacrifices but that sort of thing is what we are fighting against". This difference in philosophy is one that Sasuke warned Sarada about, not dissimilar to the differences between Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo.

"It was the right decision at the time" Boruto raises a palm as if holding an invisible object to show off, "Of course I didn't want to do it personally but I can't afford to have that bias at a time like this".

"Your father never believed in giving up" the Hokage recalls, "He maintained his attitude until the moment he died".

"But he died didn't he!" Boruto shouts.

A frosty silence descends as the shinobi brings up this event.

That was a dark day in the lives of each shinobi. On that day Boruto had lost his father, as well as the man he aspired to be like. In much the same vein, Sarada lost her father day, as well as that, she too lost the man she aspired to be like. Two parents lost, two inspirations lost, the people who had defined what they would become had died to this unstoppable enemy.

"He failed to protect the village, he left it to us instead" Boruto explains.

"Entrusting to the future generations, that is part of being a shinobi" Sasuke's daughter retorts. It is something that her father had done, that he had learned from his life, his battles with Naruto. And importantly to her, this is a lesson to be learnt from the Uchiha clan's ancestor, from Uchiha Madara.

"I know" Boruto sighs, "But, did it not show that we need to be clever about how we do things. I made the wrong call this time but next time it could well be the right decision".

Sarada hesitates, "If we were to become so empty, so devoid of emotion, would it be worth surviving at all?".

"I don't know" he responds, "Is it even possible to know before seeing what we would become".

"I would rather not take the chance".

"Most people would seem to agree with you" Boruto shrugs his shoulders, "I guess it's a good thing that you are the Hokage and not me".

In his head Boruto continues, _'There is a big difference Sarada, with my solution we would survive. Only one person would need to change, is one bad person enough to change an entire population?'._

Suddenly a strong pain grips Boruto, he reaches for his gut as he does his best to stop from keeling over.

"Boruto, are you OK?" Sarada leans forward in concern, it's not often that Boruto can be seen in such pain, even more seldom that he shows it.

"I'm feeling slightly unwell" he waves his hand as he speaks calmly, "Continue with your endurance training, I will be back shortly".

Boruto runs towards the nearby forest, looking for some cover to hide in. He weaves through the grass with a clumsiness not becoming of a shinobi, not once letting go of his gut as his teeth can almost be heard grinding together. Sarada quickly comes to the conclusion that the pain he is feeling must be immense.

' _Boruto… what's wrong with you?'_.

 **In the Forest**

As Boruto finds a spot where he is convinced he is out of Sarada's sight he finally flops down against a tree. He resists the temptation to scream in agony as the familiar sensation crawls up on once again. It is that energy, it is leaving his body once again.

This time it is a grey coloured gas, it floods from his body before slowly diffusing into the air. Its current similar to that of a river, it flows and as the rate of flow decreases, so does the pain that Boruto feels. Finally, the substance stops leaking from his body, his pain ceases to be and his composure returns to him.

He takes a few moments to collect himself before getting to his feet and heading back towards Sarada.

As he gets to the edge of the forest, he is confronted by a woman.

It is his grandmother, Kushina.

"Grandmother…" he says, lowering his head slightly out of guilt.

"Your grandfather would like to see you" she frowns, as if talking to a child who was in a lot of trouble.

"I understand" Boruto nods, "I have to help Sarada with her training right now, would the end of the day be OK".

"I suppose so" Kushina gives the non-committal answer, "See you then".

As Boruto watches his grandmother walk away his guilt builds up inside him. It pours into him like water into a glass, it reaches the top, it overflows. His guilt beckons to him, at last it forces him to act.

"Grandmother" he calls.

She turns her head without her body following, "Yeah".

"I'm sorry for what I did, for what I said".

A smile comes to the face of Uzumaki Kushina, a smile that transmits happiness straight to Boruto's heart, "Well I guess that's a start. Perhaps you can finish at the end of the day".

 **Atop the Lake, Near the Hidden Leaf Camp**

The tension is also thick in the air over the lake which Mirai and Hiruzen have adopted as their training ground. The motivation for choosing this lake centres around chakra control. Hiruzen decided that dividing Mirai's attention between walking on the lake and mastering her power would allow her to more easily manipulate that power come the contest.

Mirai gathers chakra in her hands, it forms a mysterious pale blue colour as she strains herself to control it.

Stood with Mirai at this moment is the monkey-king Enma. "That's it Mirai, show me just what Hiruzen's granddaughter can do".

In response to the provocation from the monkey-king, Mirai's chakra only becomes more frenzied, her breathing more erratic as the chakra flow increases. It's a monstrous chakra, the sort of chakra that would have made her a legend if she had unlocked it prior to the war. This power is truly worthy of a Hokage.

"Honestly" Biwako shakes her head as she watches from afar with her husband.

"What is wrong Biwako?" he asks.

"You're always experimenting with jutsu, working on your own strength or the villages" the medical shinobi begins, "And now you have turned our granddaughter into some sort of monster as well".

The 3rd Hokage chuckles deeply, "You're impressed, I can tell".

"I am actually" Biwako affirms despite her husband's sarcasm.

As Hiruzen turns to look at Biwako his wife continues, "I've been married to you for years, I've watched you develop as the Hokage for even longer. You've done so much to protect the village and yet…".

"Yet…".

"I've never felt so proud of you as I do now, Hiruzen".

"I love you" Hiruzen responds as he hugs Biwako tightly to his chest.

"I love you too" she replies, gripping hold of her husband tightly.

The thought goes through their minds that perhaps this is their last chance to be happy together. If tomorrow is a disaster, they will all die. That will be the end of it, their chance to start a new life in the future will have gone to waste.

 **The Nearby Mountain Range**

From space to space, Tobirama teleports with a speed much greater than he could manage before. His speed now approaches the level of the 4th Hokage. While Senju Tobirama is the creator of the flying thunder god jutsu, Namikaze Minato could be said to be the master of it. The true user. Despite that, this period of training has paid of greatly for Tobirama, his strength rising to a level higher than it would have ever reached had he stayed in the past.

"This is much easier than it used to be…" Tobirama notes, "Still that alone won't be enough to take on a colonel, not even my brother could defeat one of them last time I saw him".

Tobirama sits down cross legged as he gazes over the mountains which have been his home recently. "I will have to use my brains… and…".

"My trump card".

 **A Barren Wasteland**

This barren wasteland has also been the centre for a Hokage's training in recent weeks. This wasteland littered with the skeletal remains of animals does not appear to be fit for humans. It would take a specialist shinobi just to survive here long term, never mind to train here. However, this man was no ordinary shinobi and he had no ordinary company. The occupants of this wasteland have been Hatake Kakashi and his sparring partner Mitsuki.

"I won't be able to win, not like this" Kakashi sighs as he walks alongside Mitsuki.

"Calm down Lord 6th" Mitsuki urges. Mitsuki had spent a period of his youth under the protection of the 6th Hokage, Hatake Kakashi, that was the safest period of his life. Naturally, Orochimaru's son has a great deal of respect for the son of the white-fang.

In spite of his familiarity with Kakashi, Mitsuki has never seen him so panicked as he is right now, "Even if you lose there is always the other Hokage".

"Is there?" Kakashi asks, his eyes turning to his junior, "Naruto wasn't in very good condition when we left".

"Lord 7th always gets up" Mitsuki confidently states. Naruto was the man who had been the Hokage for the majority of Mitsuki's life, a man who became revered as the greatest shinobi the village had ever produced. To that end, if he didn't trust Naruto, whom could he possibly trust.

Kakashi realises he is being hysterical, he takes a deep breath to calm himself. "You're right of course".

"We've done everything we can" Mitsuki smiles, "There is no guarantee that you will lose anyway".

Tightening his fist Kakashi resolves himself, more determined than he has ever been. "Of course not".

"I have every intention of winning".

 **Naruto's Clearing, Near the Hidden Leaf Camp**

The sun slowly closes on the horizon lighting up the surroundings with an orange tinge. Naruto has been through a brutal training regime, learning more about his own capabilities than ever had before. He has pushed his strength, his speed, his stamina to whole new levels, still that is not enough.

To the end of getting one last improvement, he trains late today. As the time passes his friends wish him luck and leave only he and the man training him in the clearing. Naruto and Shikamaru remain there, alone.

"The threat won't end here Naruto" Shikamaru suggests, watching his friend try to collect energy, "There is only one way you can fight against their power".

"I know" Naruto states before he once again gives up on his attempt, "Still, I've only done it a few times by mistake, the contest is tomorrow. There is no way I will grasp it in time".

"It doesn't matter" the laid-back elderly gentlemen smiles, "You can stop now, it will come to you tomorrow. Trust me".

"How can you be so sure in me?" the 7th Hokage asks.

"Have confidence Naruto, because you've shown us time and time again that you are worth believing in".

"Yeah" Naruto starts to nod his head, "Yeah, I'll believe in myself. I'll trust in your belief that I can do this".

"The entire village can't be wrong" Shikamaru shrugs, "They are all confident you will win. They can't believe that their Lord 7th, their Naruto would lose".

"Just relax, you are going to save us" he finishes.

"Yeah… you're right".

"I am ready".

Thus, comes an end to the training of Uzumaki Naruto.

Whether he is ready or not it is too late now.

The contest will arrive tomorrow and the fate of the hidden leaf village will be decided. Fate has already determined it, whether they will live, or whether they will die.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi Everyone.

This is the second to last chapter in part 2, so please bare in mind that I will have a period of inactivity while I plan part 3.

If you have five minutes please give KorrieChan's 'A Changing Vision Of The Future' a read. It is a nicely written story based around a good premise, so give it a go if you are able.

As always I would like to thank you for reading and for all the lovely things you have been saying. It really does make it feel worthwhile writing this story.

Thanks for reading,

Me


	29. The Final Day

**MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – THE FINAL DAY**

 **A Forest, Near the Hidden Leaf Camp**

It's the night before the contest. Nobody is training anymore, their fate can no longer be changed, either they are strong enough to win or they are too weak to survive. It has been a hard month for the villagers of the hidden leaf, what was supposed to be a reprieve from the constant attacks of the invading forces had instead become a cascade of difficulties and challenges. To even make it to the contest has been a challenge for some, for Minato it has become an impossibility.

As Uchiha Sarada lays with her back against the branch of a sturdy tree she gazes up into the night sky, contemplating the last month. _'It really has proven Boruto's words to that Captain right. Welcome to despair, welcome to our world'_. Suddenly though she begins to smile, _'No, the summoning worked, Lord 7_ _th_ _has come. We have no reason to despair any longer because he will save us'_.

It's a perfectly clear night, something very pleasing to the 9th Hokage who would often gaze up at it in her youth. The moon is as big as her hand in front of her face as she looks upon it. This is the moon created by the sage of the six paths, inhabited by his brother and then by his descendants for many years after him. The moon is not only a thing of true beauty but a location rich with history.

"Hey" an unenthusiastic voice calls to Sarada.

The 9th Hokage lowers her eyes from the moon, instead directing them to her side. Sat on the branch next to her is a man clad in deep red armour. She of course recognises him instantly as her oldest predecessor, Senju Hashirama.

"Lord 1st…" she stammers before remembering their promise to address one another on a first name basis. "Sorry, I mean Hashirama. You're back".

"Yeah" he nods, no more cheerily than before. It is clear to Sarada that he is still suffering from the effects of Mito's death. It's hard to blame the 1st Hokage, after all, he had been thrust into the future alongside his wife only for her to die very quickly upon getting here. Mito was destined to live a long life in the past, that has been taken from her.

"Where did you go for so long" Sarada asks, noting that Hashirama had been missing since Naruto's six paths power had awakened. "You had us worried".

"I went to train" he answers honestly, "I had to prepare myself somewhere where I could concentrate, where I could be away from things".

Sarada does her best to smile at Hashirama, though she struggles to do so. In her heart, she had hoped that during his time away, Hashirama might have calmed down, may have started smiling once again and dreaming of a better future. Of course, this is not the case, the 1st Hokage is not smiling and though she cannot tell what he is thinking she can tell what he is not thinking. He is not thinking of a better tomorrow; he is thinking about the pain of yesterday.

"I understand" she eventually offers to him, "It must have been hard for you. I thrust you into the future to deal with a huge problem and you didn't deserve that".

"It's fine" Hashirama offers, his eyes fixed on his raised feet, "I'm a Hokage after all, this is part of my job".

"I guess it is".

An awkward silence begins between the duo. Hashirama is in a terrible position, he doesn't say anything because he doesn't want to say anything, he doesn't have anything he can say to alleviate his pain. His loss is the pain which he wishes would end. Sarada has also lost loved ones since the time-based summoning, however, she has not let it get to her in the same way as Hashirama.

' _Is this really the 1_ _st_ _Hokage'_ Sarada asks herself, _'I was always told he was just like Lord 7_ _th_ _… but Lord 7_ _th_ _wouldn't let this stop him, he would come back stronger and even more lively than ever before'_.

The wood-style user suddenly speaks, breaking her from her thoughts, "When I came back I saw you and Boruto arguing".

The last Uchiha lowers her head, "Oh, you saw that did you" she questions.

Her divisions with Boruto are a great shame to her. The two of them have forged a strong bond over many years spent around one another, years where they had nobody else who could understand the pressure and expectation placed upon them. Even Himawari, Naruto's second child didn't have to endure the same pressure, being deemed more like Hinata than Naruto.

Along with that they understood one another's suffering, the absence of their parents. When they were young Naruto and Sasuke both came to understand the difficulty of not having parents, they suffered at the hand of fate. More than that happened though, they learnt that regardless of how you end up in that situation, no matter how a bond is stripped from you it hurts. That same understanding passed onto their children, that understanding passed onto Sarada and Boruto.

"You should cut him some slack" Hashirama suggests.

Sarada turns to look at Hashirama once again, as if to verify he had just said the words that she had heard.

"He was thinking with a clear head" the Senju clansmen raises a hand into the air beside him, "That's something the rest of us refused to do".

"Hashirama…".

"This is a battle for survival, that is a battle that can be won with our brains but not with our hearts".

Sarada lowers her eyes to the ground beneath her. Images pass through her mind, the lessons of the past. Lessons of the way people lived, of Madara, Tobirama, Danzo and Orochimaru. Then lastly of her father. These people have all been taught to be wrong in history yet they operated with their brains. One man had not acted according to brains but always according to heart, only one man had always done his best to do what he believed was right. Uzumaki Naruto was that man. It was Naruto, not Sasuke, who has gone down in history as the greatest hidden leaf shinobi.

"Forgive me Lord 1st" Sarada frowns to her predecessor, "But that is something I cannot agree with".

"That's good" Hashirama smiles, "It's people with good hearts like you that Boruto wants to protect".

"…".

"Perhaps Boruto believes that as long as you survive then the goodness in our hearts will live on too" Hashirama continues.

Sighing, Sarada finally sees where the 1st is coming from, "Maybe I was too harsh on him".

"It's at times like these where we need those we love more than ever".

"Those we love" Sarada repeats before going a deep shade of red.

Hashirama sits up, turning his head to face his 8th successor. "Are you and Boruto not…".

"No" she snaps quickly, "No, we are just friends".

"I see" Hashirama's head returns to its resting place as his blasé attitude comes back to him, "I was mistaken about that then but there are some things I am certain of".

"You have to survive this contest Sarada because if you die, his hopes and dreams may die with you".

The 1st Hokage finally rolls himself off the branch he is sitting on, plummeting to the floor below. Placing his hands into his pockets and beginning a long, slow stroll back towards the village.

"Hashirama".

The long-haired man turns to look at Sarada once more.

"The hidden leaf village was a dream. Dreamt of by two young children, one of those was my ancestor and the other one was you".

"I know you may be tempted to give into despair but you have to keep fighting".

"If not for your dream… then for his".

A small smiles creeps onto the face of the former 'young child'. "Don't worry Sarada, I have no intention of letting the village die".

 **Hanabi's Hut, The Hidden Leaf Camp**

A temporary residence created by Hashirama, this is the 'house' registered to Hyuuga Hanabi. Of course, that means another member of the Hyuuga clan is resting here temporarily. Hyuuga Hinata has decided to spend as much time as possible with Hanabi given that the other members of her family are busy.

As she thinks to the other members of her family, a knock comes at the door.

Hanabi stands up from her seat at the table to answer it.

"Naruto" she smiles, "It's so good to see you are doing well".

"Thanks Hanabi" Naruto smiles in return while scratching the back of his head.

His expression quickly turns more serious though, "If you don't mind me asking… about Konohamaru, have you…".

Nodding, Naruto's sister-in-law replies, "I buried Konohamaru. A lot of the villagers have been to pay their respects to him".

Despite the chaos that has ensued since the Hokage of the pass came to the present, many villagers have that man, Sarutobi Konohamaru in the forefront of their mind. If Konohamaru and Sai had not given their lives to hold back the forces of the enemy, they would not be here right now. The odds are that the enemy would have pursued them and that Sarada would not have been able to hold them off for long. Indeed, they would likely be dead.

"Good" Naruto nods briefly, "I will go to him after the contest, I'll go and tell him how his bravery saved us".

Hanabi has seen what Naruto and Hinata have not, she has seen years of the 7th Hokage's reign and how the people of the hidden leaf village adore him. To hear him say these words brings a smile to her face, "Thank you Naruto".

They share a smile before Naruto changes the subject, "Is Hinata here?".

Hanabi gestures Naruto to sit at the table. A near featureless hut with only a table and a few sheets inside, it cannot be described as luxury but it can be described as homely. Naruto follows Hanabi's gesture and sits opposite Hinata.

"I'm going to go and get some fresh air" the elderly Hyuuga smiles as she leaves her sister alone with her future husband.

"Do you feel ready for tomorrow?" Hinata asks.

"Yeah" Naruto nods confidently, "Are you coming with the others to watch the action".

"I wouldn't miss it" she answers, "We've put enough work into preparing you".

"Thank you for all your hard work" Naruto bows as he slaps his hands together".

"Not a problem".

For a while they discuss what they have been doing and the progress of Naruto's training. According to the man himself, he has reached a level even higher than when he fought Kaguya. Despite the absence of the tailed beasts, his physical training, his comprehension of chakra, his senses, all these things have been improved upon many times.

Then Naruto, brings up something else.

"I was walking through the village… well the camp, I met an old friend. It was Ayame".

"Ayame's still alive" Hinata smiles brightly.

"Yeah" Naruto nods, "Though her father died a few years ago. It was natural causes".

"At least it was peaceful" the Hyuuga clanswomen sighs.

"Anyway, I spoke to Ayame and she said she can still make some great ramen". Naruto loses himself in the past for a moment, thinking of all his favourite ramen dishes and how it felt like so long since he had eaten any. He had been through jinchuriki training, the 4th great shinobi war and now this invasion in the future and hadn't had any ramen along the way.

"I was wondering" Naruto begins, his eyes darting nervously around the room, "After the contest, if we survive uh… would you like to get some ramen together".

Hinata smiles brightly and nods. "I would love to Naruto".

"Great" the 7th Hokage smiles in return, "I'll pay of course… somehow… with uh… I'll earn some money".

"I'm sure you will find a way" Hinata giggles as she witnesses Naruto's spiralling confusion.

Hinata walks Naruto the door and they exchange quick goodbyes. The blonde shinobi is reluctant to part though, looking into Hinata's eyes he sees concern. It begins to dawn on him that he may never get to eat ramen with her. He may never get to know his children, everyone in this new world that he loves and that he cares about, they may well all die tomorrow.

Eventually, Naruto decides against going and hugs Hinata tightly.

"Good luck Naruto" she whispers in his ear.

"Thank you".

 **Minato and Kushina's Hut, The Hidden Leaf Camp**

A knock comes on the door. Just as agreed earlier in the day.

Kushina answers the door to see a boy with smooth blonde hair. Hair that is very familiar to her, a shade that has passed down from Minato, to Naruto and finally to this man. Though he is similar in age to her he is in fact her grandson from the future, Uzumaki Boruto.

"Hello Boruto" she nods to him, "Please come in".

"How is he" Boruto asks as he enters. Boruto is of course referring to his grandfather who had endured an attack from a captain wielding a poisonous blade. A poison so deadly that no medical shinobi in the village can cure it.

"Come and see for yourself" Kushina replies as she walks Boruto over to Minato's bed. Despite her civil attitude she still holds a degree of resentment towards Boruto in her heart. They may be related by blood and share a clan name but they are from different times. And the latter is a man who suggested leaving her husband to die.

Minato grunts in pain as the poison once again acts to hurt him. "Hello Boruto".

"Hi grandfather" he smiles to the 4th Hokage.

There is an irony in that if Boruto was the 9th Hokage, his order may well have ended Minato's life. However, the reason Boruto decided against becoming the Hokage is that his father and grandfather had already become the Hokage, it was too boring a path to walk for him. By making that path boring, Minato saved his own life.

"Kushina, could you give the two of us a moment alone?".

"Of course" the red-headed grandmother nods, "I'll be just outside if you need anything".

The grandson and grandfather keep their eyes fixed on one another as they wait for the sound of the door closing.

Finally, the door closes. "Boruto…" Minato starts.

"I'm sorry" the 'shadow Hokage' cuts his grandfather off.

"I'm really sorry for what I did. I didn't want you to die but I… but I…"

"I did what I thought was best for the leaf's survival. I did what I thought was best to protect the will of fire".

"I wanted so badly for the village to survive and I…".

Minato chuckles lightly, interrupting Boruto's rambling. "It's fine he says".

Boruto starts at his grandfather's reaction. But a few weeks ago, Boruto himself had called for his death, for the 1st Hokage to give up on saving Minato's life and instead focus on training for the tournament. That had proven to be the wrong call and yet Minato isn't angry about it at all.

"We all act in different ways and it's our combined thinking that brings us to the best result" Minato smiles, "Now, more than ever before, we have to work together".

"Don't feel guilty for having a different point of view Boruto, that is what is necessary to make a sensible decision".

Boruto clenches his fist, trying his best to avoid tearing up. "Thank you, gramps".

"I've been talking with Hiruzen" the 4th Hokage explains in a sudden change of subject, "We've talked about my vacant spot in the contest".

"He's willing to compete right" Boruto goes wide as he gets to his feet.

The thought of Hiruzen refusing to compete is absolutely horrifying at this point. In everyone's mind, the 3rd Hokage's participation is the only thing that can save them now, the last truly strong shinobi amongst a group who couldn't quite reach the level above Kage.

"He is" Minato nods, "But we've discussed an even better option".

"Boruto, I want you to take my place".

"Me" Boruto's entire body loosens up as he stares at his grandfather in surprise, "But, I'm not a Hokage".

"Neither is Mirai" the yellow flash smiles.

"I've been making these controversial remarks though" Boruto continues, "I've been stepping on toes".

"I just told you" Minato adopts a faux-irritated tone, "It is important for somebody to do what you have done".

"I'm not as strong as Lord 3rd".

"The mark of a shinobi is not how many jutsu he knows. The mark of a shinobi is how much he has had to endure". The 4th Hokage echoes the words of his sensei, of the toad sage of the legendary sannin, Jariya.

"Boruto" he continues, "Your grandmother and I, we believe in you, your parents do to".

"Gramps…".

"Please do it for me" Minato asks as he grabs Boruto's black jacket sleeve, "Protect my village… protect my dreams".

Boruto continues to gaze at his grandfather in disbelief. Hiruzen, Tsunade, Dan, his grandmother, he considers these people all of whom would be just as qualified to compete in the contest. Yet his grandfather, the man whom he tried to condemn to death, is begging him to compete in this contest, to take on the odds, to fight so many levels above himself and to win.

Sighing he responds. "OK, I'll compete for you".

"I'll protect the village".

The night before the contest begins, the final team is finally ready to face the invading forces.

Senju Hashirama, the 1st Hokage who had lost a loved one to them.

Senju Tobirama, the 2nd Hokage who had been unable to protect those he cared about.

Hatake Kakashi, the 6th Hokage who deeply resented his inability to fight with his comrades.

Uzumaki Naruto, the legendary 7th Hokage, who had risked his life to obtain his power of old.

Uchiha Sarada, the 9th Hokage who had lost both her parents to unlock the power of her rinnegan.

Sarutobi Mirai, the woman who had watched for years unable to save her dying friends, finally unlocked her hidden powers.

Lastly, Uzumaki Boruto. The man who nearly condemned his grandfather to death, only to take his place at the last minute.

As the sun rises on the fateful day the moth of tribulations draws to a close. Against all the odds, the shinobi of the hidden leaf emerge from that month stronger than they went in.

In this moth has the impossible become possible?

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi All,

That concludes part 2 of to the future, Making the Impossible Possible.

I will of course do my best to plan out part 3 and return to writing it as quickly as possible.

I hope you have enjoyed the story so far and will return to reading it when I bring you part 3.

You have all been very supportive of this story and as always I would like to thank you for that.

I'll see you soon.

Thanks for Reading,

Me


	30. The Beginning

**Author Note:**

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for not writing in quite such a long time. Part 3 took a lot longer to plan than I thought it would. Altogether it is as long as the first two parts put together.

So, until part 3 is completed I will be returning to my previous schedule. I will do my best to upload one chapter every day.

As always, I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks,

Me

* * *

 **THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – THE BEGINNING**

 **Near the Hidden Leaf Camp**

A huge group of skilled shinobi gathers near to the hidden leaf camp. Their attitude betrays what they have gathered for though, they do their best to remain blasé but anyone could see the sadness, the fear hidden in their eyes if they were to look hard enough. This group have all decided to go to the contest, either to participate or to watch. It should be understood though, that even going to watch this contest would be risky for a non-shinobi. A stray flame from these battles could kill a civilian, such is the danger that is anticipated from them.

All of the people that Sarada summoned from the past have gathered. The only exception being a great a source of pain to them, that exception is the late Uzumaki Mito. Along with those from the past, Sarada, Boruto, Mitsuki and the others from their generation have decided to come to the contest. Though Mitsuki and the others do not intend to fight, they have been doing the heavy lifting in this war for so long now, if it is going to end they could not bear not to witness it. Furthermore, Hanabi and Himawari have also come to support Naruto and Boruto who had a tremendous task ahead of them. Finally, Naruto's training team had come, his peers from the past, led by Shikamaru. This assembly of the Hidden Leaf Village's finest warriors, represents its last hope.

"A lot of people have come to watch" Hinata says with an awkward smile. Hinata's inexperience let's her down, for she does her best to keep Naruto and Boruto calm, with little effect.

"Of course, they couldn't bear not to" Boruto breathes out as he nods gently, "This contest will determine whether we live or die".

A groaning noise comes from behind Boruto, causing he and the rest of the Uzumaki family to turn and look at the source. It comes from a green-looking Namikaze Minato. Minato has only recently avoided death at the hands of a deadly poison yet not even Naruto could completely remove the poison from his body. This has resulted in Minato having occasional bouts of pain, ranging from unpleasant to agonising.

"I can't help but think you should have stayed at home gramps" Boruto takes his turn at smiling awkwardly as jokingly nods towards the 4th Hokage.

"I'll be fine" Minato chuckles while grasping at his stomach, "This is nothing".

"I told you to stay at home idiot". Kushina's fist reigns down from above, hitting Minato right on the top of his head.

Minato rubs his now-soar head with his hand, massaging the pain away while complaining under his breath.

' _I doubt that's helping'_ Naruto and Boruto simultaneously think to themselves, a small bead of sweat dropping down the backs of their necks.

"Dad" Himawari calls from her father's side.

Naruto turns to face his daughter from the future, noting that she is just as tall as he is. "What is it Himawari?".

"It's not much really" she answers, "But, it's my birthday in a few days".

Naruto starts. This isn't something he had considered until this moment. His son and his daughter were both into their twenties now, they were older than him. That may not have seemed like much but that meant he had missed almost fifty birthdays between them. Travelling to the future can come at a great cost.

The 7th Hokage still smiles however, he doesn't have to miss another one. "I see, how old will you be?".

"Twenty-seven" his daughter answers.

The blonde shinobi sighs once again. He had celebrated his 17th birthday not so long ago, battling against Uchiha Sasuke, trying desperately to bring him back to the village, losing an arm in the process. Himawari, his own daughter, is ten years older than him.

"That old…" Naruto finally whispers.

"When I was really young, you missed one of my birthday parties" despite the sadness of the story Himawari giggles to herself, "Boruto got really angry about it back then".

"Sorry" Naruto quickly replies, waving his hands in front of him in apology, "I'm sure that I didn't mean to".

"It's fine, you've been there each time since". It was around that time that the village came under attack, that Boruto had learnt the true meaning of being a shinobi and that Naruto had learnt a few things about being a father. " **You** haven't come to one yet though, have you" she asks.

"This is so confusing" the young father concludes while scratching his head.

"We haven't attended any birthday parties since coming forward in time" Hinata simply answers, attempting to simplify the situation for Naruto.

"Exactly" Himawari nods in reply, "I hope you guys will be able to make it to this one".

"I would be happy to" her mother nods in reply, delighted to receive the invitation.

"Time travel makes things really confusing" the historic Hokage grumbles while crossing his arms, "But I wouldn't miss your birthday for anything".

"If you send a shadow clone this time I won't forgive you" Boruto comically growls.

"A shadow clone?".

"Aunt Hanabi, you will come won't you" Himawari asks, approaching the woman who often cared for her in her youth.

"I'll be there".

"Grandmother, Grandfather, you two are invited too" she continues, feeling like a little girl again. Despite the desperate situation, the world has found itself in, Himawari had never before had a birthday where so many loved ones could make it.

"It sounds like fun" Minato begins before he starts groaning in pain.

"Eh" Naruto starts, "Is the poison hurting you again dad?".

His father shakes his head though, "No, I've got this strange pain on the top of my head".

For the first time in a while, the Uzumaki family truly relax, laughing together at Minato's amusing remark. Naruto looks around at the smiling faces and does his best to burn their image into his mind. This is a family, something he has never had before, something he has been missing all his life. This is what he is fighting to protect.

Suddenly, a rustle in a nearby bush signals the arrival of an enemy. Out from the bush step five men, each wearing the same vest with the number three on the chest. Each man adorns the same thick, bronze-coloured cloak. It is an appearance that even those from the past have become all too familiar with, it is immediately clear, that these five are Captains of the invading forces.

The man in the middle of this group steps forward, it is clear from his demeanour that he is the one with the highest status among them. His shoulder length black hair lifts over his shoulders as he approaches the hidden leaf shinobi. Boruto judges this man to be in his mid-thirties and notes that his height is not above or below average.

This captain raises his finger towards Naruto, "You".

Naruto dumbly points towards himself.

"You match the description that we were given".

The 7th Hokage is unsure where this is going, if this man has been sent here to intimidate him. Though he is sure of one thing, he is intimidating the others, those who have never battled a captain before, to that end he walks right up to this newcomer and looks him in the eye, not a hint of fear in his expression.

"What do you want?".

"We are here to accompany you to the venue for the contest, my name is Captain Dred" the dark-haired captain declares, "I assume you have six others who are willing to compete".

Naruto does not speak, he merely nods in reply.

"It's best that you bid your final farewells" Dred explains, "You won't be returning here again".

"They are coming with us". The strongest shinobi raises his voice slightly, hinting that he won't take no for an answer.

This is something Dred quickly catches on to, a small smiles creeps onto the Captain's face, "You're gathering everyone in one place so we can slaughter them all at once, well that works for me".

Turning on his heels, Dred begins to walk back towards the Captains he came with, prompting each of them in turn to turn around as well. "If you would like to follow me, it's a short journey to the venue".

On Sarada, the incumbent Hokage's orders, they all do just that. The greatest shinobi of the hidden leaf village, they charge on masse, they charge towards the battlegrounds, for the most important battle they would ever fight.

As they run, the captain to Dred's left approaches him, a young woman whose youthful appearance isn't dissimilar to that of a twenty year old. "Sir" she calls.

"What is it?".

"Is it really alright" she questions, "To bring so many of them along with us".

"What do you mean?".

"Those guys, they are stronger" the captain explains as she looks over her shoulder. "They are stronger than any other locals that we have encountered since coming here, not only that but there are so many of them".

"This power they use, chakra, are you able to feel it?" Dred asks.

"Sir?".

"Only six of them could realistically defeat myself with the power they wield, despite that seven of them are supposed to be competing in the contest" he explains with a lowered voice, "They are stronger than before, that is true, but their fate is set, they are going to die".

"Still…".

"We have hundreds upon hundreds of captains on our side, all of them have also gathered to watch. If a fight were to break out, do you think that our side could truly lose to them?".

"No sir" she answers, "No, that would be impossible".

"Yes, we're leading them to be slaughtered, this is the end of our incursion into this world".

"I suppose you're right".

Dred then turns his head around, looking at the hidden leaf shinobi running behind them at a conservative distance. He notes that they are still well out of earshot, with no chance of overhearing the Captains' conversations.

"Despite that… do you get the same feeling I do when you look at that man, that he has a far greater power hidden within him?".

The young-looking captain turns her head, looking behind her like Dred did not a second ago. "I don't feel anything sir, his chakra may be far greater than usual but it's nothing the general has not overcome before".

"No" Dred whispers under his breath, "I'm not talking about him…"

 **A Hill Overlooking a Valley**

Dred, stops having led the hidden leaf shinobi to this place. It is one of the two peaks overlooking a deep valley. As men and women who used to roam this land freely, many of the shinobi recognise this spot, while the others are easily able to determine their rough whereabouts from it.

"The spectators will wait and remain here until we give instructions to the contrary" Dred declares, "Is that OK?".

The question is directed at Naruto but the seventeen-year-old turns instead to his best friend's daughter, who is, after all, the Hokage.

"You're the Hokage" Naruto nods to Sarada.

"That's fine with me" she nods her head slightly, not daring to take her eyes away from Dred for even a moment.

"The seven competitors will follow me" the dark-haired Captain announces as he walks slowly down towards the middle of the valley.

As the hidden leaf shinobi approach the centre of the valley it becomes clear that seven figures are waiting for them at the bottom of the hill. To those without special techniques, they are fuzzy but the colours speak for themselves. Six silver cloaks, one golden cloak. It is their opponents.

Dred brings them face-to-face at last. Resulting in a clash of gazes, gazes that could burn a whole through the morale of a normal person. However, these are not normal people. Facing one-another, are the General of the invading forces, General Clyde and the 7th Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, Uzumaki Naruto.

"I have brought your opponents, General" Dred salutes his superior officer.

Clyde returns the salute with a smile, "Good work Dred, keep it up and we will continue to support you in your push to become a Colonel".

With that Dred, leaves, heading up the hill on the other side of the valley. Naruto gasps as he looks at the other hill and sees the hundreds upon hundreds of people on it, each of them with a shining piece of thick cloth attached to their backs.

"Are those guys all…".

"Yes" Clyde answers, not even waiting for the question, "They are all Captains".

"Damn" Mirai clenches her fist tightly, "If we lose here we will die for sure".

"Even with gramps and Lady Tsunade, there is no way the others can defend against that many captains" Boruto shakes his head gently.

"It will be a massacre" Sarada concludes with her teammate.

"Don't lose focus" Tobirama calls to the 'younger' generation, "It doesn't matter how much larger the enemy forces are".

"That's right" Hashirama agrees with a low voice, "We only need to defeat the seven of them before us".

Hashirama and Tobirama are right in their deductions. The captains have been brought here, if nothing else, as a show of strength, an attempt to intimidate the hidden leaf forces. This contest is a 7 vs 7 battle though, therefore the only people who can pose a threat to them are the seven strongest among the enemy, the seven stood before them.

"I remember you three" Peterson smiles.

In an instant, Naruto, Hashirama and Tobirama all focus their gazes on this man. Never before had they seen such terrifying powers of lightning, this man had forced them to evaluate the enemy in a new light. His scarred face has haunted them for many a night and now they have been brought together again.

"It took all three of you to beat me last time" the silver haired Colonel recalls, "And now you want to beat not only me but the General too. Do you even know what you have gotten yourself into"?

Peterson waits, anticipating a look of fear, a look that never appears on the faces of his adversaries.

"No" Naruto finally refutes his enemy.

"You are the one who doesn't realise what they have gotten into".

"For too long now, you have hunted down our friends, killed our allies and tormented our loved ones".

"And now we have come, it's finally time for that to change".

"The seven of us have pushed ourselves harder than ever before and now we are ready".

Naruto looks Clyde dead in the eye, once more not showing a hint of fear as he stares down the enemy leader.

"We will take you on, each and every one of you… and…".

"We will beat you so bad that you never come back".

The time has finally arrived, Naruto and Clyde face each other down. A calling card for the contest that is about to begin.

From this moment, they will fight.

The battle for the earth.


	31. The Luck of the Draw

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – THE LUCK OF THE DRAW**

 **The Centre of the Valley**

Nobody shifts their gaze, each of them intensely focused on the man or woman stood opposite to them. They feel no fear, instead they feel determination, this is true for everyone except one man. Uzumaki Boruto. Boruto is not like the others on his team, he has not diligently trained for this contest, he has not made any great breakthrough. Fear, that word would not be enough to describe how he feels in this moment. These people, these men and women have tormented him for years on end, they have always appeared unbeatably strong and now he is faced with them. He has to beat them.

The only noise passing through the valley, the gusty wind and the gentle trickling of the streams flowing down the hill. It is all interrupted by the calmest man at the scene, by General Clyde.

CLAP!

Clyde simply claps his hands together, a smile on his face as he applauds his counterpart. "What a rousing speech, however, I have no intention of losing either".

The General has a quick glance to his side and Naruto notices that the smile becomes slightly sincerer. "You and I both have things to protect…" he begins, stopping short of naming the blonde shinobi.

"Uzumaki Naruto".

"Uzumaki Naruto huh" Clyde smiles, as if amused by the name, "I guess we will find out which one of us values what we are protecting more".

"I guess so" Naruto replies in a monotone voice.

Before this moment, he had not considered that Clyde was also trying to protect those close to him. It is a nice change to him, in a way, from those he has battled in the past. So many times, he had defended the leaf against treacherous villains, against those who would stab their friends in the back. While Clyde has done more damage to the leaf than any of them, it seems that he is still human, he is still someone that Naruto can relate to.

"Now then" Clyde perks up slightly, "Allow me to explain how the Captained Six contest will work".

"First, the strongest member of each side is designated as the 'Captain' for that team".

"Of course, since I am a General, I am our team's leader. Ironically that makes me our team's 'Captain'". Each word is spoken eloquently by the experienced General, as if he has spoken them a thousand times before, the more perceptive shinobi of the hidden leaf take this as a sign. A sign that Clyde has plenty of experience in this type of contest.

"So" Clyde continues, "Who is your captain?".

Naruto takes a step forward. "If it has to be the strongest member of the team, then I am our captain".

This revelation may be a great shock to others, those who can't sense chakra, those who don't know Naruto. That is because Naruto is by far the youngest competitor on his team.

The corner of the General's lips curl as the obvious is revealed to him. "As expected, well then, the chances are that you or I won't be fighting in this contest".

Boruto leans forward subconsciously as he reacts to this sudden declaration. "He won't be fighting?".

"What do you mean" Sarada follows up on her 'shadow Hokage's' question.

"Everything will become clear" Clyde remarks, "Now, as for the other six members of our teams, they will draw number respectively".

Having said that, he pulls a set of hand-sized pieces of paper from his pocket. Each of these papers has a simple drawing on it along with a number. These are not-dissimilar to a set of playing cards Naruto determines. Indeed, these are the playing cards used by the invading forces, who play similar games to those they refer to as 'locals'.

As Clyde places the six cards face down he prompts those at Naruto's side to pick them up.

"I'm number one" Mirai announces as she holds the card up.

"Number four" Hashirama quietly declares.

"I drew number six" Boruto shows Sarada as he speaks his number.

"Hey" Tobirama doesn't announce his number, instead deciding to question Clyde, "What are these numbers for"/

"You will see" Clyde teases, "Uzumaki Naruto, now you must take the cards and shuffle them".

Naruto does as Clyde instructs and shuffles the cards. He then continues to follow his instructions, placing the cards face down and offering them to the Colonel's on the opposing team.

"Phew" the Colonel with short blonde hair sighs in relief, "I got number six, lucky". While the shinobi of the hidden leaf don't recognise this man, he has already had a great influence on this contest. This is the man who arranged for Minato to be poisoned, this is Colonel Martin.

"What a cowardly man you are" remarks Sheer, the woman who brought Sasuke back from the dead.

Peterson sniggers, "You can hardly talk, you got number five".

The chatter of these military elites is enough for Kakashi to be certain of these numbers significance. "I see, this is our competing order".

Pointing at Kakashi, Clyde raises his voice, "Exactly, you catch on fast. Indeed, this is our competing order".

"In that case our order is as follows" Tobirama begins.

"Mirai will be first, followed by Kakashi, Myself, my brother, Sarada and Boruto".

"This is used to fairly determine your opponents" Clyde explains.

"I get it" Mirai holds her chin in her hand as she thinks about the consequences of this method, "So the reason that you and Lord 7th are unlikely to compete…".

"It's because they are going last" Sarada frowns, "The chances are the contest will have already been decided by that point".

"As for the rules of the individual matches themselves, they are simple" the gold-cloaked leader explains, "Whoever can immobilise their opponent first, or can force their opponent to forfeit the match, will be the winner".

Kakashi raises his hand, as if requesting to speak in a classroom, "Wait a moment. How are we defining immobilised?".

"It varies from contest to contest" Clyde holds one hand out as if holding an invisible object for Kakashi to inspect, "It requires agreement between the two captains".

Kakashi turns his head slightly to his side, looking from the corner of his eyes towards the one designated as his team's captain. That is his own student, the man who would become the greatest Hokage of all, Uzumaki Naruto. _'Naruto… this is all on you'_ he says in his head.

"A common choice is that if you cannot get to your feet for ten seconds, then you are immobilised". Clyde tugs gently on his chestnut sideburns as he waits for Naruto's response, feeling this is a trivial part of the contest.

"Ten seconds…" Naruto repeats.

"How about it, Uzumaki Naruto?".

Naruto is far from the most intelligent shinobi but he still has a good grasp on battle tactics and strategies. He has shown this many times, in his battles against Nagato and Obito, he intends to show it again here.

' _The person who this time limit will affect most is the ones of us with the best regeneration ability'_ the 7th Hokage concludes, _'Let's see, other than myself that would be… Old man 1_ _st_ _'_.

Naruto looks towards Hashirama who wastes no time in replying.

"That's plenty of time Naruto".

' _I don't know what it is about old man 1_ _st_ _'_ Naruto continues in his head, _'When we were out of action he was so cheerful, he was kind of like me. Yet, ever since he has gotten back he… he's been different, and not the good sort of different'_.

A small nudge from Boruto wakes Naruto from his thoughts.

"Alright then, I agree to your rules General".

"As for our match" Clyde sighs, "The rules will be different, should we make it to that match".

"Different?" Naruto repeats.

"You needn't concern yourself with them" the General shrugs, "The chances are you won't have a chance to fight me. Don't worry, I dare say that you would think the rules to be in your favour anyway".

"Hey wait a second" Boruto stretches his hand out.

"Yeah, what are these…".

"Don't get caught up in it" Hashirama mumbles, causing the others to turn their gazes towards him. "They have always known what the rules of this to be, we are just maintaining the disadvantage we already had".

Tobirama lowers his eyes, thinking of Mito's wishes for Hashirama. "Brother…".

"By making you worry about these little things, he is trying to establish a psychological advantage" the disinterested 1st Hokage explains, "Even if he told us the rules now, he could claim that he was lying and change them later. Look up on that hill, look at all those captains. We are not in any position to complain".

Sarada holds her head in her hands, "All these mind games, is there no advantage they won't seek".

Placing a hand on Sarada's shoulder, Boruto consoles his teammate, "It doesn't matter, we just have to win right".

"Boruto" Sarada whispers before nodding, "That's right, we just have to win".

Mirai steps forward, putting herself level with Naruto, "Then I'm up first".

"These fights have the potential to be dangerous". A sensible comment from the leader of the enemy. "I assume you can protect your followers on the hill, right, Naruto?".

"Of course," the 7th Hokage smiles, "You are damn right I can protect them".

"Well then" Clyde smirks as he lifts gently from the ground and begins to float back towards his hill, flanked by five of his Colonels.

"Let's go" Naruto says to his teammates as he turns and walks back up his own hill.

"Good luck Mirai". Boruto and Sarada wish their long-time friend the best before following Naruto back up the hill.

 **On the Hidden Leaf's Hill**

Upon returning to the hill Naruto and the others explain what has occurred in as much detail as they can, being extra sure not to leave anything out. While the others may only be here to spectate, they may notice something that the competitors didn't. Perhaps these spectators would discover an excellent strategy to win, this is especially the case since Shikamaru and Shikadai are amongst them.

"So, this is really happening huh" Mitsuki sighs. He has been one of those at the forefront of the war, he has seen death on a massive scale, with only Boruto being exposed to more.

Biwako clutches a fist to her chest as she looks at her feet. "Mirai is first…".

Hiruzen is obviously worried as well. "Mirai…".

"Hiruzen, Biwako, don't worry" Hashirama says while looking at Mirai and her opponent, "My senses improved while I was using nature chakra in my training. I could feel Mirai's power, she is no ordinary shinobi".

"I felt it too" Naruto declares.

"Lord 7th…". These words are a great relief to Biwako. It must be understood that these are no normal shinobi complimenting her, these two are Hokage's. Not only are Naruto and Hashirama Hokage's but they also hold the reputation for being history's greatest Hokage, history's strongest Hokage. This sullen man and enthusiastic boy truly represent the best the village has to offer.

"Although I could feel it, I couldn't truly grasp the secret behind Mirai's power" Naruto explains.

"I caught a glimpse of her using it with my Byakugan" Boruto adds, "I have no idea how she does what she does either".

"Does there have to be a secret" Sarada asks, "Does there have to be a reason".

"Sarada?".

"We're here because of our hard work, our determination, because of the will of fire" she asserts strongly, "Mirai has earnt this strength through her determination to protect what is precious to her".

Kakashi nods his agreement, "That's what we have to believe".

Minato looks towards his now-adult pupil, noting the interesting choice of words. "You do believe in it, don't you Kakashi".

As Kakashi turns to face Minato, his teacher continues, "You believe your comrades are more important than the mission".

Kakashi looks away again, choosing his feet as a resting place for his eyes. His mind is far away from his feet though, his mind is in the past, thinking of that day that Rin was captured.

"Yeah" he finally speaks, "She has someone she wants to protect, someone more important than the mission".

"Someone she wants to protect?" Hiruzen says this as if it is a great surprise. He has not seen Mirai spending time with any loved ones since coming to the future.

Shikamaru places a hand on the 3rd Hokage's shoulder to get his attention. "Lord 3rd, because of Asuma's death and Kurenai often being busy, Mirai grew up without much of a family".

The Nara clansmen says this in full confidence, himself being one of the closest people to Mirai as she grew up. "Her mother died in the war, her cousin became Hokage and was too busy to spend time with her. She always seemed so lonely but they you guys came back, she has a family again, something to protect".

"Your granddaughter is truly incredible, Sarutobi". Tobirama takes a rare moment to praise his successor.

With a thumbs-up, Tsunade joins in with the praising of her sensei, "Nice going old man".

 **In the Valley**

Mirai screws her eyes shut, visualising certain people as she prepares herself for the battle ahead.

' _Mum, Dad, Cousin, Grandpa, Grandma… I can't afford to lose again here'_.

She opens her eyes, in anticipation of the terrible battle ahead of her. Her opponent is a colonel but she is ready to fight. She is ready to win.

And so round one of the contest begins.


	32. Mirai's Power

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – MIRAI'S POWER**

 **In the Valley**

Standing opposite Mirai is a Colonel. This Colonel can be distinguished from Captains by his clothing just like all Colonels can. The two key identifiers that the shinobi of the hidden leaf have learnt, the number 2 on his vest, the silver cloak adorning his back, these perfectly match up with their expectations and their intelligence. The cloak flips gently in the breeze as Mirai locks eyes with her opponent.

This Colonel is a male of average height. It is impossible to determine his exact age but Mirai estimates him to be in his thirties. He wears a pleasant looking smile on his face, this would make him very approachable if he wasn't an enemy. His hair is a striking blonde running from the tops of his heads all the way to his shoulders which it gently brushes against.

"You and I have met before" the kind looking Colonel asks.

Mirai doesn't move a muscle, replying apathetically, "I have fought many times to protect my friends against the slaughter brought about by a Colonel".

That seems to hit home with the Colonel, who lowers his head and lets out a deep sigh. "I see, my apologies, I am simply following orders".

Mirai remains calm on the outside but is furious internally. This man, these people have hunted down shinobi after shinobi, they have advanced relentlessly without taking any prisoners. Many times, she has watched, unable to do anything as a Colonel has cut down those she was supposed to protect. In an age where Uzumaki Naruto had inspired so many to become shinobi, it had become a hindrance as much as a help. For every extra shinobi, you can take to the front lines, another shinobi dies on the front lines.

"What is your name?" the Colonel asks.

"Sarutobi Mirai".

"My name is Sisto" the blonde Colonel declares.

' _Only one name'_ Mirai makes a mental note, _'Come to think of it I don't ever recall hearing of a second name for any of the invaders'_. Quickly she decides to put this to the back of her mind, there are more pressing things to focus on than the enemy's nomenclature.

Without a word warning, Mirai runs towards Sisto.

 **On the Hidden Leaf Hill**

As Mirai begins to run, Boruto's Byakugan widens. "Here she goes" he says, clenching his fist.

"Go for it!" Sarada shouts as if Mirai can hear her.

These two are close friends of Mirai, one of their most trusted shinobi ever since the enemy had first shown up. Sarada, the 9th Hokage, had depended greatly upon Mirai to lead small teams to repel the enemy's attacks, depending only on Boruto and Mitsuki. As for Boruto, he had been working with Mirai when he discovered the portal to the other realm. When the most difficult of missions arrived, it was often the two of them who would work together to complete it.

 **In the Valley**

Mirai begins by reaching for her pocket, her speed of movement so great that it can be said to rival a Hokage's. As her hand comes out of her pocket, a triplet of kunai come with it. She begins a motion at her chest, ending it far to her side, throwing the kunai in a perfect straight line towards Sisto.

' _What a joke'_ Sisto says in his own head.

The Colonel places his left foot behind him, using it as a pivot point for his entire body. He uses the muscles in his hip to move his entire body out of the kunai's path. Using this method, he uses minimal effort to maximum effect, avoiding any harm without losing too much energy.

As he dodges though, he keeps an eye on Mirai. Mirai, the granddaughter of the 3rd Hokage slams her foot into the ground, propelling herself quickly towards her opponent. The onlookers familiar with her fighting style instantly realise that her physical prowess has improved greatly. That is made obvious by the speed of her movement.

' _Impressive speed'_ Sisto mentally praises her before raising his foot off the ground slightly. With a huge thud, he slams his foot into the ground, creating a dust cloud between himself and Mirai. As he runs around the side of the dust cloud he smiles, _'But, it will take more than physical prowess to match up to me'_.

The blonde Colonel arrives around the other side of the dust cloud only to come to a shocking realisation. _'She is gone'_.

He then hears footsteps from behind him. He hears them but he refuses to believe that he could be outmanoeuvred. She is there though, Mirai has run right around the dust cloud and caught up to him.

' _What!'_.

Mirai steps towards the Colonel. As she runs towards him he notices two distinctive energies in her right hand. On the left is a small tornado like energy, presumably representing the wind. On the right is a brightly burning flame, representing the fire her homeland is famed for.

As Mirai arrives at the Colonel's back, she combines the two energies together. It is timed perfectly and controlled masterfully. The moment her fist collides with his spine, the point of contact is the origin for an enormous explosion of red.

Sisto is knocked to the ground.

 **On the Hidden Leaf Hill**

"She got him" Biwako smiles as she raises a fist, "It's a direct hit".

"I see" Boruto murmurs.

Shikadai looks to his childhood friend, his old classmate. "What is it, Boruto?".

"These guys have overwhelming power" Boruto begins, "But they are soldiers, not shinobi, in a game of blind spots and deceit, Mirai is going to win every time".

"That's to be expected" Tobirama smiles as he crosses his arms.

"Nevertheless, it is useful to know" Kakashi adds before thinking to himself, _'What exactly is Mirai's power'_.

 **In the Valley**

1…2…3…4…5…6…

Sisto gets back to his feet. His standing motion is not in the least laboured, instead it is leisurely and calm. This suggests to Mirai that he is behaving like many do in sports, he is making the most of the ten-count permitted to him before getting to his feet.

"Not bad" the Colonel smiles as he dusts himself off, "I don't remember anyone from this world with such raw power".

The smile becomes less cheerful, instead it is awkward, reluctant, as if he had just received some bad news that he had expected. "It seems that I can't afford to hold back against you".

Once again Mirai gathers her explosive power in her hand.

"Still" he continues, "It would be a mistake to assume that I fear you".

Mirai ignores the ramblings of her opponent, instead deciding to try a new method of increasing her speed. She sends chakra to the bottom of her feet, two natures combine, wind and fire mesh into an explosive power. That power launches her towards Sisto at even greater velocities than previously.

Sisto finally uses his power to retaliate. A clear blue orb appears in his hand and he quickly swings it towards the approaching Mirai.

She is an experienced shinobi though, she doesn't understand her opponent's power but she does understand the flow of a fight. This is an attack that she can counter. She gathers her explosive power on her fist and punches the orb as hard as she can.

BANG!

A small dome of red and blue forms around the duo, lasting a few seconds before it finally dissipates. This dome is something you would expect to see in the 4th great shinobi war, when Jinchuriki clashed with Kage and the warriors of legends. Yet, here it is, Mirai has managed to generate such power by herself.

' _That explosive power of yours truly is incredible. I didn't think something like that was possible for chakra users'._ A deep impression is left upon the Colonel by this clash. _'However, you made an unlucky draw because my element is water'_.

The situation is bad for the daughter of Kurenai and Asuma. She decides to put some separation between the two of them and fast. To achieve this, she gathers explosive chakra in both her left hand and her right before slamming them together. It's a non-fatal explosion with the sole aim of pushing them both away, as such the force from it is incredible.

Mirai lands on her back before quickly scrambling to get on her feet.

Sisto calmly slows himself by controlling the water behind him. Repeated blue waves crash against his ankles as he grinds to a halt.

 **On the Hidden Leaf Hill**

Naruto shakes his head lightly, as he closes his eyes for a moment. "This is bad".

Hinata nods in agreement with the man whom she shared children, "It's bad luck that Mirai was drawn against the worst possible opponent".

"The most fundamental part of her power is her incredible fire chakra" Himawari notes as she strains her Byakugan to the limit, "But her opponent uses water".

Contrary to everyone else though, Hiruzen remains calm. No, that is understating his emotions, he smiles at what everyone perceives to be his granddaughters struggles. "Our training is about to finally become useful".

"Useful…".

"What do you mean sensei" Tsunade questions.

"While creating, explosions is the greatest of her abilities, that in itself is not Mirai's power" Hiruzen then turns to Naruto as he explains, "Her power is something far more incredible".

 **In the Valley**

Sisto holds his two hands towards the centre of his chest as water gathers between them. "Here we go". He thrusts his hands out before him, launching the water towards Mirai in a high-pressured beam. High-pressure is understating the power of the attack, this could easily cut an average shinobi in half.

Mirai takes a deep breath. _'Just keep calm and focus. Focus on combining them together'_.

Mirai places her hands out before her before bashing them into the high-pressure beam. The moment of contact is enough for her hands to receive several bruises, she lets out a guttural groan as she pushes against the unstoppable force.

At least it seemed to be an unstoppable force.

But then it is stopped.

The entire beam freezes.

' _WHAT!'_ Sisto yells internally once again.

Mirai wastes no time upon seeing an opening. She leaps into the air before landing on the frozen beam. She uses her explosive power to shoot herself along the low-friction surface. Reaching the end of the beam, the golden opportunity arrives, she kicks Sisto right in the head.

Despite the enormous momentum with which Mirai executes the attack, Sisto only stumbles backwards.

Mirai lands after sliding off the end of the beam, still not hesitating though, she executes another attack. This time is also a great surprise to everyone, her hand stretches towards Sisto and from her palm it launches.

She throws lava towards him.

The Colonel dares not test himself against this attack, he leans backwards, holding his entire body weight with his legs as he looks up at the attack flying over him. After a moment, he regains his balance and plans on running towards Mirai. He cannot run though. His feet are stuck.

Mirai has turned the ground beneath him to mud.

' _Not good!'_.

Amongst the commotion, what he had failed to realise was what Mirai herself was doing. Standing right in front of him her fist glows an extremely bright orange colour.

"Focus it all…" she begins.

Sisto starts as he realises what she is doing.

Mirai then yells, "INTO ONE POINT".

BANG!

As Mirai's fist connects with her opponent's chest, the flames spread through his body. Sistovisibly spits up some blood while a thin layer of flames diffuses through his skin. The power of this blow is truly incredible.

 **On the Hidden Leaf Hill**

Naruto doesn't know what to think upon seeing Mirai's flurry of attacks. _'I thought it was a kekkai genkai or some power unique to her. Yet, that isn't true, the attacks she just did must have all been results of fusing elements together'_.

His contemplation continues as he massages his temples, _'That isn't possible though. You cannot fuse chakra together just through practice, certainly not in the period of one month. Explosions, Ice, Lava, Mud, that's four combinations she just created. That isn't possible'_.

"Incredible…" Sarada breathes out with a look of awe on her face.

Boruto nods, "Yeah, she toasted him completely and utterly".

Mirai smiles as she watches Sisto stumble from one foot to another. _'Go on, fall down, your lungs, your heart, your liver, they are all burnt. You won't be getting up again'_.

Just as she is confident that he is going to fall. Something defies her expectations.

A blue aura appears around Sisto.

He regains his footing.

He takes a deep breath.

"I've cooled my insides using water but that was damn close".

Mirai's eyes widen as she realises just what she is up against. _'What is this power?'_.

 **On the Hidden Leaf Hill**

Tobirama unfolds his arms. "Brother, Naruto…".

Hashirama nods, knowing what this is about. "That's just like the power he used against us".

The one Hashirama is thinking of is Peterson. Colonel Peterson had used a similar power when battling Naruto and Hashirama, though in his case his aura constituted largely of static electricity and the occasional arcing bolt of lightning.

This Colonel, Sisto, his aura appears to be made from water, in keeping with his power that he had used in his base form.

"A power amplifier" Naruto concludes.

 **The Invader's Hill**

Clyde lowers his head. _'What will you do now'_.

' _The elemental cloak is a power boost beyond your imagination._

' _It is not something that can be understood by the people of this world'._

A smile then creeps onto the General's face as he raises his head to look at the opposite hill.

' _Having said that…'_.

 **In the Valley**

"Now what will you do" Sisto teases Mirai, "You must be able to feel that my power is far greater than yours".

When he had expected Mirai to cower in fear though, instead she steps forward.

"There is a legendary man from our world, a man you killed but the rest of us looked up to".

"That man was the 7th Hokage and he taught us the greatest lesson we were ever to learn…".

Stopping short of teaching the lesson. Hiruzen's descendant hits the ground with her foot, her explosive power launching her towards her opponent.

' _Bluster all you want'_ the Colonel snorts his disapproval, _'If this is the limit of your power I can kill you in one hit'_.

Mirai stops just short of Sisto before a thick white gas escapes from her mouth. This gas is quickly identified as gaseous water by all the onlookers. This is steam. In a moment of desperation, the shinobi has revealed yet another product of elemental combination.

The blonde man looks left and right, _'Where are you Sarutobi Mirai'_.

Several explosions occur around him, from all sides. Whatever Mirai is doing, she is doing it to hide her position. That is why she creates several sites for her explosions to occur. When the steam finally clears, she has escaped from everyone's sights. Everyone but one man, stood on the invader's hill.

Sisto finally looks up into the sky above him. Seeing that Mirai is indeed above. _'She used the explosions to propel herself upwards'_.

Mirai plummets towards Sisto.

She gathers as much explosive chakra as she can. The fire burns so brightly that the sky turns red and the wind roars so fiercely that the air seems to roar its warning towards the grounded soldier.

 **On the Hidden Leaf Hill**

Shikadai gasps. "What amazing chakra, is this sort of thing even possible".

Hinata notices the flaw in Mirai's attack. "If she uses all that chakra at once, won't she be immobilised".

Naruto's eyes nearly bulge from his head as he comes to a realisation. "It doesn't matter" he proclaims.

"Naruto…".

"She is in the air above her opponent" Naruto explains as he points at Mirai, "The explosion will force him down into the ground".

He turns to Hinata as he finishes, "It doesn't matter if she is down for the count after this attack".

"She will have immobilised him first. He will have been down for ten seconds first".

"Mirai will win!".

 **In the Valley**

Sisto is trembling with fury. "YOU" he yells up to his falling opponent.

"He taught us to never give up!" Mirai screams, finishing her lesson from before, "Take this!".

As the hidden leaf shinobi swings her arm down towards the Colonel, an earth-shattering explosion spreads from the valley. The ground itself shakes as various stones and boulders are ripped apart by the spreading flames. This attack is similar to a tailed beast bomb or a massive rasengan in power. Though, ironically for an explosion, it is much more concentrated, such is Mirai's control.

As debris flies towards both of the onlooker's hills, the Hokages and the Colonels rush to protect their subordinates.

Finally, the dust clears revealing what the Hokages had hoped for and the Colonels had feared.

Both fighters are down.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"He's down!" Biwako shouts at the top of her lungs.

"She did it" Hiruzen tightens his fist as he looks on, his pride written clearly on his face.

"So long" Sarada mutters, "We waited so long without being able to defeat a Colonel and now… Mirai has brought one down before our very eyes".

 **In the Valley**

1…2…3…4…5…

Mirai unable to move, consoles herself in her head. _'I don't care what I have done to myself, you're finished Sisto'_.

6…7…

Then she gasps.

 **On the Hidden Leaf Hill**

Boruto shakes his head, "That's impossible".

 **In the Valley**

8…9…10…

The ten second mark passes.

And Sisto is on his feet.

"I guess that means I win then" the Colonel smiles.

The first match, is the hidden leaf's loss.


	33. Hatake Kakashi

**Author Note:**

Hi Everyone.

I would like to start this chapter with an apology.

The last review that this story attracted contained a racist slur as well as offensive language that is not appropriate to the age rating of the story.

Abusive language will not be tolerated and more so racist comments will absolutely not be tolerated.

Regardless of race, religion, gender or sexuality, we are all human beings and are therefore entitled to some level of respect. I'm therefore incredibly sorry to anyone who has been offended by this language.

This story was subject to an abusive review before. The user who left that abusive review was banned for his / her behaviour. The reviewer in question this time is a new member who has the same profile picture and inability to use respectful language. This user has, as such, been reported for abuse.

As always, I appreciate anything you have to say about this story, positive or negative. There is, however, no need to be offensive.

Thanks for Understanding.

Once again, my humblest apologies.

Thanks,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – HATAKE KAKASHI**

 **In the Valley**

Mirai lays at the bottom of the valley, looking into the sky, unable to move. It has been a devastating battle for her, she has become so strong, easily surpassing what had previously been classified as the Hokage level. Despite everything though, she has lost. With the fate of the world on her shoulders, step one had been a total defeat.

' _I lost'_ she notes to herself, _'It's my fault… it will be my fault if everyone dies'_.

At this moment, while Mirai is feeling sorry for herself, two people are descending the hill as fast as they can. That is her grandfather and grandmother. Two individuals who have been brought forward in time, classified as the last hope for the hidden leaf, they had instead invested in her. They had gambled that she would be truly strong and that gamble, has failed.

 **On the Invaders Hill**

Sisto reaches the top of the hill, his blonde hair wrapping around his neck as the wind roars from behind him.

"I won" he simply declares.

"Won" Martin snorts at his comrade's assertion, "What sort of embarrassing performance was that. You almost lost to one of the locals".

Swinging his head to his side, the General addresses his subordinate furiously. "SHUT UP" he shouts.

This bellow from the golden-cloaked soldier draws the eyes of all his followers. It is rare to see General Clyde truly angry, yet, Martin seems to manage to invoke his fury at regular intervals. They are all sure of one thing, Martin does not belong with the rest of them, he is another class of scum.

"Don't you get it by now?" Clyde takes a deep breath as he asks this rhetorical question, "They almost killed Peterson, they pushed Sisto so hard in the first battle".

Sisto turns his head, looking out of the corner of his eyes back into the valley behind him. "That woman said she had seen colonels fight before, I can't believe none of us would remember fighting someone with that power".

"Exactly" Clyde nods, "That's the power she obtained since we decided on this contest".

Martin gasps, thinking such a thing to be impossible. "But that's only one month".

"Exactly" the general shouts as he looks his underling in the eye, "It's only one month, just one, that is nothing when it comes to training. Still, in one month they have gone so far, just imagine the strength of the man who almost killed Peterson".

"He almost killed me himself" Peterson adopts a vacant expression as he thinks back to his fight with the 'locals'. During that fight, Naruto, had saved Hashirama, but the latter had held his own well against the Colonel with the former actually being able to defeat one. "He must be able to kill me comfortably now".

"WAKE UP" Clyde claps his hands right in Martin's face, sending a sound wave travelling throughout the surrounding valleys. "They are a threat, a big threat, you need to start taking them seriously, got that?".

The response is unanimous, nobody daring to anger the General after that display of power. All the Colonels, including Martin, nod their heads at his statement. It is hard to disagree after all, not so long ago they had felt Naruto's new power, that was something only the General could fight against. These locals, these shinobi, are indeed, a big threat.

 **In the Valley**

"Grandpa" Mirai croaks, the first word she can bring herself to say to him, "I lost".

Hiruzen chuckles though, "Hey, what are you saying, this result isn't too bad".

"What do you mean not too bad, we could all die".

Biwako strokes Mirai's cheek as if attending to a child, "Mirai, it's not your fault".

"It is, it is" she sobs as she shakes her head from side to side, "If we die it will be my fault".

"You may think this is a bad result" Hiruzen begins before pointing to his rear, "But look, on their hill they are frowning, they are bickering but on our hill, everyone is smiling".

"This is a huge boost to our morale" Biwako explains.

"They've just realised we are far stronger than they thought" come the wise words of the 3rd Hokage, "Whereas your teammates now believe they can do it, they've seen that a Colonel can be beaten".

Biwako hugs Mirai as gently as she can, not wanting to hurt her injured grandchild, "You're a hero Mirai, I'm really proud of you".

"Grandma…".

Hiruzen looks to their 'captain' on the hill, "You mentioned that you all revered the 7th because he never gave up but right now he is revering you for that exact same reason".

"Grandpa…".

"But you can't give in now" he continues, "Your powers still may be required, to defend the village you love. Don't forget you are representing, me, the 3rd Hokage, OK?".

As Mirai slowly gets to her feet, her grandparents help her return to the hill where her friends are waiting. As they get within earshot, the shinobi of the hidden leaf let out a great cheer, despite being down 1-0, this has turned into a win for the hidden leaf village. This is the attitude, the philosophy created by Otsutsuki Asura, named by Senju Hashirama and popularised by Uzumaki Naruto. This is the will of fire.

' _Never give up'_ Kakashi mulls over Naruto's mantra, _'Your ninja way may not help your friends to win their match but it does something even greater. It brings out their emotions. I intend to carry on your good work, Lord 7_ _th_ _… next is my turn'_.

"Alright" the 6th Hokage speaks aloud, "I'm going".

As Kakashi walks down the hill, one man steps out from the crowd of hidden leaf shinobi, it is his training partner, Mitsuki. "Lord 6th, have you felt anything".

The masked shinobi stops in his tracks. He remains silent for a few seconds, leaving Mitsuki in suspense and forcing the others to question what it is that they know. Finally, Kakashi answers without turning to face Mitsuki.

"No".

"I see" Mitsuki steps back with a lowered head.

"Kakashi sense" Naruto calls, "Before you go, can I tell you one thing".

This time Kakashi looks over his shoulder. In but a moment he quickly realises something about this boy stood before him. He is just that, a boy, Naruto has not even become a man yet and it is clear that almost everyone is fully embracing what he preaches. To never give up, a shinobi tendency that Naruto has manifested in the entire world. Uzumaki Naruto, a man often seen as having low intelligence but nevertheless, he is the wisest man of all.

"What is it?".

"Obito wanted you to become the Hokage".

Kakashi turns his head back, looking down into the valley once more as he takes a deep breath. "Yeah, thank you Naruto".

Minato clenches his fist tightly, realising just how complicated the world has become since his death. ' _Kakashi….'_.

 **In the Valley**

Kakashi approaches his opponent. A woman, with spikey red hair. He notes down the various most prominent features of her appearance, a habit he had picked up many years ago, when he was part of the Anbu. Sometimes, people would give away their weaknesses or their strengths through their physical appearance.

' _She can't be more than 20 years old'_ he concludes, _'Her hair is quite fiery. She is short, it will be hard to hit her straight on. Her size will be advantageous to her'_.

"You're different to the others, aren't you" the woman asks him.

"Oh".

"There is a group of you who they look at differently" the red-haired Colonel explains her thinking, "It is almost as if you're not a person, it's like you're a god to them".

Kakashi had failed to realise before. Now that he thinks about it, it makes sense, to them he is the 6th Hokage. The man who had succeeded Senju Tsunade, who had helped the village transition into a time of peace. Not only that, he was also the teacher of everyone's favourite shinobi, he was the teacher of Uzumaki Naruto.

"Your name?" the Colonel says, "It's traditional to swap names before a battle".

"Hatake Kakashi…".

"My name is Burns" she declares while pointing to her chest.

' _Her name is Burns'_ Kakashi repeats this in his head, _'She has fiery red hair, you should aim to understand people's strengths and weaknesses from their appearance. In that case, make the logical assumption, her power is… fire'_.

Just as the 6th Hokage thinks of this, it advances from Burns feet, freezing cold ice.

' _Isn't she called Burns, what an ironic name'_.

As the ice continues to advance along the floor, it stops just short of Kakashi. Then, from the space in front of him, it expands, forming a huge spike. It stabs towards the white-haired shinobi, on course to penetrate his lungs.

At the last second Kakashi doges the ice spike, quickly reaching into his pocket for a kunai. Upon grabbing the wrapped wrist of the weapon, he brings it out and slices horizontally across the spikes body, cutting it in half. The 6th wastes no time though, straight away after slicing, he throws the kunai towards Burns, followed by a quick flurry of shuriken.

The Colonel frowns as she spots the incoming projectiles, _'Is this some sort of joke'._ She casually dodges all of the weapons. Dodging something like this is possible for even the most inexperienced shinobi, much less a Colonel who had as much experience as Burns.

After dodging the last shuriken, she observes her surroundings. Five, there are five identical Hatake Kakashi's surrounding her. A result of his lightning clone jutsu.

' _Do you think I can't tell which is the real one'_.

The clones attack Burns, an all-out assault using taijutsu alone. Of course, that is not enough to even scratch a Colonel, if it was then the hidden leaf would have repelled these invaders long ago. Instead, this is a distraction while Kakashi charges his new jutsu.

Condensed lightning focuses on Kakashi's fist. It is a technique more mature than the raikiri, a technique that wastes very little energy and focuses it all on one thing, shocking the opponent it is used on.

As the last clone is defeated, Kakashi times his run perfectly, having the ideal opportunity, he swings his lightning clad fist straight into Burns' blind spot. _'Discharge punch'_.

However, faster than the eye can see, Burns turns around and catches the punch.

As the lightning discharges through her, she doesn't scream or shout, she sneers. "Was that supposed to hurt me".

' _No way'._

 **On the Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Why" Naruto asks as he shakes his head, "Why won't Kakashi sensei use it".

Inojin steps forward, "What are you talking about Lord 7th?".

"It's Kakashi's Sharingan" Inojin's mother answers his question, "He's not using it".

"You can tell" Inojin looks towards his mother. They are observing the fight from a great distance, at such a distance, only those with supreme eyesight such as Hinata or Sarada should be able to identify the colour of a man's eyes. Still, somehow Ino knew.

Kiba places a hand on Inojin's shoulder, "If you had seen Kakashi fight with his Sharingan, you would be able to tell, the difference in his effectiveness is incredible".

"Mitsuki" Boruto calls his friend, "You trained with Lord 6th didn't you, why is he not using it?".

While these questions are asked Kakashi persists in a hopeless battle against the Colonel. It has been proven throughout this fight that his prowess has greatly increased, but it isn't the same as when he uses his Sharingan. So why, why would he persist. Mirai had a chance of winning her fight, but like this, Kakashi stands no chance at all.

"We went to the final battlefield of the 4th great shinobi war" Mitsuki tells his friend.

Naruto turns to look at Mitsuki, "Why?".

"We were searching for a trace of Uchiha Obito's DNA" Orochimaru's son explains, "Luckily we found it and together with Kakashi's own Sharingan, it was enough".

"Enough for what?".

"I was able to summon his chakra from the other world, and place it into Kakashi".

Naruto gasps at the revelation. Something like that should be impossible, including Orochimaru, he has heard of many rogue shinobi, many mad scientists who would kill to be able to do something like this. Never would enough DNA be left on Earth to summon someone's chakra from the other world. Still, perhaps this case was different, Kakashi had come forward from the past, Obito left strands of DNA from his whole body plus there is some from the 6th Hokage's eye. Maybe this was the only way such a thing could be possible.

"He should have awakened two Sharingan in his eyes" Mitsuki raises a hand, "But it hasn't happened".

"I see" Naruto sighs, "Kakashi sensei was never capable of using so many clones before, so it's because he has Obito's charka too".

"Yeah".

 **In the Valley**

Burns shakes her head, "This is no fun, I don't even need to use my elemental cloak".

In a simple encounter, Kakashi attempts to punch Burns in her face. The Colonel dodges though, before coating her own fist in ice and bashing it straight into Kakashi's mask. The black mask that had helped to make the white fang's son famous, has been stained white.

As Kakashi falls onto his back the count begins.

1…2…3…4…5…

' _What are you doing Kakashi'_ he asks himself, _'Get up, Minato sensei and Kushina are watching… Naruto is watching'_.

6…7…

' _I can't afford to stay down here'_ he shouts at himself in his head as he pushes himself back to his feet.

Once more Burns sighs, "You're struggling to get back to your feet even now, do you really think you can match me".

"Who knows" the white-haired shinobi answers, "But…".

If Kakashi were to say something in this moment, Burns would not hear it. She is too stunned, paralysed in shock. As she looks into the eyes, one of the few of Kakashi's features that she can actually see, she is truly astonished by what she sees. One of his eyes has a red and black pattern in it. If she had become a shinobi she would recognise this eye as the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan.

One of Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan has activated.

"I don't believe in giving up" he explains.

The 6th Hokage dashes at Burns as she begins to realise what is happening. _'He has awakened a new power'_.

Kakashi immediately begins to utilise his eye, his years of experience in using it not letting him down. He activates the power known as Kamui on Burns in the same vein he used it on Deidara when he had been called to help the hidden sand village.

As Burns feels the pull of the Kamui she realises that she is being pulled in and that it may be fatal. Pulling herself away from the vortex, she does her best to escape its attractive power, _'That was close'_.

She has leaped backwards to escape from the Kamui and forget to keep her eye on Kakashi. The 6th Hokage arrives in her path, in the perfect position to strike.

' _When did he…'_.

A howling sound spreads from Kakashi's hand. An electric blue light radiates his palm as lightning chakra stems from his fingertips. This is a power he created, a power he made famous, the Raikiri.

As he thrusts the Raikiri towards Burns, she dodges by the skin of her teeth. It really is a last-second escape that she didn't expect to have to make. She remembers the General's warning though, this is no time to be complacent. She slips a punch, perfectly on target to injure the newly acquired eye of her opponent.

WOOSH!

Another dodge, this time it is Kakashi's turn to dodge.

 **On the Hidden Leaf Hill**

Boruto gasps, "Amazing, I never knew the 6th Hokage was this amazing".

"Kakashi sensei's reaction time is improving constantly" Hinata notes with her Byakugan, "He's getting stronger as he is fighting".

"That's not all" Naruto says, his eyes wide as he watches his sensei fight against one of their greatest enemies, "His chakra, it's increasing. Despite the fact, he is using it to fight, it is increasing and not decreasing".

Minato clenches his fist, _'Obito, Kakashi, Rin, it is good to see you are still fighting together after all this time. Together, together, the three of you can win'_.

 **In the Valley**

Kakashi throws successive punches at Burns. These punches are not his normal punches though, these are punches he has perfected through a combination of his Sharingan awakening and his training with Mitsuki, _'Control your chakra, just like Sakura'_.

Burns blocks each of Kakashi's powerful punches but the Hokage is unperturbed by his initial failures. _'Wait for the perfect opening, just like Sasuke'_.

Burns has been catching the punches before releasing until this point. Her power allowing her the chance to take all of Kakashi's punches without injuring herself. That is until, the perfect opening happens. Her catch is slightly off, she grimaces in pain as Kakashi's punch slides off the side of her hand.

Now that the opening has arrived, Naruto's teacher is not one to let it pass. He bends his knees, determining that from below is the best angle to attack from. He gathers a Raikiri in his hand, the Raikiri which quickly expands to previously unseen levels, a raikiri that holds unmatched power throughout shinobi history.

' _And give it everything you've got, just like Naruto!'_.

Swinging his arm as hard as he can, the sensei of the legendary team 7 smashes the raikiri forward. Its destination set, a collision imminent, will his attack work?

A blinding flash of light surrounds the battling duo.

When this light clears, Burns emerges with a faint blue aura. An ice cloak.

When this light clears, Kakashi emerges collapsed onto his knees. He then quickly falls onto his face.

' _I've lost'_.

1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10…

"Dammit" Burns curses as she dissipates the cloak, "He was so weak and yet I had to use the elemental cloak to defeat him".

There is some consolation for her though, she turns to the hidden leaf's hill with a smile on her face.

"IT'S 2-0, UZUMAKI NARUTO".

She is right.

This is the worst possible start for the hidden leaf village.

In this best of seven contest.

The hidden leaf is two down.


	34. Hashirama's New Attitude

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – HASHIRAMA'S NEW ATTITUDE**

 **In the Valley**

Kakashi rolls over onto his back, looking up into the sky. He knows that his actions have greatly impacted the living but he is more concerned for the dead. In particular, he thinks of two people, his teammates. He thinks of Rin and how disappointed she would be that he had failed, that everyone is going to die. He thinks of Obito, who endured so much in his life, whose chakra had been taken from the other world and how annoyed he would be that Kakashi still couldn't win.

With a flash of yellow, a man appears above the fallen 6th Hokage. That is, of course, the sensei of the team. The 4th Hokage, Namikaze Minato.

Kakashi sighs as he closes his eyes, "Minato sensei… I let you down".

Minato quickly grabs his side as he falls to one knee, the poison creeping up on him again. He laughs it off though, "You should have learnt from Mirai's match. You didn't give up so you've let nobody down".

The white-haired shinobi raises a hand to the front of his face, inspecting the back of it as if were a piece of art, "It's still growing sensei, I can feel the chakra rising within me".

"It's Obito's chakra, right?".

"Yeah" he lowers his hand back to his side, "Even while on the other side, Obito is doing his best for us".

Minato raises his head, standing nearby is the Colonel who Kakashi had fought against. If nothing else, this woman had been forced to use her 'cloak' power. She watches the two of them, considering what they are talking about, likely failing to realise just how significant these men are to shinobi history.

"Don't worry Kakashi, your power may still save us yet".

"Kakashi sensei" a slightly higher pitched voice calls. That voice belongs to Naruto who arrives a few seconds later, "Are you alright?".

"Yeah" the teacher groans as he sits up, straining the already overused muscles in his abdomen, "I'm just a bit winded is all, they hit, hard don't they?".

"Yeah" Naruto looks towards the enemy, "But, starting from now we are going to hit even harder".

A thumping sound descends from the top of the invaders hill, signalling the movement of the enemy commander, General Clyde. He arrives almost instantly in the valley, approaching his counterpart.

"Uzumaki Naruto" he begins, "That is the end of the first day's battles".

"The first day?".

The tall man raises a finger into the air, pointing eventually at the sky above. "Of course, this contest will take place over multiple days, after all look".

"The sun is setting… we won't be able to see if we continue in these conditions. Considering that we will be spending the night here, we shall continue in the morning".

Naruto considers what effect this will have on his team. _'As shinobi, it would be advantageous to us to compete in the dark. However, if this guy claims there is a rule against it I have no way of refuting him. I have to go by what he says'_. "Fine by me" the 7th eventually declares aloud.

Gaining Naruto's approval, Clyde turns and walks back towards his hill, Colonel Burns at his side. "Good work, Burns".

The red-haired Colonel smiles, happy, as ever, to receive praise from her superior officer. "Something like this is nothing to me, General".

Naruto, Minato and Kakashi are in a glum mood compared to the invaders. That is only natural, the first day is over, there have been two matches and they failed to win either of them. Although team morale has largely been boosted, now feeling that it is possible to defeat a Colonel, ultimately, this is a failure. Seven matches in total, the first to four wins. It's the worst possible start.

"The first day has been disastrous for us" Kakashi concludes.

"Two losses from two matches isn't great" Minato turns to his pupil, "But it's not the end for us. You only lost because your chakra awakened too late, as for Mirai she was unlucky".

"Of course," Naruto asserts, his voice filled with determination, "Hashirama and Sarada are both truly strong, our heavy hitters still haven't fought yet. They can stand up to Colonels, right?".

Kakashi lowers his gaze, "That's not what worries me".

"Sensei…".

"We've seen it first-hand today. During Mirai's match, we saw that the Colonels are on another level" he explains, "A power like hers wasn't enough, it was a power so unbelievable, so inherently powerful that we didn't even know it was possible. Yet, she still lost".

"That may be so" Minato nods, "But the three of us even being here was impossible not so long ago, we can still turn things around".

Looking towards the hill, Kakashi makes a cutting point. "But hasn't it occurred to you yet. That General must be even stronger…".

 **That Night, On the Hidden Leaf Hill**

Discovering that the shinobi of the hidden leaf would be required to stay the night, Hashirama resorted to an old trick, he used his specialist techniques to create several huts for people to stay in. The huts were certainly not luxurious but were certainly sufficient to keep you dry and warm for the night. Nobody was expecting a five-star hotel though, everyone had come here with the same basic piece of knowledge, that this will likely be their final resting place.

In that man, the 1st Hokage's hut, he remains solemnly, meditating in the knowledge that he will most likely be fighting tomorrow.

Then, someone knocks on the door, entering immediately afterwards. This man is the 2nd Hokage, Senju Tobirama. Though, more importantly at this moment, this man is Senju Hashirama's brother.

"Brother" Tobirama shuts the door behind him.

"… what is it?".

The 2nd Hokage approaches the table his sibling as sat at. Taking the chair from the other side and sitting opposite him. After getting comfortable, he opens his mouth, "Ever since you've returned from training you've been different".

"Different?".

"It's as if your angry" the 2nd Hokage suggests, "It's as if you are not the same person anymore. It's as if I left to train, waving goodbye to my brother, for when I returned, the Senju Hashirama stood before me was not him".

Tobirama is right in his observations. With Tsunade nearby, Hashirama had seemed OK since discovering Mito's death, not that he would know that. After Naruto's revival, though, Hashirama had been inspired by the 7th Hokage's power. He had gone North, seeking a place where he could be alone for the remainder of that one month they were given. Then he trained, and trained, and trained even more. The goal of surpassing Naruto didn't closer, instead it became more distant, then the 1st Hokage had asked himself why he wanted to catch up to Naruto. When he answered his own question, his motivation changed completely, he was no longer the Hashirama that they knew.

That man, the 1st Hokage, takes exception to his brother's observations. He slams his fist on the table, his bulging veins demonstrating the rage he feels, "Of course I'm angry, I'm more than angry, I'm livid". He gets to his feet, walking to the wall behind him before gently resting his head against it.

"About Mito's death?" the younger sibling asks.

"It's my only driving force now" Hashirama explains, "Mito's death".

He thinks back to that woman, Uzumaki Mito. Together, they have been through so much, while fate ripped them apart in the past, in this time, they had a chance, a chance to be happy together. Now that has been taken away from them too, it seems no matter how hard Hashirama works, no matter how determined he is, he and Mito cannot be happy together.

"I think to myself, what she thinking in her last moments? Did she want the village saved?" Hashirama asks, "Did she want her enemies to die? I don't care which one it is, I'm going to fulfil all of her wishes".

Tobirama rises from his chair, walking slowly towards his elder brother. "Brother, I don't think this is the way forward for you".

"What did you say?" the 1st Hokage practically hisses.

"Mito may indeed have wanted the village saved, and perhaps, she too wanted the enemy dead" Tobirama concedes, "However, she wouldn't have wanted you to do it this way".

Hashirama swings his arm to the side, "Who cares how I do it Tobirama. All that matters, is that I fulfil those wishes".

"You do" the answer comes, "Going on an emotionless killing spree, it may be something that I could handle. But for you that is completely impossible, I know you well enough to determine that, brother".

"I'm far more capable than you realise" Hashirama warns as he lifts his head from the wall, looking his brother in the eyes once again. After doing so he walks past the white-haired shinobi, heading towards the door with his hands in his pockets.

"She told me to tell you something".

Hashirama stops.

"She said that she wanted you and Tsunade to find true happiness in this world". Tobirama says this with a heavy-heart. He and Mito had never been particularly close, still, they had a level of mutual respect that would inevitably develop further the more time went on. Respect becomes friendship, an emotional connection, a sadness when the other dies. That sadness is now something that the 2nd Hokage is all too familiar with.

"You may want to ignore that final wish of hers" he notes, "But I'll force it upon you if I have to".

Hashirama waits for a few seconds before giving his considered response. "She had many more wishes that aren't compatible with that one… besides… if she is dead it is impossible for me to grant that one wish".

"While you're like this cannot grant her other wishes" Tobirama protests, "Brother, your true strength is not the wood release or sage mode, it's your heart".

Once more Hashirama pauses, offering a well-thought-out counter-argument, "In my fight against Peterson, I was full of 'heart' but I lost to absolute power didn't I".

The younger brother lowers his head. This path has been taken many times throughout history, he has seen it with Madara, he has, in the past drifted too close to it himself. Furthermore, it continued into the future, he had started to see Danzo walk this path and ultimately Uchiha Sasuke had walked it too. He has switched from the 'will of fire' to believing in 'absolute power'.

"I see" he replies, "If it's that philosophy which you have decided to adopt, then I am going to prove it wrong. You can believe in absolute power if you want, but, tomorrow I will win using the will of fire that you passed on to me".

Hashirama walks out through the door into the cold night. "We will see".

 **On the Other Hill**

The invaders are different to the people of the hidden leaf. They don't have anyone with an ability as convenient as Hashirama, instead they have had to rely on tents to keep dry and warm. However, the superior officers have not chosen a tent as their meeting place, this meeting is far too important to be overheard, so they have travelled a short distance from the Captains.

Gathered are General Clyde and the six Colonels serving under him.

"I want firstly to congratulate Sisto and Burns on their performances today" Clyde says with a smile as he claps lightly. He sweatdrops as he realises nobody shares his enthusiasm though, instead he simply raises an open palm, "Good work both of you".

"General" a voice comes from outside their circle.

This voice belongs to the strongest Captain of the invading forces, the one who had accompanied the hidden leaf shinobi here. Captain Dred.

"You" Martin's face turns red as his anger explodes, "This is supposed to be a private meeting between your superior officers, how dare you interfere".

As Colonel Martin's fury continues to escalate, he gathers his power on his hand. It is mauve, a deep shade of mauve.

Captain Dred is more than capable of feeling this energy, that is why he knows how terrifying it is. He jumps to it, adopting a fighting pose, ready to do whatever is required in the name of self-defence.

As Martin shows off his power, Peterson is quick to react. The lightning user is quick, the quickest out of all the Colonels. He appears at Martin's side, grabbing his wrist before the latter can even hope to react.

"You touch him and I will shock you, Martin".

"Release me Peterson" the snobbish Colonel retorts, "You, filthy dog…".

Before Martin can finish his insult, Sheer is before him. She unleashes a powerful punch straight into Martin's gut.

As Martin keels over in pain he curses his comrade. "Sheer… you dare to lay your hands on me, do you think there won't be repercussions".

"Sheer! Peterson! Step away from him" Clyde barks.

"But sir…".

"Step away!".

Sheer and Peterson are both reluctant. This despicable excuse for a human being was about to harm his own underling. Captain Dred has been their friend, their ally for a long time, much longer than Martin.

Still, Clyde understands something better than the Colonels do. To harm Martin would bring down a disaster upon their heads. Despite their hatred for him, there is a reason they are willing to tolerate him. Until that threat is removed or revoked, this is a man they cannot afford to offend.

"It's good that you have seen sense, General" Martin remarks as he rises to his feet. He gathers mauve energy on his hand once again, "Now, allow me to…".

"I think you are misunderstanding something Martin" Clyde interrupts.

"Huh…".

"As much as I can't afford to offend you. I will kill you before I let you lay a finger on my subordinate" the General threatens in his most ominous voice, "I don't view you like the others, you are truly despicable".

"What are you saying, General" Colonel Martin asks with a sarcastic smile.

"Do you think I didn't notice" the man replies as he strokes his blonde sideburns, "One of them was poisoned, a poison so strong could only have come from you. Am I wrong?".

"…".

"Dred" Clyde's voice becomes more welcoming once again, "Why have you come here?".

"Sir, I felt it" he declares, "I felt his power… it's bad".

"So, a Captain can feel it too" Clyde looks astonished as he gazes at Dred, "Well, you are close to the Colonel level after all".

This power, this threatening power from the opposite side is something they have all felt. Something that they have gathered specifically to discuss.

"Sir, allow me to deal with it" Dred bows slightly as he makes this request.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to" Clyde shakes his head, "I'm taking no chances".

Clyde then looks towards Peterson. Out of all the Colonels under his command, Peterson is the one who has worked hardest to earn his respect. Truthfully, he holds Peterson's power in an even higher regard than his own. Currently, Clyde is the strongest among them. Well of course, he is a General. In ten years' time, though, he dares not boast that the same would be true then.

"Are we aiming to kill?" Peterson asks.

"Yeah. We will pay the price if we need to, we can give up our two victories if it really comes down to it" the General decides.

Burns gasps. She has realised that this feeling on the enemy hill is a threat but she had failed to realise that it was a threat that significant. "It's that important" she questions.

"Yeah. It's that important" Clyde nods, "Peterson, you can do it the quickest. Wait for the opportune moment, it will come at some point in the next two days. I'm leaving this to you, do not miss, when you attack… you kill".

"Yes sir" Peterson salutes, "I won't miss, I will kill".


	35. Our Determination

**Author Note:**

Hi All.

Guess what, I just so happened to be very bored today.

So you lucky people get another chapter.

As for you unlucky people who don't like this, why are you still reading after more than 30 chapters.

As always, Thanks for Reading,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – OUR DETERMINATION**

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

The hut has slightly damp inner walls, but in general it is dry. This construction is, after all, the result of Senju Hashirama's hard work. It is poorly lit, with candles and torches being the only option as far as lighting goes. There is no shortage of fire though, the hidden leaf village takes route in the land of fire ultimately. Indeed, the use of fire is a specialty for the shinobi of this village.

This hut is the one set aside for the Uzumaki Family. It had been created with enough space to sleep four people, Naruto, Hinata, Boruto and Himawari. Though, as per usual, Hinata had gotten nervous and ran away from Naruto, something that bemused both Boruto and his younger sister. This leaves just the Uzumaki trio in the hut, namely, Naruto, Boruto and Himawari.

Their gathering had been disrupted shortly as Boruto had gone outside to check on what the invaders were doing. They all agree that it is important to make sure they are playing no underhanded tricks. As Boruto satisfies himself that this is not the case and that General Clyde's men truly are playing fairly, he returns to the hut, opening the door to be greeted with a surprising scene.

Himawari raises a piece of paper from the table beneath her and shows it to Naruto. Boruto guesses the paper must be a diffused paper bomb as there has been little time to source any since fleeing the village. "And it was like this" Himawari explains as she points to the drawing on the paper.

Naruto bursts into laughter, his arms and legs waving as he points at the picture. "Look at that terrified look on his face".

Himawari's back is to Boruto so he cannot see what she has drawn. "What are you…" he begins as his curiosity gets the better of him, he walks around to the other side and looks at the drawing. "What is that!" he shouts as he points at the picture.

"This was the face you made when I awakened the Byakugan".

Breathing heavily as he tries to keep calm, Naruto rests his arms on the table, holding his head in his hands. "That is too funny".

"Too funny" Boruto shakes his head, "I was fine at the end of that day, "It was you who went down in one hit, Lord 7th". Naruto's son does his best to emphasise Naruto's position as Hokage, sounding as sarcastic as one could in that situation. From that moment on, taking Naruto's strength seriously had always been a bit of a struggle.

Naruto scratches the back of his head as he gives an awkward grin, "I probably wasn't expecting a fight".

Naruto takes the paper from his daughter, inspecting it more closely. "Still, this drawing is amazing Himawari".

Naruto does not make this statement without basis, the drawing isn't just something anyone could produce. The 7th Hokage has teamed with an accomplished artist before and can tell from that experience that this drawing is special. The realism behind it, the little details that reflect the terror Boruto must have felt. The light bouncing off his glass-like eyes. In addition, from the background of the drawing, Naruto sees a beautiful family home, a home he and Hinata would have raised these two in one day.

"I was considering taking up art as a profession, that is before the war started" Himawari explains as she leans back slightly. The war had ruined so many things for so many people, everyone has lost a loved one, most people have lost their village and everyone has lost their homes. Himawari considers that this, this is a relatively small thing to lose.

"You never told me that" Boruto says, joining the other two in sitting at the table.

"I was considering it" Himawari nods, "I don't have a unique style like Sai or Inojin but as a shinobi, I was brought up to protect things. Still, everything dies eventually but when I draw it, when I draw it, it is immortal. Art can never die, art is eternal".

Boruto smiles at the thought, "So my terrified face is going to live forever huh".

"You have a strange way of looking at it brother" Himawari closes her eyes and smiles, "Still, it doesn't matter. I won't be able to go back to drawing for a while".

Naruto smiles, looking into his daughter's eyes as he points to his head protector. "Don't worry Himawari, after this is all over we are going back to the village. And I will have plenty of drawings I want to see.

"Perhaps this time something a bit less embarrassing" Boruto suggests.

His sister chuckles to herself, "If you say so".

Naruto switches his gaze to rest on his son. He has heard about his daughter but has yet to hear about what sort of person his son was before the war. He regards this as his greatest opportunity yet to understand Boruto.

"So, Boruto, do you have many hobbies?".

The 'shadow Hokage' scratches his chin as he contemplates. "I play the guitar from time to time" he answers.

Boruto had a lot of time options when he was young, there were far more things you could do than when Naruto was young. Perhaps, the range of choices was due to the hard-working father he had. Not only that, the family had the money to pay for their children's hobbies, with Naruto being the Hokage, their income wasn't bad. If that wasn't enough then the Hyuuga clan was always very generous towards Boruto and Himawari.

"You're a musician" Naruto asks with an intrigued smile.

"Yeah" Boruto nods as he starts to move his hands across each other, "Though, my main forte is rap, yo".

"Rap?" Naruto is far from an expert in the genre but he does know the basics.

Boruto decides to demonstrate his 'talent'.

"While the enemy is over there, preparing for bed. I am getting ready, to stamp on their head… oh, yay".

Naruto sweatdrops as he hears the unconventional tunes. _"Where did he learn such awful rap?"._

Kurama shares the thoughts of his host, _"I only know one person who could have taught him that"._

That person was the shinobi who had brought the two of them together. A man who had brought great happiness into their lives but on this occasion made their ears bleed. In unison, they say his name.

" _Killer Bee!"._

Unlike Naruto, Himawari claps her hands as she smiles widely. "That was great" she declares, "You're so good at rapping brother".

Together, Naruto and Kurama's level of shock raises to an even greater level.

" _She likes it!"_ Naruto screams internally.

Kurama agrees with his disapproval, _"Don't tell me that Gyuki's host actually became popular as time went on"._

As the evening goes on they continue to talk and laugh together. Slowly but surely, Naruto begins to fulfil his desire, his wish. He begins to learn just who his children have become. He begins to learn what it is that he so desperately wants to protect. He begins to learn, just what he is fighting for.

' _Uzumaki Himawari, Uzumaki Boruto'_ he recites their names in his head, _'You two really are incredible'_.

 **Tsunade and Dan's Hut**

Tsunade and Dan's hut is positioned near the centre of the others. That is because of Tsunade's role here at this contest. Not only is she hear to watch, to support her grandfather and her great-uncle. She is here as the medic. She acts as the doctor that will support the hidden leaf village's team while Naruto and Hashirama focus their attention elsewhere.

Right now, Tsunade and Dan are not alone for this very reason. Someone desperately needs medical attention following the beating they received in their match today. That someone is her successor, the 6th Hokage, Hatake Kakashi.

Dan looks on in amusement as he watches Tsunade lecture the injured Kakashi about how he should have been more careful. Though, the Hokage who would take over from her seems very nonchalant about the whole incident. His blasé expression quickly disappears though, that is because another person enters the room. Senju Tobirama.

Tobirama explains to the others about his encounter with Hashirama and his brother's recent change in attitude.

"Lord 1st huh" Dan tuts as he holds his chin in his hand, "He was the Hokage I always aspired to be like".

"I knew that he was acting differently when he came back" Tsunade frowns as she looks down at her feet. "But I just thought he was still sad about grandmother, I didn't think it was anything so fundamental".

Tsunade had joined Hashirama on the day that Naruto woke up, that day where they agreed he should keep trying despite everything that had happened, because that is what her grandmother would have wanted. Though it would seem that day, that the will of fire woke up Uzumaki Naruto and put Senju Hashirama to sleep in his place. Indeed, the person who has returned is not the same 1st Hokage who has gone down in legends.

"I sympathise with you all" Kakashi begins, "But don't you think there is something more important to worry about".

"Kakashi…" Tobirama breathes out.

"Can Lord 1st win with this attitude?".

Tobirama takes a moment to contemplate this. With the exception of Naruto and possibly Sasuke, his brother is the mightiest shinobi he has ever encountered. His brother had risen from a time of great war, a time when his family would die around him constantly. He had been the one to change all that, he had been the man who made the first great step towards peace, the 1st Hokage.

"If he truly believes in what he is saying, then he can win" the 2nd Hokage eventually answers.

"And does he?" Kakashi presses.

"Of course, he doesn't" Tsunade says angrily, under her breath, "This is the man who the will of fire originated from. It's a force that drives all Hokage, no, all shinobi in the hidden leaf village".

The 6th Hokage sighs, "In that case, we are probably all going to die here".

Dan steps forward. "What do you mean?". Perhaps the 1st Hokage's attitude change may have hindered him slightly, but that is all, surely that one change to their strongest competitor, with the exception of Naruto, should not lose them the entire contest.

Kakashi explains his logic. "If Hashirama is to lose then we will have to win all of the other matches. That may be OK for you Tobirama, it is also possible for Sarada and Naruto".

Tobirama understands where Kakashi is going with this. There is one more competitor on their team. "The other competitor is Boruto" he reminds Dan and Tsunade.

"Yeah" the leader of team 7 nods, "Unlike the rest of us, Boruto did not train for this contest".

Dan starts, "He spent all of his time training Sarada".

"Yeah. I lost because I didn't gain Obito's strength fast enough but Mirai, Mirai was strong and she lost anyway".

Tobirama shakes his head regretfully, "Then I guess we will just have to hope my brother wins".

Kakashi looks into the eyes of Tobirama. Since coming to the past, Tobirama has worked hard to support him mentally. Perhaps he believes that Kakashi's path is one that he should have taken. Many of the mistakes that lead the hidden leaf village to suffer came from him, the 2nd Hokage. Kakashi was the first Hokage, after himself, to have the same attitude, to adopt a logical approach and not an idealistic one. Yet, their paths do differ, Kakashi was said to have made none of those mistakes, he had learnt from the people in his past, while Tobirama just took inspiration from them.

"Either way" Kakashi says, "One thing is constant Tobirama, you have to win".

"Naturally" he nods in reply, "I'm going to show my brother it's power".

"The power of the will of fire that he passed on to me".

 **The Next Morning, In the Valley**

Looking left and right, a smile on his face, Clyde complains to Naruto. "That woman, Sarutobi Mirai, she created a real mess of this place with her explosion".

"Sorry" Naruto replies, "But just because of that, we have no intention of holding back".

Clyde laughs as he looks back towards Naruto. "I should hope you wouldn't, we'll be having another two matches today. I hope you guys win one of them… or else…".

Clyde is right in his observation. This is a best of seven contest. Two matches have already been lost by the hidden leaf village. If they are to lose both matches today that will make four losses, the fatal amount. To lose both matches today would be their death, it would be the end of the will of fire, the end of Naruto, the end of his children. It would be an end for Shinobi.

"Well" Clyde tilts his head, "If you lose both matches you'll be forfeiting your lives, do you understand that?".

"I understand that perfectly well" the blonde shinobi nods, "And, we won't be dying today".

"You can't be more than 17 years old and yet you are so determined" the General smiles at his counterpart, who he notes is significantly younger than him, "It's a pity that you are my enemy, you would have made a formidable ally".

"What nonsense are you talking about" Naruto screw his hand tightly into a fist, "A formidable ally, you've invaded my homelands, you've killed my friends, you've tormented my family. It is you, not I, who is unworthy of an alliance".

Clyde considers Naruto's heartache, it is not something he is often forced to recall. Still, he knows it to be true, everything that he has done since getting here, it piles up the hatred that is felt for him. For every life taken, he is resented by another, it's a cycle of hatred, only this one is different. This cycle has gone on for so long that it has become impossible to resolve. It's a cycle that eventually breeds a world filled with hatred, a world that can no longer be cured. Yes, curing such a world should be impossible.

But there is something he is overlooking.

The man he is stood facing, is Uzumaki Naruto.

Frowning he says what he can, "My circumstances are more complicated than you would know, Naruto. Some things are inevitable, some things are unavoidable".

"Everything is avoidable" Naruto retorts, "You've just chosen not to avoid this".

Clyde hesitates, resorting to his old habit of stroking his sideburns, "I suppose you are right".

"Let's get on with it shall we" Naruto says as he turns and walks towards his own hill. "Battle number three".

"Yeah" the General sighs, "Battle number three".

 **On the Hidden Leaf Hill**

"You exchanged a lot of words" Kakashi relays his observations to his student. His team 'captain'.

"I did my best to let him know that we aren't afraid" Naruto explains, "That we are going to win".

If there is one thing that the 7th Hokage has come to understand since being brought to the future it is the importance of belief. Even if you don't believe that you can do it, you should make as many people as possible believe that you can. Whether that means deceiving your enemy or encouraging your friends, they are all important. An enemy who doesn't believe he can win, is an enemy who is easy to defeat, an ally who believes you can win, they could be enough to light a fire inside you.

"Naruto. You're not even an adult yet and you are captaining our team, you're begin so mature about it" Kakashi smiles, "Just like a Hokage".

"It's only the two of us left now" the sensei continues, "So let me say this to you. When I was made a sensei, and put in charge of team 7, I was incredibly luck".

"We were the lucky ones Kakashi sensei. Nobody else could have taken us as far as you did". After paying this great compliment to the only other survivor of team 7, Naruto extends his fist towards his teacher, "Neither of us had become Hokage in the past yet, so let's do our best as Hokage in the future".

Kakashi extends his own arm, bumping fists with his student, "Of course".

Minato smiles watching the exchange between the student he taught and the son he never was able to raise. _'Kakashi, thank you for taking care of my son. Your team, it truly shares an incredible bond'_.

Kushina also thinks to herself about their situation. _'Kakashi, you learnt so many things from so many people, I'm really glad that you passed it on to Naruto'_.

"Old man 2nd" Naruto rudely addresses Tobirama, "It's your turn now, go give them everything you've got".

Tobirama's neck twists as he exchanges a glance with his brother. "Of course," he says as he begins walking towards the centre of the valley, "I will show it to them".

"Our determination".


	36. When you Must Win

**Author Note:**

Hi Everyone,

This is **To the Future** 's longest chapter yet. I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for all your support.

And thanks for reading,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – WHEN YOU MUST WIN**

 **In the Valley**

Tobirama arrives in the centre of the valley. His face is calm as always, however, the weight on his shoulders is far greater than ever before. He has put his life on the line many times, to defeat the Uchiha clan, to defend the Senju clan, to protect the village. This doesn't compare to any of those times. Everything, the fate of everyone is resting on him this time. If he cannot win here, he will be depending on his brother's new twisted philosophy to defend the hidden leaf.

The 2nd Hokage looks down at his hands. At this distance, likely not even Sarada can see it but his hands are shaking. His opponent will be a Colonel, in a battle he cannot afford to lose. He places his hands down by his sides, attempting to ignore the symptoms in order to calm himself but then he notices something else. It's his skin, his skin is prickling. This situation, this stage, it is a coliseum, a theatre that can wrack the nerves of even a Hokage.

Tobirama is one of the leaf's only three competitors to have thought a Colonel before this contest. On that day, his plan had been to rely upon Naruto and his brother, being the one who sensed the approaching Colonel Peterson, he knew from the moment he first made contact, that he didn't have a chance. It was a day where he had felt like a insect, fighting alongside two lions, trying to kill a bear.

Could an insect really kill a bear?

Thinking of this Tobirama smiles. _'This Colonel better watch out, I may be a mere insect, but…'_.

' _Mosquitos kill more people than any other animal'_.

The 2nd Hokage is finally confident. Then his opponent arrives before him.

It's a flash of electric blue, ushered in the sound of thunder. The lightning that welcomes his opponent's arrival is blinding at first but then it clears. It leaves a familiar face, a scarred face.

"You…" Tobirama starts.

This lightning of course can only be the sign of one man.

It's Colonel Peterson.

"Oh, I remember you from that fight, the weak one, right" Peterson mocks his opponent using this mock surprise. At this early stage, he is already trying to obtain any advantage he can, words are a great way to reach someone. If used in the right way, words can save someone, or kill someone. "To think you were in the strongest seven warriors from this world, how pathetic".

If Tobirama could stop his hands shaking before, he definitely cannot now. This is the worst possible opponent for him. Firstly, the 2nd Hokage's techniques are based on water, while his opponent is a user of lightning. Secondly, the rest of his techniques are based around his incredible speed; comparing the other Colonels to Peterson, their speed is greatly inferior to his. Lastly, there is already a psychological limiter built into his head, he has already come to accept that Colonel Peterson is better than him.

He grits his teeth. _'Calm down Tobirama, if you lose there is always…'_.

Then, in his head, a vision comes to him, not of his own desire or his own power. This is a vision of his sister-in-law, a vision of Mito. The vision is simple, it's of Mito slapping Tobirama.

' _What am I saying'_ he shakes his head slightly, _'If I don't win here, my voice will never reach my brother. I have to win here… I have to win'_.

Peterson starts as he watches Tobirama screw his hands into tight fists. _'Up until a second ago he was radiating nervousness, but now I can feel it coming from him. It's as if he is ready to kill'_.

"Do you honestly expect to beat me?" the Colonel asks in an attempt to probe this new-found confidence, "You might as well give up now".

' _Give up'_ Tobirama thinks to himself. _'It's true, the last time the two of us encountered one another, I wasn't in this man's league. I was a civilian on a battlefield, such was my level, I felt like I was throwing stones against an archer. However, that was one month in the past. The Senju Tobirama of today will fight'._

"You people used a cowardly method to kill Mito. It was her dying wish that my brother found happiness" the 2nd Hokage adopts a fighting pose, ready for any attack that comes his way, "For that to happen, I have no choice but to win".

Peterson snorts, realising that no matter what he says his opponents resolve will hold firm. "Do as you like, however, don't blame me if you end up regretting it".

Tobirama initiates his fight with Peterson.

He crosses his fingers, instantly, two puffs of smoke sound from either side of him. This is the shadow clone technique that he created.

The first clone throws a marked kunai towards Peterson. As the metallic weapon cuts through the air, it would seem fast to any normal shinobi. No normal shinobi is gathered here though, even the weakest that have gathered from the hidden leaf village are shinobi whose names were known throughout the lands. Therefore, if they can follow the path of this kunai, it is even easier for Peterson.

As Tobirama's first clone teleports to the kunai, it arrives with its feet on the same level as the Colonel's head.

' _This is only a copy'_ Peterson notes with utter contempt, _'I don't even need to block the attack of one so weak'_.

The 2nd Hokage forces Peterson to regret his decision instantly. With a kick to the Colonel's head, Tobirama forces Peterson to dig his heels into the ground as he is driven backwards. It should be understood that previously, even Hashirama had struggled to drive a Colonel backwards, yet now his much weaker younger brother is doing it.

' _What! This strength, it's almost…'_ Peterson thinks back to his previous encounter with the hidden leaf shinobi as he gazes at a sombre figure on their hill. He gazes at Senju Hashirama, _'It's almost the same as his'_.

Tobirama's first clone catches the kunai it threw not a few moments ago, and throws it towards Peterson once more. It reinvigorates the momentum that the blade has lost, once again it is bearing down on the unprepared Colonel.

Following this, the first clone teleports to the kunai once again.

' _Then, I'll just have to take you seriously'._ The silver-haired Colonel concludes this looking at his white-haired counterpart. He throws a punch towards Tobirama, a punch that could kill a lesser shinobi.

Tobirama is not the sort of person to be killed by this attack though. Especially after his training. Just as the first clone is about to be hit by Peterson's attack, it moves instantly in the air, avoiding the punch. This isn't instantaneous movement though, it is merely an illusion, what has really happened, is that the second clone has swapped positions with the first, readily avoiding the attack by moving in advance of teleportation.

' _I developed this method fighting against one of your captains'_ the 2nd Hokage smiles, _'Now, let's see how you'll stand up to this'_.]

The second clone gathers water chakra on its hand. It is a tight layer, sticking to the surface of the clone's hand as if bound by an invisible adhesive. _'Super condense the water on my hand. And give him everything I've got'_. Lashing out in an attack as strong as it can perform, the second clone slams the watery punch straight into Peterson's chest.

Tobirama smiles contentedly as Peterson stumbles backwards. _'I created this attack after watching Minato train with the rasengan. It's nowhere near as strong, but, it's still powerful enough to unbalance you'_.

The second clone throws a kunai into the air, walking casually towards Peterson as it does so. Everyone realises it, the second clone is acting as a dummy. Instead, it is the first clone which teleports to the airborne kunai. Quickly weaving a series of signs, it spits a huge volume of water from its mouth. This forms into the water dragon.

The water dragon spirals once in the air before flying downwards at full speed, slamming into Peterson.

As the water dragon hits, Peterson falls onto his back.

 **The Invader's Hill**

Sisto gasps, "Peterson he…".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"He's down" Boruto shouts as he pumps a fist into the air.

The whole hidden leaf hill cheers with joy, contrary to many of their expectations, Tobirama has downed Peterson.

 **In the Valley**

1…2…3…4…

Peterson gets back to his feet. Grinding his teeth, he looks upon Tobirama, noticing that his opponent is not in the least out of breath. This is not how he had expected the fight to start, up until now the Colonels have dominated the 'locals', yet he, touted by many as the strongest amongst their group, was losing.

"I confess, you are not the same person as before. You hit a lot harder but that's not all" Peterson begins, "It feels you finally have the resolve you were missing".

' _He is not going to go down just like that'_ the 2nd Hokage makes a mental recording.

Just like that, Peterson activates his cloak power. The power that his teammates refer to as the elemental cloak.

As lightning flickers of Peterson's body, he smiles lightly, his eyes fixed on Tobirama's.

' _This killing intent'_ , for just a moment, the man who has fought against the Uchiha clan becomes stunned. He is stunned by a killing intent so strong, he has never felt anything like it before.

Copying a move which he used against Hashirama, Peterson pushes electricity into the floor through his legs, paralysing the two clones which are now positioned to either side of him.

ZOOM!

ZIP!

In the blink of an eye, Peterson dashes to the first clone, punching him the stomach. The single, electric powered punch, pierces right through the abdomen of the clone, splitting it in half fatally. Before anyone can react, he turns around and does the same thing to the other clone. In but a moment, both of Tobirama's clones have gone.

The 2nd Hokage reaches into his pouch, preparing a kunai for whatever comes next.

There is little hope though, against this power, Tobirama is out of his league.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"It's this power" Naruto shakes his head lightly, "This power that nobody has been able to fight against".

"That cloak" Kakashi begins, "It amplifies their abilities just like a chakra cloak. If you compare this to the Raikage's lightning chakra cloak though, it's much stronger, the Raikage cannot even compare to this man".

 **In the Valley**

Tobirama only thinks one thing to himself as he crosses his fingers, creating two more clones, _'I at least have to try'_.

As the first clone throws a kunai towards Peterson, it waits for the opportune moment before teleporting to the mark on the weapon. No sooner than it arrives, it endures a punch in its gut.

' _Fast'_ is the clone's sole thought.

As Peterson pushes his fist through the gut of the clone, it is launched from the end of his hand. It is not launched aimlessly or carelessly though, its destination is very much fixed, very much deliberate. It is flying straight towards Tobirama's original body.

' _Not good!'_.

As the two Tobirama's collide a huge puff of smoke engulfs them.

Thankfully, at the last moment, Tobirama was able to swap his position with his second clone. _'His speed. It's so fast, faster than I could swap the clone's positions. His movement speed is faster than my reaction speed'_.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"This isn't good" Naruto makes a simple analysis.

Hinata agrees with her children's father, holding her hands close to her chest as her eyes contain a solemn look. "How can he possibly win when fighting someone so fast".

"Sisto wasn't that fast when I fought him" Mirai notes, "This guy is something else".

Kakashi, having heard Tobirama's concerns the other night, is greatly concerned by the direction this fight has taken. _'I don't know what you are going to do but you have to win here Tobirama. You have to do something!'_.

Tsunade is in the same boat, _'Uncle, didn't you say you would show my grandfather your spirit. You can't lose like this… you can't lose here'_.

 **In the Valley**

Peterson has a smug smile on his face as he looks at the nearly exhausted Senju Tobirama. "I get it" he declares, "You swapped your position with your clone at the last second. That's why the two of them disappeared in a puff of smoke".

' _It was a last-ditch effort to stay in this'_ Tobirama mentally commentates on his own actions, _'But, I have to win'_.

"But, what will you do now" the Colonel taunts, "I'll tell you what you should do. Quit. Quit before you get seriously hurt. In this form, you cannot defeat me".

Hearing this, Tobirama's eyes widen for a moment before he relaxes himself. The fighting pose he was in just a second ago is dropped, he stands in the most comfortable position he can and takes a deep breath. "My sister-in-law, my great-niece, my brother, Kakashi and the entire hidden leaf village. For the people, I care about, I can't afford to lose here".

Tobirama puts his other leg back, moving his arms into a new, wider position. A fighting pose that he has never before adopted.

"Oh…".

' _This time is now Tobirama… let's do this'_.

The moment he tells himself this, his chakra begins to rocket.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

While everyone else is simply surprised by Tobirama's sudden increase in chakra, two people show much more visible reactions. Two people's reactions are far more telling. Naruto and Kushina.

" _Naruto"_ Kurama suddenly speaks from within the young shinobi, _"Let me take over for a moment"._

The blonde Hokage nods as he allows the control of his body to switch from him to the nine-tails.

"Kushina" a deep voice calls. This voice comes from the mouth of Uzumaki Naruto but it is clearly not him. It's a voice that distresses Uzumaki Kushina greatly.

"Is that you nine-tails" Kushina frowns.

"This is no time for old grudges" Kurama frowns. Never had he expected that he would meet his former host again, he had not had a chance to reconcile with her but now is not the time for that. "Am I still sealed within you".

The red-haired shinobi understands the reason for the question. She simply nods.

"Then that settles it" Kurama declares as he swaps control of Naruto's body back to its owner.

"Mum" Naruto begins, "What was Kurama talking about".

"It's Mito". Kushina looks wide-eyed towards Tobirama, her complex emotions written on her face, "She had the nine-tails sealed with her as well. When she died… she must have…".

 **In the Valley**

As Tobirama's chakra continues to increase further and further, a visual change starts to appear on his body. No, a visual change starts to appear on his being. His skin, his eyes, his hair, even his clothes, they all begin to change colour, encompassed in a brilliant light.

This brilliant light is the source of his chakra.

This light, is orange.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"She must have passed it on to Tobirama…".

' _Grandmother'_ Tsunade says in her head as she watches on.

 **In the Valley**

"BROTHER!" Tobirama screams at the top of his lungs. Not deterred by the frowning response of his blood-sibling he continues, "I said it didn't I. If you won't grant that dying wish of hers then…".

"THEN I'LL FORCE IT ON TO YOU!".

As he shouts this the final stages of his transformation complete. He is coated completely by the nine-tails chakra.

 **The Day of Mito's Death**

Tobirama spends but a moment to look to his left and right. He is not too startled despite the amazing thing which he is seeing for the first time. The sound of trickling water, the beautiful ambiance of the lighting and the sheer terror, the sheer terror of the beast in front of him.

This is Tobirama's inner world.

This is the new home of Mito's nine-tails.

"You dare to seal me in here, 2nd" Kurama curses his new host.

"I have heard about your future" Tobirama explains, seemingly unbothered by what Kurama has to say. "I am sure you were listening to it as well, right, Kurama?".

"Don't call me by name!".

"I have people I want to protect" the 2nd Hokage informs the tailed beast, "I want to protect this world but I can't do it alone. I don't think we will ever become friends but I have to ask you…".

"Don't you want to protect it too".

 **The Current Day, In the Valley**

Peterson throws his hand out to the side of his body, gnashing his teeth in pure anger. "Do you really think that will be enough to defeat me?".

"I don't know but I'm going to give it my all. I will never give in. I will never give up. For that… that is the Hokage's ninja way". Tobirama pays tribute to Naruto with this declaration. If the ninja history that has been detailed to him is true, then this is what he truly believes. Fighting through so much with so little talent of his own, Naruto had gone from rags to riches. Naruto is the only Hokage who could have surpassed the 1st.

" _Let's do this Kurama"_.

" _Don't you dare mess up, 2_ _nd_ _"_.

As combat begins once again. At the exact same moment, Tobirama and Peterson begin to dash towards one another. Even with the use of Kurama's chakra, Tobirama's raw speed cannot compare to Peterson who is so accomplished with the element of lightning. _'If your speed is greater than mine, I will take my momentum from elsewhere'_ he decides as he throws a kunai towards Peterson.

As Tobirama teleports to the kunai, he does it in such a way as to preserve his momentum. His speed may be inferior to Peterson's but his new reaction time, combined with the flying thunder god jutsu, is more than enough to put him leagues ahead in attacking ability.

SLAM!

The white-haired shinobi kicks the Colonel in the chest, pushing him back a short distance.

As Peterson is pushed backwards, he vomits blood from his mouth. A terrible thought comes into his head. _'Could I really lose to the locals twice'_.

POOF!

Once more, Tobirama creates a clone. This time it is a solitary copy of himself. _'I can only make one clone using this form but that will be more than enough'_.

"When Naruto used the tailed beast bomb, it wasn't enough to bring this guy down" the original smiles.

"So, we'll just have to add our own twist to it" the clone decides, "right?".

The original Tobirama dashes towards Peterson. His speed even greater than before as the onlookers notice the roaring sound from each step he takes. This is Senju Tobirama, a new more powerful Senju Tobirama. This is a Senju Tobirama forged by the will of fire. This power is a product of so many people, of Hashirama and Mito, of Tsunade and Dan, of Naruto and Kakashi.

' _He's fast but not as fast as me'_ Peterson tells himself as he throws a punch towards the incoming Hokage.

That punch misses.

' _What'_ the Colonel raises his head to look into the air, _'He swapped place with his clone'_.

Peterson would regret this moment, where he focuses on how his opponent can do what he can do. He would regret this moment, where his thought deviated from simply winning the fight.

The clone bends its knees as far as it can, preparing to use them like springs. From its back a hand is formed, a giant orange hand made from the chakra of the nine-tailed beast. As this hand grabs hold of Peterson, finally, the clone extends its legs, launching itself and Peterson down the sloping valley.

"What do you intend to do?" Peterson asks, not out of fear but out of an unknowing. This is the first time he has ever fought a local who could outthink him like this. He then gasps as he spots a glint of metal sailing over his head. He quickly determines this metal object can only be one thing, it would be too convenient if it were anything else.

It is one of the marked kunai.

The kunai sails past Peterson before Tobirama's original body appears, taking a firm hold of the handle with his left hand. His left hand isn't the worry though, the heavily scarred Colonel is more concerned with the contents of Tobirama's other hand. A black ball of near-pure energy.

It is a tailed beast bomb.

' _This attack may not be enough to put you down by itself'_ Tobirama shouts in his mind, _'But when you are being pushed back like that. It can put you down'_.

' _I CAN WIN!'_.

In a single enormous explosive moment, the younger Senju brother smashes the tailed beast bomb into the back of Peterson's rapidly moving body. The flames of the tailed beast bomb knock the original body backwards, destroying the clone altogether. This would not put Tobirama down though as he lands on his feet. The question is, what happens to Peterson.

The Colonel in question is sent flying back up the valley he was just pushed down. Creating a small crater where he lands.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"He's down" Naruto smiles as he steps forward with two outstretched fists. He feels like a kid watching a sports match, the adrenaline flowing through him almost making him forget what is on the line.

An emotional smile is written on the face of Tsunade. If her grandfather were to take the wrong path it may kill her inside, perhaps there is only one person who could stop him from doing that. That person may well be Senju Tobirama, and that aforementioned Senju has just done something truly incredible.

Dan smiles himself, not looking towards the fight but instead looking towards Tsunade. He, more than anyone understands how difficult, how emotional this has been for the 5th Hokage. She has lost her grandmother and may be losing her grandfather. All of this has happened at a time where Naruto's operation has put her under a greater stress than any medic in history. Only one person could stop her from being engulfed by the pain. And that person is doing pretty well.

' _This is'_ Kakashi looks on in astonishment, _'This is Tobirama's spirit'_.

 **In the Valley**

Tobirama looks at the downed Peterson, almost completely out of breath. He's amused by how close he is to dropping to his own knees, that tailed beast bomb had taken nearly everything he had. All that mattered now is that he is on his feet, and that Peterson isn't. It's still not a victory though.

There is still the count.

1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9...

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

An enormous cheer erupts from the hill as the 5th Hokage counts it. "THAT'S TEN SECONDS".

It is only a single victory in a best of seven contest but it is a victory none the less.

This single victory seems to be the greatest source of joy the hidden leaf has experienced in years. The likes of Naruto and Hinata are of course overjoyed but the reaction of the others is something else. Nearly all of them are in tears, emotional wrecks as they depend upon one another to prevent themselves from collapsing.

After so many years of losing to the invaders.

This is their first victory.

Amongst the emotional is Uchiha Sarada. Sasuke's daughter falls to her knees upon the final result.

"Sarada…" Boruto starts.

"Are you watching. Dad. Mum" she asks as her whole-body trembles. "It's our win. They can be beaten, Colonels can be beaten".

 **In the Valley**

Tobirama takes a moment to embrace the feeling. It's not just the fact that he has won, it is the fact that he has done it and proven his brother's former philosophy. This is not just a victory for Tobirama but a victory for Mito as well and a victory for the Hashirama of yesterday.

"It's not the way they died that motivates us" Tobirama whispers, "It's the life they lived".

Finally, they have their first victory.

The score is 2-1.


	37. Absolute Power

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – ABSOLUTE POWER**

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Tobirama walks up the hill with a contented smile on his face. He has won, not only has he won, he has won against his natural enemy. He has faced down the Colonel that overwhelmed him not so long ago, the Colonel who defeated Hashirama, the Colonel who Naruto risked his life to defeat. Such a character would be legendary in shinobi history, they could have gone down as one of the figures that transcended even the Kage, people like the sage of the six paths and his brother. Against the odds though, against all the odds, the 2nd Hokage has won.

Tsunade smiles to her approaching relative. This is an unusual feeling, Kakashi had limped up the hill and required support from Minato and Kushina. Mirai had been in much the same position, needing help to get up the steep slopes the valley offered. Tobirama is different though, he is the first one. The first one to walk up the hill under his own esteem.

"Good work Uncle" Tsunade calls with a smile on her face.

Reinforcing this Kakashi raises a thumb towards Tobirama. He had been given a unique insight into Tobirama's motivations, his admiration for his brother. The two of them are in a unique position, they are the only two present whose period as Hokage connected with one of Asura's transmigrants. Tobirama was constantly in Hashirama's shadow, knowing the only way to escape was a path he didn't want to follow. Kakashi was in a shadow that didn't even exist yet. Though he had yet to experience his future, he already felt it during the war looking at the backs of his three students. Even at that time he was in the shadow of their future greatness.

"I hope you got your point across, Tobirama" Dan smiles to the 2nd Hokage, someone who now admires even more than he did in the past.

Tobirama doesn't respond to the praises though, instead opting to approach his brother. He doesn't rush, slowly walking up to the face of the 1st Hokage. "Brother, do you see it now, the will of fire".

Hashirama doesn't so much as blink. His eyes are just as empty as they were mere seconds ago. He doesn't even congratulate his younger brother on obtaining their first victory.

Seeing his brother ignoring him, the younger of the siblings continues. "As a philosophy, the will of fire will always be superior to absolute power".

Nearby, Boruto observes their conversation, lowing his head slightly as he considers this lesson from the Senju clansmen. _'Superior to absolute power, huh…'_.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Tobirama" Hashirama muses, finally breaking his silence.

His reaction is completely against Tsunade's expectations. "Grandfather, what are you talking about". She subconsciously takes a few steps towards him as she hears his views. Is it really possible, could it actually be the case that Hashirama would never be the same man again?

"Hashirama…" the name slips of Sarada's tongue. _'Has he truly given in to despair. If Lord 7_ _th_ _had done that, would I be the Hokage, would I even be alive?'_.

"We can judge whose philosophy is superior" Hashirama admits, "But, it would be better if we did it after my match, wouldn't it?". After making this admission, he steps past his younger brother, ignoring the latter's trembling as he heads down the hill into the valley.

Shaking his head, Tobirama walks over to Tsunade's side.

"Now what?" his niece asks, "I don't want grandfather to lose, but…".

"Perhaps now there is only one person who can get through to him" Tobirama decides as he takes a glance to his side. There is only one person here who understands, who embraces the will of fire with more vigour than Hashirama did. That is the man he glances at, that is Uzumaki Naruto.

 **The Invader's Hill**

Martin grinds his teeth in fury as Peterson slowly strolls up the hill. "Peterson, you lost again". Upon saying this, many of the Captains and even some of the Colonel's give an angry look to Martin. Peterson had given everything he could to that fight but Martin doesn't care, in his world there is only one person who matters.

Still, Peterson understands that it his fault the invaders have gotten to this state. It is his fault that they are at such a high risk of death. "Yeah" he finally mutters, "Sorry General, I've let you down repeatedly".

"Don't worry about it Peterson" Clyde sighs, "That guy has improved immeasurably since he battled against you back then".

"Indeed" the Colonel nods in agreement with his superior, "I just wonder how strong this next one will be".

Clyde takes in the sight of their next opponent. A man with long dark hair, of average build and in his late 30's or early 40's. Of course, this is someone he has seen before, a man whom he witnessed broken and battered on the day he first met Uzumaki Naruto. It's Senju Hashirama.

"The other one who fought against you" Clyde says aloud, "He battles using wood doesn't he?".

"Yeah".

"Well then" a woman starts as she walks out ahead of Clyde and Peterson, "That makes him my perfect opponent".

This woman is tall, not reaching the same towering heights as Clyde and Peterson but still above average. Still, that is not her most striking feature, that would be her bright green hair that sets her apart from the crowd. It's so striking, even more striking than the fiery red hair sported by Burns. Perhaps more telling than anything else though, is her attire, a uniform marked two, a silver cape. It's another Colonel.

"Don't lose Grace" Burns shouts as her comrade heads down the slope.

"As if I would" the green-haired woman replies.

 **In the Valley**

Hashirama and Grace meet in the centre of the valley. Their expressions a stark contrast, one happy and bubbly, looking as if she is relishing the challenge of fighting in this contest. The other, with an expression bordering on misery, whose very presence emotes sadness. This is the feeling that only someone like Hashirama could produce and only in a situation like this.

"Shall we exchange names in accordance with tradition" Grace smiles as she bows lightly to Hashirama, "My name is Grace".

"I have no interest in names" Hashirama replies, much to his opponent's surprise, "My onlt interest is in saving my village from your tyranny".

The smile that had momentarily disappeared from Grace's face reappears. _'It seems my opponent is letting his emotions get the better of him'_ she quickly determines. The others had attempted to gain a psychological advantage through verbal sparring, but she notes that there is no need for this as she already has the advantage. "Well then, I'm ready when you are".

Despite Grace's call to battle, Hashirama stands perfectly still, his hands down by his sides as he looks into the eyes of his opponent.

' _He is not even adopting a fighting pose'_ Grace starts, _'Is he underestimating me? His hands may as well be in his pockets'_.

Still, given time, he doesn't move. He stands in the same position, a statue, a monument to the philosophy of absolute power.

' _In that case, I will take the initiative'_ Grace thinks to herself as she begins to move forwards.

TAP!

A big mistake.

As soon as Grace takes her first step Hashirama reacts. The moment her foot touches the ground, wood begins to appear from his own feet. This isn't like his previous attacks though, it is faster. Much faster.

The wood stems from his feet but it grows incredibly rapidly. In a matter of seconds it forms one solid block, perfectly encompassing half of the valley. Half of the valley is now air and half of it is wood. Wood in which Grace is trapped.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"No way" Tsunade rubs her eyes in disbelief. _'He did that with a single attack'_.

"That's huge" Tobirama shakes his head, stunned by his brother's attack.

"Lord Hashirama" Hiruzen stammers. _'I have seen Lord 1_ _st_ _fight before, but this. Even he and Madara together could not have accomplished something like that'_.

 **The Invader's Hill**

Peterson points to the construct, stunned. He and the others were standing on the very peak of the hill but only five meters below them the wood has stopped. It is like a giant mould, fitting the other half of the valley perfectly.

"General" Peterson stutters, "Is she?".

"She will be fine" Clyde remarks. _'Still, this power is incredible. Given enough time that guy could reach my level. I'm glad I called this contest'_.

 **In the Valley**

After a few seconds, Clyde's predictions start to come true. It was no exaggeration when Grace said she was Hashirama's worst possible opponent.

A crashing sound.

A burning feeling.

Both of these are felt by the 1st Hokage as a hole is burnt in the top of his wooden construct. A few moments later the whole structure catches fire. It is not a quick process, perhaps taking a whole minute. Still, after that minute, the wood has all burnt to the ground, leaving Grace stood in the middle.

Grace is looking bad. There are burn marks all over her body and she is struggling for breath. Her chest heaves as she spends a few seconds gathering energy and calming herself. She is struggling despite something.

She has activated the elemental cloak.

She needed to use her cloak just to survive.

"Dammit, don't you know that you should go easy at the start of the fight and only user your trump cards at the end if it's absolutely necessary". Grace chastises Hashirama as if she is his teacher.

"Don't be mistaken, Colonel Grace" Hashirama begins, shocking his opponent, "Right now, I am going easy on you".

"You…".

"Fear not though, my younger brother is watching and he doubts my new philosophy. I'm going to show him that absolute power will work for Mito. And I'm going to start that, right now".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

A trio of heads snap around all at once. These heads belong to the three generations of one family. The 4th Hokage, Namikaze Minato, a look of urgency in his eyes as he stares up and down. The 7th Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, a look not of urgency but of disbelief as he cannot fathom what is happening. Uzumaki Boruto, the look in his eye could also be mistaken for this, however, Sarada recognises that he is faking his reaction. What Boruto is really feeling, is admiration.

"No way" Boruto struggles to keep from smiling.

"This is…" Minato stands, mouth agape.

"Naruto" Kakashi places a hand on his student's shoulder, "What is going on, what is it you guys can see?".

"He's taking in nature chakra" Naruto explains, "It's not only that, back when I started training I showed you six paths sage mode. He is taking in nature chakra even faster than I did".

"Is this the power" Tsunade gasps, "Is this the power born from my grandfather's hatred?".

' _Hatred, no this is love'_ Boruto resists the urge to shake his head at what he considers to be foolish words, _'This is the power of Lord 1_ _st_ _'s love for his wife. This is the power born of her death'_.

' _Mito, what do I do now...'_ Tobirama looks up into the sky, as if he can talk to his deceased sister-in-law, _'If this is the power granted to him by sadness. How will I ever help him to find happiness'_.

 **In the Valley**

Grace gasps as she gazes at Hashirama. _'What is this? Why does he have this insane power?'_.

Hashirama smiles lightly, "Your reaction. Despite you not using chakra, it seems that you can see it".

Grace grits her teeth as she faces down her opponent.

"Does that mean your power is something even greater than chakra" the 1st Hokage questions.

"SILENCE!" Grace barks as she dashes at Hashirama and throws a punch straight towards his face.

The reaction of the sage is remarkably calm. He slowly lifts his hand, not looking the least bit rushed or even slightly panicked. Then, faster than many can comprehend, the two of their hands smack together. A slapping sound resounds throughout the valley, no, it could be heard for miles around. It is a warning for any who dare to come near, two powerful warriors are fighting here.

Hashirama, has caught the punch.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"That's impossible" Mirai starts in reaction to the astonishing feet of strength.

"Those cloaks, they grand them insane physical abilities" Kakashi recalls. "Mirai could not stand up to it, I lasted less than a second against it and even Tobirama, who won, had to dodge it. However, Hashirama caught it… he caught it!".

It is not something that can be exaggerated enough to the hidden leaf shinobi.

Nobody has ever stood up to a Colonel so effortlessly before.

This man, is the 1st Hokage.

 **In the Valley**

They go into a repetitive motion. Time and time again, Grace tries to attack Hashirama. Sometimes she uses feints, sometimes she attacks with her fire and sometimes she tries with punches and kicks. Nothing works though, every last attempt is foiled by the 1st Hokage. That is not all, he does not even use ninjutsu to stop the attacks, he fights back with only a single hand. He limits his defence, either blocking with that hand or dodging. His attacks are even more limited, the only weapon he uses being his almighty punch.

Each time she falls down Grace tries to get up. It is getting more and more hopeless though. Every time it takes her longer to get to her feet. It is something that even many of the hidden leaf shinobi start to slowly admire, for whatever reason, Grace refuses to give up. Every time she tries to attack she puts herself through more and more pain, but she never gives in.

 **The Invader's Hill**

"General, you have to stop this" Sisto protests vehemently, "She could get seriously injured, it's not worth…".

"Sisto" Peterson interrupts his fellow Colonel, "Before you finish what you are saying look closer. It is very much worth letting this fight continue. In fact, it will only take a short while longer".

"What do you mean" Sisto questions as he turns his gaze back towards the battle.

"There is a reason Grace hasn't given up" Clyde smiles. Internally the General feels something that he has yet to feel in this battle. He feels pride. Every battle so far, his subordinates have gone in as the favourites, with their strength vastly outstripping their opponents. Even Peterson's loss had been to a tactical genius. This however, Grace was fighting against a stronger opponent and was persisting. This is the source of his pride.

 **In the Valley**

Grace arrives at Hashirama's side and throws a kick towards him. It is yet another successful dash but she knows this is only for one reason. It is because Hashirama is letting her get close.

The 1st Hokage blocks the kick with a seemingly gentle tap from his palm before pulling his arm back and tightening his hand into a fist.

Grace closes her eyes, bracing for another impact. It has become a subliminal expectation for her at this point. She hates it, she absolutely detests the pain that accompanies one of his punches, punches far stronger than a local should be able to muster.

Though that punch, doesn't arrive.

Grace opens her eyes to see her hopes come true.

Hashirama… collapses.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"EHHHH" Tobirama is stunned by what he witnesses. His brother had been in control of the fight but a moment ago and now this.

"What is going on" Tsunade questions.

Boruto is also stunned. _'Absolute power… lost'._

 **The Invader's Hill**

Sisto takes a deep breath. If nothing else, he relaxes as he watches the count reach ten. "What is going on Peterson?".

"Something in his body changed when he started absorbing chakra from the surroundings" Peterson smiles as he explains, "But it was like a muscle that he only recently discovered how to use. Namely, it was weak".

Burns steps forward, finally understanding. "So despite being so powerful he…".

Clyde looks down happily at the injured Grace. Despite her condition she is the winner and it is a win that feels sweeter to him than any before. "HE couldn't use it for very long. He fought this battle foolishly thinking there is no way he would lose with this absolute power of his".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Naruto" Minato turns to his son, not understanding at all what has just occurred. "What just happened".

"I have no idea" Naruto shakes his head, "But I think his overconfidence cost him".

Tobirama sighs, his fears have come true. "Perhaps his philosophy has been proven wrong but as far as silver linings go that is very thin".

"You know what this means right" Kakashi asks Naruto with a solemn look in his eye.

"Yeah" Naruto nods, turning to face his son. "Boruto, Sarada, the three of us have no choice now".

"Every remaining match, we have to win them all".

That is all for today's matches. With Naruto and Clyde agreeing that it is too late in the day to continue. Instead destiny will be determined tomorrow.

All three matches. The hidden leaf shinobi have to earn three victories in their remaining three contests. Of course, they have been relying on Naruto's strength all along. Then, there is Uchiha Sarada, the 9th Hokage who took inspiration from Uzumaki Naruto. The first Uchiha to become a Hokage, one of very few shinobi to have ever awoken the rinnegan.

But there is a weak link.

Boruto hasn't trained at all.

How will they survive now, with no room for error?


	38. Follow My Path

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – FOLLOW MY PATH**

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Boruto stands still, his black coat fluttering in the breeze slightly as he looks into the valley below. There are a few orange glows of light coming from the various tents pitched on the opposite hill, as well the torch light seeping through the cracks in the huts behind him. His hands are deep in his pockets and there is a solemn look on his face. As he gazes at the lights on the other side of the hill he cannot help but wonder, _'Is one of those lights from my opponent tomorrow'_.

It is a depressing state of events for him. He is now in the last situation he wanted to be in. When he had drawn position 6 in the contest he had hoped, somewhere in the back of his mind, that this meant he wouldn't have to compete. He had prayed, prayed that they would win the contest by then. He had prayed that the likes of Hashirama, Mirai and Sarada could win, that they could get four wins from the first five. Of course, that thinking has now proven to have been naïve.

"Shouldn't you be asleep" a nearby voice asks.

Boruto looks over his shoulder, turning around to look at the source of the voice. "Oh, it's you grandmother".

This woman is Uzumaki Kushina, someone Boruto never had the chance to meet during his youth. Many people in the hidden leaf village didn't know their grandparents, after all, many had died during the 4th great shinobi war. That isn't the end of Boruto's emotions when it comes to his grandmother though. When he had suggested that his grandfather be left to die, it had earned her anger. Hinata had been upset with Boruto when the latter made the suggestion but Kushina didn't know how to react, at the time she simply couldn't believe what was being suggested.

"It's late" Kushina explains, "You need to be well rested before tomorrow".

' _My grandmother'_ Boruto says in his head, _'I suggested we let my grandfather die and she is still treating me so well. I know she reacted badly at first but shouldn't she still be angrier. Shouldn't she be furious about what I have done'_.

Boruto continues his inner monologue as he gazes at his grandmother. _'To forgive people so easily, despite the horrendous things that they have done, is this something she shares with my father'_.

"You need your rest, Boruto".

"What good will it do" the shadow Hokage sighs, "I'm not like the others, I'm too weak to do this".

"What are you saying" Kushina chuckles slightly as she steps towards her descendant, "You are far stronger than I am".

"I…".

A groan comes from nearby, from someone hidden in the shadows.

"I told you to go back to sleep" Kushina shouts as she waves her fist at the source.

Naturally, the groaning individual is her husband, Namikaze Minato. He grimaces as he emerges from the shadows, clutching hold of his gut as he approaches. "I was worried".

"It doesn't matter if I'm stronger than you" Boruto explains, ignoring his grandfather and instead responding to Kushina's former point, "What matters now is that I'm weaker than a Colonel".

"Boruto…".

"I don't have Lord 1st's power, I don't have my father's heart". Boruto clenches his fist, hesitating for a moment before he finishes, "I…I… I'm too weak for this".

"I chose you for a reason" Minato retorts. "I chose you because I believe you can win".

Boruto shakes his head upon hearing his grandfather's confidence. He has been even harder to understand than his grandmother. Boruto suggested that he should die. He had suggested that Minato's death would improve their chances in this contest. Not only had Minato not spoken one word in rebuke since then, instead he has encouraged Boruto, stating that the blonde-haired shinobi is a better choice, even than the 3rd Hokage, to replace him.

"What makes you believe something like that" Boruto breathes out, "What single aspect of my existence as a shinobi can compare to the others here".

"I remember something that Jariya always used to say" Kushina begins.

"Jariya". The name sounds familiar to Boruto. "Wasn't he dad's godfather".

Minato sweatdrops upon hearing this. _'Kushina allowed my perverted sensei to become Naruto's godfather?'_.

"Yeah" Kushina nods, seemingly unfazed by the revelation. "He always used to say that the measure of a shinobi is not how many techniques he knows. He said it was how much that shinobi has had to endure".

"You've had to endure a lot, Boruto" his grandfather furthers, "I don't know much about the shadow Hokage, but from the sounds of it, due to that position, you have had to endure even more than Sarada".

Boruto takes this in for a moment before lowering his gaze to his feet. "If the hidden leaf is to die tomorrow, it will be my fault".

"Boruto…".

"Sorry Grandma, but I need a moment to be alone".

Having gotten his feelings off his chest, Boruto walks away dejectedly. In this sort of condition, perhaps being alone is the worst thing that he could do. Still, what can Minato or Kushina do? To force their company upon him would likely just irritate him, agitating him before his big match tomorrow is the last thing they want to do.

' _He is so different to Naruto'_ Kushina frowns. _'Naruto always seems to believe in himself when it matters most. No, Naruto believes in himself all the time, even when it is completely illogical. Yet, Boruto has such confidence issues. What has this world done to him?'_.

With a grunt, Minato drops to his knees.

"Minato" Kushina frowns as she kneels down to look him in the eye. "Are you alright?".

Her husband chuckles in response. "That really hurt".

"I'm going to get Naruto".

Just as Kushina rises to her feet, Minato grabs hold of her wrist. "Don't distract Naruto, he needs to focus to".

"But if the poison…".

Minato smiles through the pain though, an innocent expression his face as he pleads with Naruto's mother. "I can easily endure this pain for a few days. After all, I'm the 4th Hokage, right?".

 **The Invader's Hill**

General Clyde sits alone in his tent. He is by no means confined though, the tent is easily big enough for him to walk around him. He is sat not on the floor but at a chair positioned next to a small table. He ticks off the results of the contest so far, making notes on what the enemy have done, what they have said. This may seem like strategy but actually he does it to relax himself. With his friends in such danger, he cannot help but be tight-chested.

His peace is disrupted though, it is interrupted by a man who will obviously bring him a lot of stress. The cowardly Colonel Martin.

"What do you want Colonel" Clyde asks, looking up from his notes.

Martin does not have any desire to engage in pleasantries. He walks straight up to the table, tearing Clyde's notes from under his hand, shredding them as he tosses them onto the floor. This man may be his superior but it is clear for some reason that he is not afraid of him.

"You were a fool to call this contest" Martin spits.

"A fool?".

"They've shown they can win" Martin says as he points towards the valley where the battles have taken place, "What if we lose? Have you considered what will happen then?".

The General sighs, leaning back in his chair such that it swings slightly. His pupils rest at the corner of his eye sockets as he considers the consequences of such a disastrous result. "If we lose we will hold true to our word. And we will probably die".

"I won't allow it" Martin slams his fist on the table. Whatever he had been doing before visiting his commander, it has certainly given him a lot of confidence.

"Oh?".

The cowardly Colonel explains his plan. "If we launched an attack now, we would be able to overcome them. We would obliterate all of their mightiest warriors in one stroke".

"We no longer have the right to attack" Clyde suggests, "If I hadn't agreed to this contest Peterson would have died".

The moment Clyde had arrived at that battle, he saw Naruto and Hashirama bloodied and on the ground. Instead it was the last man standing, Tobirama who held Peterson's life in their hands. Since arriving in this place, Clyde has not lost a single Colonel. Of course, that means the shinobi have never defeated one. That would have been their first chance, if Clyde had offered them no way out and had instead attacked them, it would be logical to assume Tobirama would have killed Peterson when he had the chance.

General Clyde is many things to the 'locals'. He is a conqueror who has destroyed their way of life, a murderer who has slaughtered tens of thousands and he is a villain who killed Naruto and Sasuke. One thing he is not, though, is disloyal. He had made a strategically weak move to save a Colonel who wasn't that necessary to his war effort.

"Peterson's deserves death for his failure" Martin harrumphs, "That has always been our way".

"IT HAS NOT".

Clyde stands from his position as he shouts into the Colonel's face. He takes a deep breath before continuing, "That hasn't always been our way".

"Listen" Clyde says sincerely, "My way is still to save all of my men. Our cause may not be noble but it is our cause. No matter what horrible things we do, we do them together. We do them as comrades, as friends".

Martin pauses, a twisted smile creeping onto his face. "That sounds dangerously close to the teachings of the old man".

"…".

"I wonder what would happen" Martin begins, "I wonder what would happen if I told the other generals about you saying that". Indeed, these teachings are taboo in their force. Martin knows that, it is not something pleasant and it is not something moral, but this fact is something he is willing to use. He is a man of a disgusting nature.

"Are you threatening me" the General muses, "Two can play at that Martin. What if the other generals never saw you alive again".

Martin frowns at his leader. _'He is too powerful for me to rebel against here. I can't rebel like this anyway. My sister will make you pay General, all I need is a chance to get out of your grasp. My opportunity will come and when it does, you will regret it'_.

"Martin, if you are never loyal for the rest of your life it will come back to bite you".

The Colonel smiles as he turns to leave. "Maybe. But, it's better not to be loyal at all than it is to be loyal to the wrong people".

"Don't you think so, General Clyde?".

 **The Other Side of the Hidden Leaf Hill**

Boruto has come here to be alone. It's not necessary solitude that he desires, it is to be away from his grandparents. He has a great deal of respect and admiration for them but right now he needs to be logical. He determines that emotion won't win his match and that only logic will. It is only in fairy tales that self-believe and ethical ideologies save you at the last moment. Such a thing won't happen in this world.

"You're scared, aren't you?" a voice asks from behind Boruto.

Boruto doesn't turn around to determine who this is. Away from the peak of his hill, it could be the enemy attacking him. His mind instantly transforms its inner workings, assuming that a battle has already started. The first thing he does is to activate his byakugan, to give himself a clear view of the person behind him.

This is unnecessary though. "Oh, it's you Lord 1st…".

"You're scared because you have to win tomorrow" Hashirama explains as he walks around Boruto to look him in the eye.

"I'm not scared" Boruto explains, "It's just…".

"You needn't hide it from me" Hashirama says with a smile on his face.

Boruto is stunned. A smile, a smile that truly comes from the heart. It is the first time since the 1st Hokage's return that Boruto has seen him smile like this. Previously he had been so moody, so full of anger and animosity. Now, this is like the 1st Hokage of old, the 1st Hokage who had inspired so many. It is the 1st Hokage, the Hokage who bears the most resemblance to his father.

"Yeah" Boruto sighs, "I'm scared. I'm scared of losing. I'm scared that the blood of the village will be on my hands".

"Then win".

"What are you talking about" Boruto steps towards Hashirama with widened eyes. "I haven't been training, I have no power that could help me to defeat a Colonel".

Hashirama smiles once again, a genuine smile and not one filled with malice. "Boruto, you follow the path of Uchiha Sasuke don't you".

Boruto doesn't even need to consider this. "Of course, Sasuke was my master, I admire him in the same way I admire my father. If their roles had been reversed, it would be my master who would have been the greatest Hokage in history".

"I have never met Sasuke" Hashirama admits. "But I felt his power, it was incredible. It was something I hadn't seen since I fought Madara. Yet, now I have a new-found appreciation for his power. However, it wasn't a clean power".

"A clean power?".

"His power was stained with blood and pain" the 1st Hokage frowns.

"He had a tough life" Boruto confesses, "He made a lot of mistakes".

"You were raised in an easier world. A world created by Uzumaki Naruto". Hashirama reminisces about his childhood. About how much harder the world had been then. About the man, he met who agreed that world had to end, his power was stained with blood and pain too. His name was Uchiha Madara. "In this world Uchiha Sasuke believed in the path of never giving up. He believed that you should let go of your grudges, he came to believe that was the only way of ending this 'cycle of hatred' as I believe it is known".

"He does believe that" the Shadow Hokage confirms, "He is right too. My father fought his entire life to break that cycle".

"Is it right" Hashirama questions. "Like it or not, Naruto, Sasuke, Madara and even I, all of our powers were born through that cycle of hatred".

This is not a pleasant reality but it is one that nobody can deny. Naruto's greatest source of power was the nine-tails, something that was hated throughout the village, something that brought about the death of the 4th Hokage. Sasuke had lost his entire clan when his brother had slaughtered them in his youth. That was a result of the hatred between the Uchiha clan and the rest of the village.

"While Naruto and I strived to end that cycle, we are both strong because of it" Hashirama asserts.

"… what are you suggesting?".

"Perhaps Tobirama was right when he said that the path of absolute power is wrong for me" the elder Senju brother confesses. His path has never been that of Sasuke nor that of Madara, "But for you that path is right, Boruto".

"Absolute power…".

"Stop releasing your grudges. The cycle of hatred cannot start again if you crush your opponent. Embrace your hatred, your rage at what these people have done to your family".

"Then" Hashirama continues, "Then you can win".

Boruto shakes his head. This sounds like pure madness to him. For those of previous generations, how to deal with this cycle of hatred had been a subject of debate. Many of Naruto's friends had implored him to kill Sasuke to end the cycle of hatred. However, for his generation this was not a subject for debate but a subject of education. This philosophy of saving your enemies from hatred had been proven to work. It had been proven to make the village great. To go against it was not something that just anyone would do.

"But if the cycle returns" Boruto begins.

"Your master was the peak of the cycle of hatred". Hashirama points to the huts behind him, "But your father was able to save him. He could overcome any obstacle the cycle put in his path. Don't you have someone that could save you too?".

' _Someone that could save me?'._ Boruto has had a short but complicated life so far. He had to work hard to earn his father's respect. He considered it his duty to put his mother and his sister before himself, as part of his rebellion against his father's absence. Then, after enduring many trials growing up, the war came. His father had died, so many of his friends died. One time even he had thought he had died.

Throughout his life, had anyone appeared whose words could reach him no matter what. _'Her'_ Boruto decides. The woman in his mind is the Hokage to his shadow Hokage, they shared a similar relationship to Naruto and Sasuke. Of course, it is Uchiha Sarada. _'No matter what, Sarada continues to admire my father, believing in the same principals he did. She strives to protect the village and everyone in it, no matter what she has to do'_.

"Yeah" Boruto finally replies to Hashirama, "I have someone who could save me".


	39. Teacher and Student

**Author Note:**

Hi Everyone.

Firstly, I would like to apologise for forgetting to say this two days ago. Happy Independence day to any American readers.

Secondly, I would like to say thank you for the recent reviews. I naturally hate being criticised but I still appreciate any constructive criticism. I will try to learn from it and refocus my efforts where it is most necessary going forward. Of course, nobody is perfect, especially not me but I'll try to keep improving.

Though I'm afraid I script each part fully before writing it, so there will be no changes to part 3. If it looks like I'm not learning those lessons, don't worry, wait until part 4 to judge that.

A rewrite was mentioned as a route to improvement.

Regrettably, I can tell you now, I am not re-writing this. This story now has over 100,000 words over 39 chapters. I have worked on this everyday since April 19th in the few hours I have spare each day. It takes up all of my time and I will go insane if I have to write all of this again. So I appreciate the sentiment but there will not be a re-write. Instead I will try and learn the lessons in my next story.

Lastly, thanks for all the nice things you have said. I always try my hardest to make this as good as possible for you to read, so it's great to know that you like it. I will continue to update every weekday and will aim to do so with part 4 and beyond.

Thanks for reading,

Cbehrills.

* * *

 **THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – TEACHER AND STUDENT**

 **In the Morning, The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Before anyone else has arisen, one man takes an opportunity to gaze into the valley. That man is Uzumaki Naruto. There is a certain symbolism to his gaze, one that he does not realise. Last night, Boruto stood in this very same position, gazing into the valley with a frown on his face. Yet now, Naruto stands in this position, looking into the valley with a smile on his face. This shows the contrast between their attitudes and their opinions of this contest. This solitary comparison speaks volumes about them.

Approaching from behind, Sarada calls to him. "You're in a good mood Lord 7th". Sarada keeps walking until she reaches Naruto's side, mimicking his action by looking into the valley. It is a different feeling for her, not one of anxiety like Boruto had, instead, one of nervousness.

"I get to see you and Boruto fight today" Naruto points out, "I can't wait". This is true, although he is only 17 years old, Naruto has been one of the largest factors in creating the current generation of hidden leaf shinobi. It is his lessons, his opinions on being the Hokage and his desire to never give up that have changed the world.

"Aren't you scared that we will lose?".

Naruto scratches his chin as he thinks of how to phrase his reply. "Well, Boruto is Sasuke's student and you are Sasuke's daughter. So, there is no way you will lose, right?".

Sarada smiles lightly, lowering her head upon hearing the response. "You really think highly of my father don't you".

"Yeah".

' _My father, he was indeed an incredible shinobi'_ Sarada notes in her head. _'But, it's like you don't understand how incredible you are to us. All of the other Hokage realise it yet you don't seem to. It's not my father who redefined what it means to be a shinobi, it's not my father who instilled the will to be Hokage within me. It's you, who told us to never give up'_.

"I don't agree with the way Sasuke did things but he had the courage to bring about change" Naruto declares. "He had a goal in his mind and nobody was going to get in his way".

"That's not true" Sarada rebukes, "You managed to stop him".

"No. I didn't stop his dream coming to pass". The blonde Hokage shocks Sarada when he says this. Truthfully, nobody bar the members of team 7 truly understand what Sasuke's motivations were. "He dreamt for the hidden leaf village to change, he wanted the village to be something it was worth Itachi protecting".

"My uncle huh…". Sarada has never met her uncle but she has heard a lot about him. On the rare occasion when her father would talk about his past, her uncle would usually be discussed. It was he who had inspired her to use crows as part of her jutsu, a jutsu that eventually helped her to fight against a controlled Sasuke.

"Yeah" Naruto nods. "But, Sasuke didn't realise that the village he was going to create wasn't the one Itachi dreamt of. I just nudged him in the right direction is all".

"You're much the same though Lord 7th" comes the reply. "You had a dream, you dreamt of becoming the Hokage and nobody could stop you from making it happen".

Sarada speaks admiringly of Naruto, of course, he was the one she aspired to be like during her youth. Perhaps she too overlooks her own power though, much like his impossible dream of becoming the Hokage came true, so did hers. It had been unthinkable for an Uchiha to become the Hokage at one point, with the sole two survivors of the clan both being rogue shinobi. Still, she had overcome the impossible, just like Naruto.

"I guess so. Though the peace didn't last, I'm still really proud". The blonde Hokage smiles a toothy grin as he contemplates what must have happened in his future life.

"Proud?".

"After myself, Konohamaru and yourself became the Hokage" Naruto notes, "I think you've both done a really great job".

Sarada sighs, the memory of Konohamaru's death still weighing heavily upon her. She had wanted to stay that day, she had wanted for the death to be hers and not her teachers, though some things are not to be. Sarutobi Konohamaru may not have been the most powerful Hokage but he died protecting the village, just like his grandfather had so many years prior.

"After this is over, you're going to have to start leading the village" Sarada explains, "You may have been thrust into your job without any preparation but you're the 7th Hokage now. I hope you like paperwork".

"Paperwork!".

Sarada laughs at Naruto's reaction. This person who everyone had revered in the academy was just like Boruto and Sasuke had described. In the past Naruto was clumsy, loud and noisy, he wasn't talented but he ignored all of that. Instead he worked his hardest without giving up, and using his attitude he managed to become more powerful than anyone else.

"How about I make you a deal" Sarada offers. "I will help you to learn about paperwork and the boring parts of being the Hokage".

"And in return?".

"Your ninjutsu is far in advance of mine despite our age difference" Sarada notes. "So, in return will you take me as your pupil?".

"My pupil" Naruto starts, "But you're older than I am".

"Even at a young age you have become our leader in this contest, our strongest fighter" the last Uchiha points out, "There's more than that too. I may understand paperwork and have learnt the lessons you passed down, but, I still don't understand it as well as you did. What it means to be the Hokage, what it means to never give up".

These are the things Naruto first made clear to the world. To be the Hokage, to walk the most difficult path, to take all of the pain onto yourself, to never give up. Though Konohamaru and Sarada have learned those lessons, they haven't learned them as well as Naruto, even at this stage. That is because although Konohamaru and Sarada have come to understand these lessons, Naruto is the one who created them. Even at this age, his understanding can be said to be the best since Hashirama's.

"You really want to be my pupil?" Naruto checks again, thinking it slightly improper to take on a pupil older than himself, especially a Hokage.

"I've been told your master was a man named Jariya. My mother and father were the students of Lady Tsunade and Lord Orochimaru respectively. Boruto apprenticed himself to my father". Sarada rolls off her list of those close to her and their legendary teachers.

"I never had a master growing up. Of course, I had a sensei, Konohamaru sensei was the best. But a sensei isn't a master". Sarada smiles as she thinks back to her youth, "Boruto thought my father was really cool because he could fight against you. So, he became his student".

"Yeah, I remember" Naruto smiles.

"I always looked up to you in the same way. I found it amazing that someone could fight evenly against my father. Plus, there was more than that. It's the way everyone looked at you, you were the Hokage". Sarada begins to feel slightly embarrassed as she talks about admiring Naruto when she was younger. Not a few moments ago, the blonde-haired shinobi was panicking about paperwork. "You were the hero I strived to be like".

"I guess I'm pretty cool, it's the orange, right?".

"Uh… yeah…" Sarada sweatdrops. "When you were the Hokage, you were busier than any Hokage had ever been before. You didn't have time for a student. But now we have so many Hokage's, things are different".

"Please consider it" she says with a bow.

"Get up Sarada" Naruto says as he extends his fist towards her. "I don't even have to think about it".

Sarada is astonished by how quickly her offer has been accepted.

"I don't really know if I'll be any good as a master. And I think I'm way too young for it anyway" Naruto looks awkwardly away from Sarada, "But, if ever I was going to take on a student, I would want them to be exactly like you".

Sarada emotionally touches her fist against Naruto's. "Thank you".

"But you're not allowed to call me 'master' or anything like that, you have to call me Naruto alright. That's an order".

"Yes".

"And you're going to help me with that paperwork, right?".

"I promise".

"What a relief".

 **Later that Day, In the Valley**

Clyde stands facing Naruto, a cheesy grin on his face as he considers the situation. He has a 3-1 lead. One more win for his team will seal their victory. "You realise it don't you, this could be the day your people die".

Naruto turns his head around, looking at his student and his son, standing next to one another. A smile coming to his face when he sees their unwavering faces, "These two who are fighting for us are different".

"Different?".

"Yeah" Naruto nods, "These are our leaders. The Hokage, the Shadow Hokage".

Clyde snorts at this declaration, clearly unimpressed. "A system where the strongest isn't the leader is destined to fail".

"Let me tell you something, General Clyde. To be a great leader is not to control your subordinates. It is to work hard for them, to protect them and to earn their respect".

Clyde starts as he hears Naruto saying this. His thoughts drift back into his past, to someone who once said very similar words. A wise man he respects with all his being, a wise man whose words have now become taboo. _'Damn, this kid sounds just like you, old man'_.

"Someone who rules in such a way is destined to be outed" the General sighs, "I've seen such things before Uzumaki Naruto. Your way of living, it cannot be sustained".

"I'm not sure about that" the 7th says, surprising his opposite number. "If you didn't believe in the same things I do, then why did you call this contest, why did you bother to save your subordinate".

The General lowers his head. It's true, he did call this contest for the express reason of saving Peterson. He did this in rebellion of a system by which the strong are important and the weak are trash. This man who has invaded the villages, slaughtered the people and murdered the Naruto of the future, is seemingly a man of principles. He maintains those principles, whether they are to his benefit, or to his detriment.

"You know, you don't seem like an evil person" Naruto frowns. "I still don't understand why you have slaughtered the people of these lands".

"It's of no concern to you".

"Of course, it isn't" Naruto turns his back on Clyde, "But, just because you don't seem like a bad person, you shouldn't be mistaken. I'm going to beat you, just like I said I would".

"Today is your last day Uzumaki Naruto".

"No, tomorrow is yours, General Clyde".

Having said their pieces, each warrior returns to their respective hills. Each time they talk they understand each other a little better. They have their beliefs, whether they understand them or not. To stick to those beliefs, to protect their friends, neither one of them has a choice.

They have to win.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Sarada" Naruto calls as he walks back up the hill towards his new student. "It's time for lesson number 1".

"Lesson… one…" Sarada stammers. She had wanted to be Naruto's pupil for years when she was younger. It is a surreal feeling, hearing him say those words, almost making her feel like a child again.

"Sometimes you can't afford to lose" the 7th Hokage says, "So even if it's impossible. You just win".

Sarada nods. "Yes, Naruto". Then, without looking back she walks down the hill.

In referring to him as Naruto and not Lord 7th, she has fulfilled his first request. Now she understands that it is time to learn something. Right now, she doesn't understand just what Naruto was trying to teach her when he said this but she will come to understand in time. Whether Naruto can be a good teacher or not, isn't this something that she already knows.

Kakashi cocks his head as he watches Sarada depart. _'So, Sarada has taken on Naruto as a master huh'_. Watching her back Kakashi shakes his head lightly. _'Honestly, Sasuke, Sakura, you raised your daughter to be just like Naruto, I can't help but think you did that deliberately. I hope you are watching, you raised her to be just like him and today she will do it. She will become a hero'_.

 **In the Valley**

On one side of the Valley a strange looking woman descends. Her attire clearly marks her as a Colonel but her eyes are constantly moving to and thro between various aspects of her surroundings. It is very purposeful, as if she is using an algorithm for observation instead of just letting herself look.

This woman has a slim build and is rather short. Her long purple hair stretches half way down her back. She is a creepy looking woman, a woman who causes Peterson to shiver each time she meets him.

This is Colonel Sheer.

Sarada activates her Mangekyo Sharingan as she approaches Sheer. Readying herself for a battle.

' _This girl. I haven't seen another person with that same eye since getting here. It's only been the two of them'._ A smile comes to Sheer's face as she realises the opportunity on her hands. _'I can't believe my luck. This is no coincidence. She must be that experiment's daughter'_.

The two women meet in the centre of the valley, allowing for a moment of silence, slowly interrupted by an increasing wind.

"Shall we exchange names" Sheer asks with a sarcastic smile, "The last guy from your side wasn't too polite when we tried that one".

"You first".

"My name is Sheer".

"I am Uchiha Sarada. I'm the 9th Hokage of the hidden leaf village".

Sheer adopts a fighting pose as she looks at Sarada's face, trying to identify other similarities between her and her experiment. She finds nothing but similarities upon trying. How could she not, after all, this is Uchiha Sarada. Uchiha Sarada who had fought against her father not so long ago. Her father who had become an experiment for the enemy.

Sasuke's return had been as Sheer's experiment.

"Well then, let's have a good match" Sheer says.

Sheer punches the air before her. In but a moment the air super condenses around her fist, forming into a transparent structure, invisible to the human eye. A fist, that fist launches towards Sarada, the first attack of many that Sheer would dish out.

 **The Invader's Hill**

' _Sheer's element is wind. It may sound pathetic but when in the hands of an expert like here it's deadly'_ Peterson thinks. He has a lot of respect for Sheer despite her creepy looks, _'But it's greater power is not it's offensive strength, it's that it is invisible'_.

Despite Peterson's confidence, Sarada dodges the punch.

The scarred Colonel starts, _'Why'_.

 **In the Valley**

Sheer chuckles lightly to herself. "Just like I expected, my punch was invisible but you were able to avoid it. Your eyes grant you truly superior vision".

"…".

"Your eyes, they are just like your father's".

Sarada's aforementioned eyes widen. _'This woman… knows my father…'._


	40. My Parents and My Dream

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – MY PARENTS AND MY DREAM**

 **In the Valley**

Sarada stands, fixed in her position as she gawps at Sheer. "My father…". _'Who is this woman, she claims to know my father but that's impossible. My father only fought one battle in the war and that was when a General killed him. It was that man up there'_.

"That's right" Sheer smiles, clearly revelling in Sarada's difficult emotions. "That man could only have been your father. He was, wasn't he? He had eyes just like yours".

The Uchiha clanswomen gasps. There is no doubting it now, there is nobody else who could possibly be mistaken for having the same eyes as her. Only one other person from this world can use the Mangekyo Sharingan, at least, only one other person could since the invasion first started. That is none other than her father, Uchiha Sasuke.

"You…" Sarada gnashes her teeth as she imagines how this woman and her father met.

"I was the one who revived him" Sheer explains, "He wasn't easy to make into an insane warrior but it went better than the other one, he showed no signs of losing his mind at all, right up until the moment he disappeared".

Sarada's eyes transform, switching from their previous deep red colour to a strong shade of purple, not dissimilar to Sheer's hair. As the tomoe are replaced by several rings, it becomes clear, the rinnegan has activated.

"So, it's your fault" Sarada grunts as huge amounts of chakra flood from her body, seeping through the very pores of her skin. "It's your fault that my mother is dead!".

"Oh, is that so?" Sheer's smile becomes even more sadistic.

This situation is better than she has dreamt in her wildest dreams. Not only is her opponent the relative of one of her experiments but the experiment has affected her on such an emotional level. For someone who has mastered the art of psychological manipulation in battle, this is the jackpot. An opponent with an obvious to read mentality, with a massive weak point to probe at, who is reacting the probe so well.

"Tell me, did he kill your mother" Sheer taunts.

Instead of replying, Sarada flies into a rage.

She transforms into her comet form, flying towards Sheer at a greater velocity than she has achieved in the form previously. The second before she reaches her opponent, she changes back into her human form, smacking Sheer as hard as she can. It should be understood that Sarada's chakra control is on a similar level to her mother's, combining that with the added momentum from her comet form, each of these hits is incredibly hard, perhaps even harder than Hashirama could hit in his battle against Madara.

As Sarada pushes Sheer back, it looks like a one-shot attack that could kill even the toughest of Captains. With that, many people assume that this is Sarada's all-out attack, something that she will not be able to replicate.

These people, are wrong.

Before the purple-haired Colonel's backward momentum can halt, the 9th Hokage appears in her path once again. A result of increased speed from her comet form. This starts a deadly cycle, with Sarada knocking Sheer all over the valley. The trenches formed by the Colonel's body forms straight lines all throughout the already battered valley. From a bird's eye view it appears like a children's drawing.

It would seem making Sarada go into a rage was a mistake.

The 9th Hokage, is dominating her opponent.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Shikadai, look at that" ChouChou looks into the valley in awe as she shakes her teammate by the shoulders. "Sarada is totally beating that woman, she can't even get a hit in".

Inojin would be amused by this childish behaviour if the situation weren't looking so good for their side. "It looks like the Hokage will do her bit, just like she has always done".

"Don't get so excited!" Shikadai responds, sounding particularly displeased.

This confuses his teammates as well as many of the other shinobi from the past and present. If this isn't a cause for excitement what is, this is a completely dominating performance. The only one match that can compare to it is Hashirama's match.

Hashirama's match.

Gasps pass the lips of many people as they start to realise this.

"Yes" Shikadai nods, realising they have understood. "Lord 1st totally dominated his opponent too but he lost because he pushed himself too hard without much training in his new form".

"Boruto, has Sarada used this comet form much?".

"She's used it a lot before" Boruto explains as he looks on. "But, she has never been this fast before, she has never used so much chakra to do it".

"Indeed" Shikadai reaffirms his position. "If she keeps going like this, she will run out of chakra and we will lose".

"Would Sarada really fall for that?" Metal asks.

"Not normally but that woman said something to her before they started. Lady Hinata, with your Byakugan you can lip-read an opponent at this distance, right? Would you mind telling us what she said?"

Hinata has a troubled look on her face as she turns to Shikadai and explains. "That woman claimed that she brought Sasuke back to life. Sarada let slip that Sasuke killed Sarada, so the Colonel is using it against her".

"She did it" Boruto tightens his fists and begins to walk towards the bottom of the hill.

TAP!

A hand touches Boruto's shoulder, stopping him from walking any further.

He turns around to look at the owner of this hand, Senju Hashirama.

The older Senju brother leans down and whispers into Boruto's ear. "Save up this hatred, it will be useful to you but don't unleash it yet. Unleash your anger later, got it, Boruto?".

Boruto works hard to restrain himself but he is really struggling. It was not only Sarada, but Boruto also received Sasuke's last words, in particular something was requested of him. Sasuke asked that Boruto look after his daughter. _'That Colonel is the reason Sarada and Master had to suffer so much. Yet, I have to hold myself back. I want to kill her, I want to kill her more than anything in the world'_.

"There you have it" Shikadai finishes. "This woman is playing Sarada, making her waste chakra. We are falling right into their hands".

 **In the Valley**

"SOLAR PUNCH!".

Sarada gathers the energy of the sun on her fist, unleashing it on Sheer in one almighty blow.

This blow is what many hidden leaf shinobi pray will finish her opponent. Sarada has wasted so much chakra in this fit of rage that if she is unable to defeat Sheer with it, it will be bad. To these people, it's a toss of a coin, on one side this punch is successful and they live, on the other it fails and they die.

As Sheer's body flies to the other side of the valley it creates a small crater, dust rising from the ground around her, temporarily obscuring her from the vision of the majority. Naturally, Sarada is not in that majority, she is in a minority with the likes of Boruto, Himawari and Hanabi. A minority who can see Sheer clearly.

The punch… has not worked.

Sheer is in a bad way though, she emerges from the dust coughing blood onto the floor beneath her. A hole ten seconds passing before she is able to clear her mouth of the vile red liquid.

"Lashing out in a fit of rage" Sheer begins with an unearthly sneer. If looks could kill, not a single person on the hill would survive. She had prepared for a lash-out, never though, had she expected it to be that strong. "You will regret using so much chakra all at once".

Having said this, Sheer activates her elemental cloak. As Peterson mentioned previously, Sheer's element is wind. Therefore, her cloak is almost invisible, but there is a noticeable build-up of air around her. The differences in pressure causes a rippling effect that outlines the Colonel's body. It is only at this point where she uses her elemental cloak, despite Sarada having user half of her chakra.

Sheer disappears from view.

Sarada's eyes dart to the side of her sockets, being the only shinobi who can Sheer move, she thinks only one thing upon seeing it. _'Fast'_.

Sheer's body finally reappears behind Sarada. The first thing the silver-cloaked warrior does is throw a high kick towards the head of her opponent. To avoid this kick, Sarada leans backwards, pivoting her upper body around her hips without even moving her feet. Something that would be impressive to a normal person but is nothing to a shinobi.

Despite her impressive reactions though, the 9th Hokage is only playing into Sheer's hands.

With Sarada in a near immobile position in front of her, Sheer releases a wind enhanced punch into the Uchiha's chest. With Sarada lacking any form of reliable balance in this position, she is unable to dodge. The punch takes her off her feet, slamming her into the ground.

Now it's Sarada's turn to bleed. A few flecks of crimson escape past her lips as she bounces up off the ground.

Sheer is not done though. Not after the way Sarada attacked her.

BANG!

Once again, the Colonel swings her fist into her opponent's midsection. Bouncing Sarada off the ground a second time. Then, as the 9th Hokage hangs helplessly in the air before her, the purple-haired Colonel delivers a swift kick. Emulating Sarada's punch earlier, sending her enemy across the valley.

Once more, Sheer's body disappears, using a movement technique that is seemingly exclusive to wind-users. She appears in Sarada's flightpath catching her by her dark-black hair before shoving her head into the ground face first.

As Sarada's glasses shatter in her face, cuts appear all over her skin. If her face were visible, it would make a truly brutal picture.

1…2…3…4…5…

At the count of five, Sarada has managed to push herself onto her hands and knees. She doesn't continue to push to her feet though. Instead she reaches for her shattered glasses, his fingers edging closer towards the frame as she attempts to balance herself properly on one shaky hand.

"What are you doing" Sheer laughs as she kicks Sarada in the gut. Not waiting for the count to finish, Sheer resets it with this bone cracking kick.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Once again Boruto begins to walk towards the valley, seemingly unaware of what he is doing. In a trance like motion he begins his approach. It's as if he has no control over his own body, like something in his mind has snapped.

Hashirama does not bother speaking, instead this time he grabs Boruto by the arms, preventing him from leaving. No matter how much the blonde shinobi struggles, there is no way he can outmuscle the 1st Hokage.

"Naruto" Hinata starts, struggling to watch what is happening, "Can't you do something?".

"I want to" the 7th replies, "But if we interfere in this match the village will die here and now".

"Then she will die!" Boruto finally speaks. "Is that what it means to be the Hokage old man. To stand there and watch as one of your comrades dies. Someone who looks up to you. I thought you took her on as your student".

"Boruto" Naruto smiles, "Believe in Sarada. She may have made a critical mistake lashing out earlier".

As Naruto says this, Sarada pushes herself to her hands and knees once again.

"Still, she is the 9th Hokage. She won't give in here, just you watch".

 **In the Valley**

This time Sarada reaches for her glasses uninterrupted. She pushes the large chunks of glass out from the frames before bending them back into shape. Upon reaching her feet, she weaves the signs for a very simple wind jutsu. A burst of air leaves her mouth, completely clearing the frames of even the smallest glass shards.

' _Now give in to that hatred'_ Sheer begs in her head. _'Come at me with everything you've got and let's finish this'_.

To give into hatred. This is not the way of the Hokage. It is not the way that Hashirama preached when he became the first Hokage. Despite some bumps in the road, it is not something that was endorsed by any Hokage since.

So Sarada breathes deeply. Standing perfectly still. Not a thought of hatred in her brain.

" _Sometimes you can't afford to lose"_ she recalls Naruto saying, _"So even if it's impossible, you just win"_.

"Why… why aren't you attacking" Sheer steps forward, eyes wide as she approaches Sarada, "I forced your father to kill your mother, aren't you even angry".

"…".

"I turned him into one of our soldiers, I removed his mental capacity. Why aren't you lashing out again?".

Sarada smiles. "Sometimes you can't afford to lose".

"Huh".

"I thought about those words, what they meant. True, I was angry when I found out who you were but then I had a thought" the 9th Hokage explains, "Do I have to win because I am angry about the dead".

"…".

"No! I have to win because I want to protect the living".

"You…".

"My parents may have wished to see you die, to see you crushed. That however, is not my will" Sarada continues with a stern expression, "My will is still that of Uchiha Sarada. I have to win, when I became the Hokage I swore to protect the leaf. That means I have to beat you".

"You think you can beat me in that condition, you're crazy" Sheer takes a moment to laugh, mocking Sarada for her speech.

Suddenly, a terrible howling noise starts to emanate from Sheer's body. Sarada feels the pressure of the gales Sheer is creating. Truly there is not anything that can compare to this wind pressure.

"I will end this with a single punch" the Colonel boldly declares.

In a moment, she disappears.

In the next she appears right in front of Sarada, throwing a punch towards her.

With the punch bearing down on Sarada, the Hokage activates the final of her rinnegan powers. The power to manipulate gravity, she activates this power, resulting in gravity pushing things away from her body. This of course has the greatest effect on Sheer's punch which slows down slightly.

' _A repellent power'_ Sheer snorts internally, _'You are still vastly inferior to me'_.

This prediction, does not come true.

At the last second, Sarada dodges.

' _Impossible!'_.

The Colonel gasps as she sees the orange lit hand of her opponent, blazing with energy from the sun.

BANG!

Sarada throws her first punch at Sheer.

As she does this her mother comes to mind, she thinks back to what Sakura had said when she first discussed becoming the Hokage. _"If you want to be the Hokage go for it, I'll support you all the way"._

BANG!

The second punch connects, this time bringing with it recollections of Sasuke.

" _So, you want to be the Hokage huh. The most important thing? Well, if you were to ask me, I guess it would be…"._

BANG!

The third punch hits. Heralding thoughts of a conversation with Konohamaru.

" _The most important thing"._

" _Yeah, what do you think he said it was?"._

" _Your father, I have no idea"._

" _He said the most important thing is to never give up"._

BANG!

The fourth and final punch connects with a force greater than any punch before.

A force that places Sheer onto her back.

As such, the count begins!

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

' _You did it Sarada'_ Naruto pumps his fist in celebration, _'You held back a trump card until the very last moment and used your determination to reach your opponent'_.

' _It's not like she got a luck shot either'_ Mitsuki notes, _'Each of her punches, they were stronger than any I saw from her mother or father'_.

 **In the Valley**

1…2…

"Uchiha Sarada" Sheer says, her voice barely a whisper but still enough to attract the Hokage's attention. "Sometimes we don't have a choice, sometimes we are forced to do things by circumstances we can't overcome".

3…4…

"What will you do, when you no longer have a choice?".

5…

"When I don't have a choice" Sarada repeats this as she looks into the sky, "I'll try and overcome the impossible anyway".

6…

"I will never give up".

7…

"Because if you can't afford to lose… you have to win".

8…

"Overcome the impossible huh" Sheer repeats the words as if they were spoken by a great philosopher.

9…

"I wonder, is such a thing possible for us".

10…

"You win, Uchiha Sarada".

As the count reaches ten the people of the hidden leaf celebrate. Their Hokage has come through for them as she always does. This is only their second victory over a Colonel but one which is essential to their survival.

As Sarada gives a thumbs-up to the hill she notices one person who isn't smiling, who isn't celebrating. She notices Uzumaki Boruto.

It is Boruto's turn next.


	41. Who are you to him?

**Author Note**

Hi everyone.

Sorry for posting this a little later than usual.

And some forward notice, I may not be able to write a chapter tomorrow as I've been rather busy lately.

Since the last chapter this story has gone past the 300 followers mark. Thanks for all your support, it means a lot to me.

Thanks for reading,

Me

* * *

 **THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – WHO ARE YOU TO HIM?**

 **The Invader's Hill**

Colonel Sheer slowly limps up the side of her hill. Beaten and battered, nobody has come to help her, something that has only just struck her as unusual. When Mirai had lost, her parents had come to her side. When Kakashi had lost, his teacher had come to his side. Yet when Sheer lost, nobody had come to her side. Why is that?

Coming down the hill is Colonel Martin, his sneer conveying his emotions at this moment. Near the start when he had drawn number six he had considered himself lucky, he had considered that he would be unlikely to compete and yet here he was, in the last match.

As the two pass, one another Martin stops, allowing Sheer to walk past him as his gaze fixes on his opponent on the opposite hill. "Hey".

Sheer stops, rubbing the dirt from her face with the back of her hand. "What is it?".

"You realise that it was your incompetence that has forced me into this fight, right Sheer?". Martin is a coward, against this opponent, in this situation, a Colonel should have nothing to fear. It is not because he is modest, far from it, he is actually quite arrogant. It is because he has been spoiled his entire life.

Sheer chuckles lightly, amazed that Martin could still speak like this after so much has happened. "You are still underestimating; these locals are different".

A moment of silence passes between them before Sheer begins to walk once again, she continues up the hill. Her trek does not last long though, a bony hand stretches out and grabs her by the arm. Of course, this is Martin.

"If I get seriously injured in this fight, it will be your fault" he declares, "My sister will hear about what you have done. Your survival will become impossible".

"Impossible" Sheer mutters the word before smiling. It is a word that Sarada has changed her understanding of.

Suddenly, a gust of cutting wind arrives, bound for the duo's arms. Martin releases Sheer's arm so that he can escape the attack. Sheer also avoids the attack, after all, she is the one who created it.

"You…".

"It may be impossible" Sheer smiles as her long purple hair flutters in the wind, "But, I think that I may be able to overcome the impossible now".

Martin attempts to complain further to Sheer but she simply walks off. This is a level of disrespect the Colonel has not had to deal with before. His position is a great one, a rare one, few people have connections anymore, much less powerful connections like he has. If Clyde were to show him no respect that would be one thing, but Sheer, that is something else entirely.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Half way up the hidden leaf hill, the last survivor of the Uchiha clan struggles to keep calm, she has actually defeated a Colonel after so many years of losing to them. For Tobirama to do it had been emotional for her. Tobirama comes from the past though, Sarada is from this time, someone from the present actually defeated a Colonel. This is unprecedented.

A cheesy grin comes to her face as Boruto approaches. "I did it Boruto".

"Congratulations" he mutters as he walks past his Hokage. When he speaks, it is under his breath, it is as if he doesn't acknowledge her existence, as if she is just another person in a crowd. Right now, that is how focused he is.

"Boruto".

The blonde shinobi turns to face Sarada, showing a lack of any emotion when doing so. If anything can be taken from his body language it is his irritation, irritation that his thought process has been interrupted.

"I know that look" Sarada claims, "I've seen it on the faces of many shinobi".

"It's determination" Boruto replies, "I have to win here".

"It's not determination" Sarada snaps as she approaches Boruto. "This look is hatred, it's the look my mother warned me about. My father spent years with this look on his face and it brought him nothing but misery".

"You're the last person I want to see with this look on your face" she finishes.

"I will be fine" the Uzumaki clansmen dismisses her concerns, "As long as my friends are here they can save me. As long as they never give up".

"I hope you know what you are doing".

Boruto raises his head, looking over Sarada's shoulder to the shinobi at the peak of the hill. His gaze falls on the man who has advised him on this fight, on Senju Hashirama. "I know what I'm doing".

With that said, Boruto turns once again and walks down into the valley. The valley is now more damaged than ever before, looking more like a warzone than the venue for a competition.

Sarada considers that perhaps this valley represents what is happening to them. Each time they battle it gets more and more damaged. When Mirai had walked into it, it looked heavenly, now Boruto is walking into it, it looks like hell. Perhaps, with each passing fight, the psychological impact these battles are having on the participants is growing.

 **In the Valley**

Martin observes his approaching opponent, with one thing immediately jumping out at him. _'He looks just like their leader'_. His eyes shift between Boruto and Naruto, noting their similar hair and facial features, _'Yes, I'm sure of it, they must be related somehow. Perhaps he is their leaders father'_.

Boruto activates his Byakugan and just as the two warriors reach the centre of the valley they pause.

"Hey" Martin shouts at Boruto, as if speaking to a servant or a slave, "What relation are you to the leader".

Boruto decides against answering the question. Or perhaps he cannot even hear the question. Such is his steely gaze, such is what he would call his determination and Sarada would call his hatred.

"I asked you a question".

This time he is not answered with silence but with actions.

A single kunai.

Boruto reaches into his pouch, producing a single kunai and throwing it towards Martin. This is naturally not a threat to someone like a Colonel, but this is Uzumaki Boruto, he is not throwing this kunai without assurances.

Martin watches the kunai as if an annoying insect is flying towards him. He seamlessly raises his hand into the air before him and waits for the last possible second before grabbing towards the weapon's handle.

As the Colonel's hand is about to touch the kunai, Boruto's plan begins. With a thought, the kunai transforms into a brilliant ball of blue light, a jutsu that his grandfather had invented and his father had mastered. The rasengan.

The rasengan may not be enough to seriously injure a Colonel, but it still gives Martin a nasty shock as his hand contracts around it. He pulls his hand back, dazed for but a moment. In a fight at this level though, a moment is all the time in the world. It's easily enough time for a shrieking sound to appear. Easily enough time for another rasengan to be formed.

This is exactly what Boruto does. He forms another rasengan and charges towards Martin. With his lack of training he only has this one chance, use as many tricks as possible, battle your opponent in ways they are not used to. He has this one advantage. He is not a warrior, he is a shinobi. Make this a competition of skill, not one of might.

Boruto swings the rasengan towards Martin's chest, seemingly with nothing that can stop him.

That is what it seems like to him, it is far from reality though. With ease Martin dodges the rasengan, appearing at Boruto's side and catching his arm.

Boruto's eyes widen as he contemplates what just happened. _'There's no way, I couldn't follow his movements, even with the Byakugan'_.

With one firm squeeze of Boruto's arm, Martin forces him to dissipate the rasengan. His first sneak attack is over, just like that.

"I am not a patient man" Martin declares. He releases his grip on Boruto's arm and switches instead to his throat.

The Colonel questions what he had been worried about as he watches his opponent gasp for air. Not so long ago he complained about the possibility of being seriously injured, Sheer had claimed he was underestimating these locals by scolding her for losing. His cowardice and Sheer's admiration seem to have both been misplaced though, Boruto is truly week.

"Tell me" he says again, tightening his grip around the shinobi's neck, "Who is Uzumaki Naruto to you".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Himawari cannot bear to watch, she has deactivated her Byakugan, instead resorting to covering her eyes as she comes to the edge of tears. For all her talent, she has not worked as hard as Boruto or Sarada, she has not achieved their great strength. She cannot do anything to help him in this situation.

"Boruto!" Hinata screams as she begins to run towards the valley.

A hand grabs hold of her shoulder. "Stop".

Hinata can see who this is with the Byakugan but turns around, a subconscious weakness. She can see who it is but cannot believe it, so she turns around to verify what her eyes are telling her. There is no mistake, Naruto has stopped her.

On this rare occasion, Hinata feels angry at Naruto. "If this keeps up he is going to die" she says, tightening her fist and preparing for a fight.

"I know".

"Our son will die".

"I know".

"I know we have come from the past but aren't you still his father?".

"OF COURSE, I AM". Naruto's raised voice startles Hinata, her fist loosening as she looks at him.

"Naruto…".

Naruto looks at his own feet, sharing his daughter's reluctance to watch this battle. "My father or old man 2nd could save him easily" Naruto remarks, "But if we save him now an all-out battle will start and we will be slaughtered".

"Boruto will die either way" Naruto declares.

"But…" Hinata begins before noticing something. She notices Naruto's hand. _'He's trembling'_.

"Please believe in him".

 **In the Valley**

"Come, tell me. I won't ask again" the blonde Colonel snaps as he tightens his grip even further.

Boruto's determination, his hatred increases for a moment. He tightens his fist just like his mother had not a second ago and lashes out, throwing a quick flurry of punches to Martin's face.

"That was pathetic" Martin laughs.

Boruto does not give in however. Again, and again he punches towards Martin. Still, compared to Sarada who has great chakra control, his punches are weak, if they could truly affect a Colonel, summoning the previous Hokage would not have even been necessary. It's just a plethora of hopeless attacks. It brings tears to the eyes of many on the hill, many who have spent time with Boruto, grown attached to him.

Martin is a sick man though, he revels in his enemy's hopelessness. Laughs in the face of Boruto's struggles.

Finally, Boruto lifts his arm one last time before it drops down. His whole body stops moving as his arms fall limp to his sides.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Sarada shakes her head. "No. This can't be happening".

"It can't be" Mitsuki grinds his teeth in a rare showing of frustration, "Boruto wouldn't… he wouldn't come this far only to lose".

 **In the Valley**

Mitsuki is right.

Boruto's arm lifts one more time.

He punches Martin in the face one more time.

But this time it is different, this time it creates separation between the competitors.

"Bastard…" Martin curses as he rubs the bruise on his previously undamaged face.

"It's still far from perfect" Boruto manages to get out through staggered breaths. "But for now, this is all I can do".

The Uzumaki clansmen raises his face so that Martin can see it. It is not the same as before, it is clad with several animalistic features. Namely, he looks like a toad.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Sage mode" Minato notes. "So, that's why he was still for a moment. Still, sage mode won't be enough to battle against someone at the Colonel level".

"This guy is just toying with Boruto" Mirai says.

"Exactly".

"No, you don't understand" Mirai refutes Minato's reply. "I have worked with Boruto, there is nobody better at finding and targeting weak points. That is what Sasuke trained him for".

"I get it" Naruto suddenly yells, "So as long as the Colonel continues to toy with Boruto, he can win".

' _Boruto'_ Kushina thinks to herself. _'I held a grudge against you for what you said, for wanting to sacrifice Minato. I'm so sorry, you really just wanted to protect the leaf, right?'_.

"You want to know who I am, to Uzumaki Naruto" Boruto roars. "I am his s… I am his s…".

Then, the blonde-haired shinobi takes a moment to think. To calm down, a smile slowly creeps onto his face. "I am to him what I am to everyone in our village. I am his shadow Hokage".

The tension in the air clearly rises as the two face down. Boruto has increased his senses, powered up his taijutsu and amplified his ninjutsu to the upper most limit he can. Martin though, is annoyed, more so than he has been at any point in this battle. He considers Boruto to be a mere insect before him, how dare this insect dare to defy him, how dare he survive being stepped on.

' _My opponent's weakness; he feels superior to me'_ Boruto smirks, _'He is incapable of doubting his own judgement'_.

Boruto throws a smoke bomb down to the ground beneath him. Not a second later, three identical figures emerge from the smoke.

' _These clones, they are only a distraction'_ Martin quickly decides, _'Whatever technique you are using, I can feel the rumbling of the ground'_.

The Colonel bends his legs slightly before launching himself past the clones and into the smoke. His speed is so great that it creates a small wind current, a draught that clears the smoke away from Boruto.

The aforementioned shinobi is stood in the place from which the most smoke has cleared, in his hand an enormous rasengan has formed. "Massive rasengan" he calls as he smashes the blue ball down into the head of Martin. It is only after a great struggle that the Colonel is able to dissipate the rasengan.

POOF!

' _That was a copy'_ Martin starts.

From the ground beneath him, Boruto emerges with a rasengan in hand. The shadow Hokage uses the rasengan like a boxer would use a fist, smashing it into the underside of Martin's chin, knocking him up into the air.

POOF!

Now this Boruto disappears

' _If he wasn't underground then where was he?'_.

The Colonel realises the answer to this question, far too late. Boruto drops down from above, a rasengan in his hand, he slams his grandfather's jutsu into the chest of his enemy. In a seemingly unending wave of deceptive attacks, Boruto has downed a Colonel.

Hinata and Naruto marvel at the attacks. Jumping into the air through a cloud of smoke, hiding a clone underground, these are attacks used previously by Naruto. Techniques which Naruto's business, likely meant Hinata has taught Boruto.

Boruto takes a few deep breaths as he thinks back to hearing stories of Naruto. It is indeed the future Hinata who taught Boruto these attacks. Despite Boruto's perceived distaste for his father, when he was really young he would often get excited to hear these stories from his mother. Who would have thought, that after so long, a bedtime story from his youth would help him defeat a Colonel?

The toad-like features disappear from Boruto's face. "There goes sage mode".

It matters little though, he managed to hit Martin with a nature-chakra enhanced rasengan.

1...2…3…

Martin is on his feet.

After all of Boruto's efforts, it only takes three seconds.

' _Just how did the others fight against a man like this?'_.

"I'm going to put you through an unending world of pain for that" Martin claims, "I will make sure you aren't killed instantly with the others. I'm going to take time to torture you for myself".

Boruto isn't sure if it's his imagination but the sky seems to darken slightly. This falls in line with a change in Martin's aura. A mauve coloured elemental cloak forms around him as a sinister smile arrives on his face. "I'm going to start your torture right now".

This aura is unlike the others before. It is not one of raw, unchecked power but instead one of unmatched coldness, of unmatchable evil. The plants around Martin begin to die as he approaches Boruto.

' _This is… poison'_ Boruto starts.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"His element is poison" Tobirama grits his teeth, recalling the poisons they have dealt with in the past, how Mito had been killed by poison and Minato nearly shared her fate. "This is troublesome".

"Boruto would have been made immune to poison by Sasuke" Mitsuki notes, "But, there is no way his immunity will withstand that poison. If he is hit by that he will surely die".

 **In the Valley**

Many people have noticed Boruto trembling, just like his father not so long ago. Though when the shinobi raises his head, almost everyone is surprised by what they see. Boruto is not trembling because he is afraid.

He is trembling because he is furious.

Hashirama smiles at Boruto's newfound rage. Feeling that this is the way forward for Uzumaki Boruto. This is the route of absolute power.

"So, you were the one" Boruto gnashes his teeth.

"Oh".

"You were the one who poisoned my grandfather".

This realisation finally makes it to many people of the hidden leaf. For a healer of Hashirama's ability, is there anyway a Captain could poison someone and elude his healing. No, the poison that killed Mito and nearly killed Minato, it must have been from a Colonel, it must have been from this Colonel.

"Grandfather?" Martin looks at his furious opponent in shock, switching his gaze then to Minato. _'I thought they were all mortals. It is definitely that man who is poisoned though'_.

Boruto's chakra begins to change. It is not something that many can notice but those present are no ordinary people. With people who could see chakra such as Hinata and Himawari, how could they not notice.

Boruto's chakra is getting colder. Much colder.

"I definitely won't forgive you" Boruto growls at Martin.

It is one thing to get angry, to become furious, to embrace your rage. It is another entirely to become stronger as a result. Is Boruto capable of this?

For the sake of his family he better be, for if he is not.

The hidden leaf will die.


	42. A True Coward

**Author Note**

Hi Everyone.

Believe it or not I have managed to get you a chapter today. Only just though, aren't you lucky...

In addition it is the single longest chapter from this story yet. It took way longer to write than I thought it would.

Also, please see the author note at the end, which will contain spoilers, before reviewing this chapter.

Thanks,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – A TRUE COWARD**

 **In the Valley**

A grin comes to Martin's face. What he has just come to understand is that Minato is Boruto's grandfather. This makes little sense to the Colonel for one reason, Minato looks to be around the same age as Boruto. Nevertheless, he is not one to let an opportunity like this slip through his grasp. With such a weak opponent before him, with a man he so desperately wants to torture, this is a golden chance.

"I see" Martin smirks, "I get it, you are one of those types. I have the perfect torture for you".

The Colonel slowly raises his hand into the air, pressing his thumb firmly against his middle finger before letting it slide off. A click of his fingers, a click that affects Boruto on a highly emotional level.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"AHHHH".

A scream.

A guttural scream that makes you want to cover your ears.

This is a scream made by the 4th Hokage.

Minato falls to his knees, clutching at his chest before falling onto his back. He breathes heavily, spittle leaking through his teeth as his tongue thrashes around the inside of his mouth. The poison had been hard to endure previously, he had to devote his entire consciousness towards staying alive but it was nothing compared to this. The agony, the pain is on another level this time.

"Minato" Kushina shouts as she cradles his arm in her hands.

Naruto turns to his father, stunned. "Dad" he calls kneeling down at Minato's side. Thankfully, this time, the 7th Hokage is on hand when required, he immediately begins his efforts to push the push poison away from the 4th's heart.

A cold hand squeezes his own heart though, forcing it to skip a beat as he realises something. _'It's not working… the poison is still advancing'_.

 **In the Valley**

Martin cackles as he observes the situation. On the opposite hill, everyone has become flustered, on his own hill many are cringing at this sight. This lack of honour is something that only he possesses from the invaders. To revel in this pain and misery is something that only he can do.

"Whatever they try, it won't help him, I've accelerated the poison within him to its full speed" Martin explains to Boruto in an attempt to taunt him. "It may be possible for someone from our side but for your side it is completely impossible".

Boruto understands this principle very well. If everyone on his own hill is getting this distraught over the situation, it is not something that Naruto can prevent. Indeed, only someone from the other side can prevent Minato from dying. Someone from the other side of that portal. One person is already at the forefront of the Uzumaki clansmen's mind, that person is, of course, Colonel Martin himself.

"Make it stop" Boruto growls.

"Oh?".

"I said, make it stop, you bastard".

"Why would I make it stop?" the blonde Colonel snorts as he narrows his eyes and looks at his opponent's face, "If I keep it like this, I can enjoy watching your anguish, your disdain, your fear, your terror".

Once more the Colonel raises his hand into the air and clicks his fingers. He claimed not a moment ago, that he had already accelerated the poison to the limit but that doesn't seem to be the end of his power. The shinobi's grandfather let's out another primal scream of agony.

Boruto is clenching his fists so tightly that his fingernails are forced into his palms. Blood slowly trickles along the length of his fingers before dropping to the ground.

This is beautiful in the eyes of the Colonel, "Come on, try to stop me, but you can't can you".

"You're too slow aren't you"

"You're too weak aren't you".

Boruto takes but a single step forward before Martin kicks the ground before him. It looks like a harmless act but the shinobi can see that it is not. The kick sends the simplest of projectiles towards him, bound for his head is a rock.

THUD!

The rock connects.

Boruto begins to fall backwards, unconscious.

 **Boruto's Inner World**

Boruto wakes up in this world, his inner world. He is not sure how much time has passed, whether it has been years or an instant. He is not sure if this place is heaven or hell. Instead, he gradually gets up to notice something before him, a man, sat on the watery ground.

"You are his student, right?".

Boruto is stunned, this man is now talking to him. Wasn't this all a dream, does this mean it's real. Is this the afterlife?

"I…".

"You're Uzumaki Boruto aren't you" the man questions impatiently, "You are the student of Uchiha Sasuke and the son of Uzumaki Naruto".

"Yeah" the blonde shinobi finally answers, still trying to ascertain what is happening. "I am Uzumaki Boruto".

He sizes up the man before him. He appears to be middle aged, experienced, confident. He has a certain royal air about him, as if he is the most important person to have ever existed. His long brown hair rests partially on his shoulders and partially on his upper back. Just one look is enough to tell Boruto that this man is special, one gaze around is enough to tell that this world is special. This situation is not like anything he has experienced before.

"Who are you?" Boruto finally asks.

"My name is Otsutsuki Indra" the man finally answers.

This name immediately rings a bell. Although the children of the sage of the six paths are not well depicted in history they are still known to a special few. The members of team 7 for example and several of their closest friends. Naturally, with Sasuke taking on Boruto as a student, one of the subjects that came up during their lessons was the source of his power. One lesson that Boruto would never forget, told of how Sasuke and Naruto were reincarnations of Otsutsuki Hagoromo's children, Indra and Asura respectively.

"Otsutsuki Indra…" Boruto stammers.

"We don't have much time" Indra remarks, "Our world seems to be in quite some jeopardy at the moment and while I don't agree with the philosophy of my brother and my father, I still don't want this world to die".

Boruto frowns as he recalls what is going on in the outside world. That is right, at this very moment he is locked in battle with a Colonel named Martin. A man whom is torturing him by forcing him to watch his grandfather die. It is a battle he cannot afford to lose, for if he does, the hidden leaf will die.

"Something has changed in this world. I shouldn't still be in this spirit form. After Sasuke died I should have reincarnated, or at least passed over to the afterlife but neither of these things happened".

"Why not?" Boruto asks.

"I have no idea. Still, that is not your problem, that is something that can be solved in time. Right now, I am going to help you".

"Help me, how?".

"I cannot reincarnate into someone who has already been born" Indra explains, "I cannot even gift you a portion of my chakra. However, I happen to know another way to help you".

Boruto stands in silence, he doesn't know what help Indra is going to offer him but he won't turn it down no matter what.

"Before that though, I must ask you a question" the spirit mentions, "When you go back, when you start fighting again, how will you do it?".

Boruto is staggered by this question. Never had he thought that a wandering spirit would debate philosophy with him, much less the wandering spirit of Otsutsuki Indra. This question, it is something debated many times through history, by Hashirama and Madara. By Hiruzen and Danzo. By Jariya and Orochimaru. By Kakashi and Obito. By Naruto and Sasuke. Now it his turn to answer.

He is given little time but requires little time, he recites the words Hashirama said to him not so long ago.

"I will embrace my rage" Boruto explains, "The cycle of hatred cannot start again if I crush my enemies".

A smile comes to the face of Indra, "Well put".

Indra gets to his feet before slowly approaching Boruto and placing a hand on his stomach. "You are the son of Uzumaki Naruto, a possessor of Otsutsuki chakra. While it is only a little bit, some of that chakra passed on to you, I am going to unlock that".

"Will a little bit of chakra be enough?" Boruto asks.

Of course, he knows the answer to this. No way, a tiny boost to his chakra levels won't put him on par with a colonel. Not in a million years. Still, there is a reverence he holds for this man, the son of the sage of the six paths, the man who would reincarnate into his master. The man who pioneered the way of thinking that he is slowly adopting.

"A little bit of chakra won't be enough by itself" Indra shakes his head gently, "But your heritage is perfect. For you and you alone, it will be enough".

"For me and…".

"It's time for you to go now" Indra raises his hand into the air and clicks his fingers. "Good luck, Uzumaki Boruto. I'm expecting big things from you".

 **In the Valley**

This conversation in Boruto's internal world, it had not lasted a long time. In fact, it had not taken any notable time at all. Instead, the conversation happens in an instant. When the shadow Hokage leaves his inner world, and returns his consciousness to his body, he is still falling towards the ground.

It doesn't take him more than a second to react. He tenses his core muscles along with those in his leg, he forces himself to stand upright.

' _What's this'_ Boruto questions as he feels the new chakra surging in his body, all heading towards one place, his eyes.

Martin stops laughing as he senses the newfound chakra within Boruto.

Covering his eyes with his hand, the shinobi growls. "I told you to stop, I told you".

The Colonel's laugh starts once again. His opponent doesn't seem to realise, if he gets hit by even a single punch from Martin, that will be it, he will be poisoned. To win this fight Boruto would have to hit him repeatedly without being hit himself, something that is impossible. Or at least seems to be impossible.

Boruto removes his hand from his eyes to reveal what the chakra has been doing. A white pattern, it is very faint but it is there, surrounding a newly formed pupil in the white ocean that was the Byakugan. The transformation of his eye isn't all that happens, a bright green energy begins to manifest all over his body.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"This power…" Shikamaru gasps, this feeling was firmly engraved into his mind. He would never forget the feeling of something this terrifying.

"Shikamaru" Naruto shouts to his friend, "Is something wrong?".

"I witnessed this power on the moon so many years ago," the calm man recalls.

"There is no doubting it" he continues, "That is the Tenseigan".

Shikamaru is the only person in the world who knows about this eye. The team that had gone to the moon so long ago is gone now. Naruto had died, with his past self being brought into the future. Hinata had died when the same thing had happened to her. Sai had given his life to detonate a bomb, to protect the fleeing villagers and blow up the hidden leaf. Lastly, Sakura, Sakura had given her life in an attempt to bring Sasuke back to their side.

Shikamaru is the only survivor. The only one who knows about this eye. He identifies it correctly of course, who could ever forget it.

It is the Tenseigan.

 **In the Valley**

Boruto dashes towards Martin, immediately throwing a volley of punches and kicks towards the Colonel. His speed is what everyone notices, his chakra has increased only a tiny amount, a result of it being unlocked from within his core, but his speed has increased enormously. The unlocking of the Tenseigan's chakra mode amplifying all of his abilities even further than sage mode had.

It is this speed that causes Martin such trouble. The Colonel may be physically incredible but he has the least battle experience of all the Colonels. Every hit, every last one, he fails to avoid them. A combination of his inexperience and Boruto's newfound speed.

This is not to say Boruto's power is on his level. It is just to say that he is powerful enough for his experience to win.

Martin tries several times to counterattack, disregarding the incoming blows altogether and instead haphazardly throwing his own punches and kicks. Despite Boruto's repeated attacks though, the talented shinobi finds a way to dodge every counter punch, to evade every counter kick.

' _This vision. This eye. I can see everything he is going to do. I can see it in the fibre of his muscles'_. Naruto's son is astonished by his new powers. He believed the Byakugan to represent the peak of vision but it has nothing on this, perhaps this eyesight can even be described as on-par with Sarada's. _'His greatest weakness, he is strong but he is not a warrior'_.

Suddenly, defying all expectations, Martin flies vertically into the air, turning to face his own hill.

"This is all your fault Clyde!".

 **The Invader's Hill**

Clyde is stunned by this action. True, Martin had become more and more rebellious but to defy him like this. _'What is he…'_.

 **In the Valley**

Martin raises his voice even further as he shouts at his own hill. "When you all die beneath her boot you will have nobody to blame but yourself".

After that declaration, he flies away.

Boruto flinches absolutely flabbergasted by what is happening. "He's running away".

The fight had finally become even in the last few minutes. Boruto was getting shots in on Martin while dodging all counterattacks. The fight had still been even though, if the Colonel had landed but a single blow it would have been fatal for Boruto. How cowardly is he then, to run away in a situation like this where even losing wouldn't be fatal?

 **The Invader's Hill**

Sisto steps slowly in the direction Martin is fleeing. "Hey, doesn't that mean he is forfeiting. Are we not surrendering this match to the enemy"?

While there is no rule against it, that is what every onlooker, regardless of which hill they are on is assuming at this moment. For someone to run from a fight with no intention of coming back, how else could that be interpreted than as a forfeit. If Minato's situation were better, the hidden leaf hill would celebrate this victory.

"I knew he was a coward" Burns shakes her head, "But he could have won this fight if he had just calmed down for a second".

"Never mind that" Clyde snaps all of his subordinates to attention as he nods towards the valley. "Peterson, he is wide open and has nobody around him".

Peterson recalls what they have been worried about this entire time. Someone with an enormous power hidden within them. A power that is enough even for the invaders to feel fear. Someone, with a power greater than Naruto.

The source of that power, is Boruto.

' _Kill'_.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

With Naruto's healings failing to produce any results, Hashirama adds his hands-on top of his juniors. He doesn't know if he can help but his healing has improved through his training. Together, two reincarnations of Asura, they may be able to do what they cannot do apart.

"Anything?" Tsunade asks, "Can you two slow it down at all?".

Hashirama shakes his head before turning to his granddaughter, "No, it's not working".

"Dammit" Kushina curses, "Right when Boruto wins, right when he proves that you were right to believe in him. You can't die now Minato".

 **In the Valley**

Boruto turns his head from hill to hill, one moment he questions whether his grandfather will be OK, if there is anything he can do to help. The next moment he questions if that is really the end of the fight. After all this it astonishes him that the invaders could allow this fight to slip from their grasp so easily.

Eventually, he relaxes, dissipating his Tenseigan and the chakra cloak with it.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Tsunade" Kushina takes the 5th Hokage by her hand, "You are a miracle doctor who helped Naruto right. Can't you think of any way to save him".

Tsunade can't bring herself to look Kushina in the eye. If this were a complicated operation or some internal injury that couldn't be healed with medical chakra, it would be her specialty. This is poison though, there are only two ways to stop it. One is to cure it and the other is to push it away with chakra. She is capable of neither.

As Mitsuki explains that he cannot cure it and the others fail to come up with any alternatives, Tobirama resolves himself. "I'll chase down that Colonel and force him to hand over the cure".

Throwing a kunai in the direction Martin fled, Tobirama teleports away. His enemy has a head start on him but he can teleport. Still, that is not enough to know whether he can make it in time or not. He thinks back to Mito though, he doesn't want to lose a friend like that, not ever again.

 **The Invader's Hill**

' _They must have realised from our reactions that we don't get along with Martin. It provides us with the perfect excuse'_ Clyde notes, _'Their teleporter has even gone, this is the perfect chance'_.

The General nods to Peterson, an indication that this is the moment.

Kill Uzumaki Boruto!

"HEY" Peterson screams at the top of his lungs, "WHY DID YOU LET HIM ESCAPE YOU FOOL".

The Colonel fires a full power blast of lightning towards Boruto.

Not a moment ago, Martin had threatened the invaders, claiming that they would all be crushed for forcing him into this situation. It makes perfect sense then, for the invaders to hold a grudge against Boruto who let him go. There is no way the locals can interpret their true intentions through this. It is the perfect disguise for the perfect attack. With one enemy teleporter gone and the other one poisoned nobody can save Boruto.

 **In the Valley**

Boruto starts as he realises the attack is coming for him. He has just powered down, dissipated his Tenseigan.

There is no way he can power up in time to save himself.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Only one person reacts to this attack. Uchiha Sarada.

Her hand stretched out before her she begins to run towards the valley. "BORUTO".

She doesn't make it though, this lightning attack is enormously powerful, perhaps the mightiest attack seen in the contest so far. If Peterson had used this attack against Tobirama, he may have won.

A blaze of white light slowly disappears from the valley. Crackles of electricity slowly quieting as the light dims.

Emerging from this white light. Is an orange one.

Sarada gasps as she looks at the source of this orange light.

 **The Invader's Hill**

Peterson shakes his head lightly as he looks at the orange light himself. "That's impossible".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Was that" Mirai starts as she looks into the valley, "No it can't be".

"Is that who I think it is?" Hiruzen asks.

Tsunade shares her sensei's astonishment, "IT can't be".

Unlike this trio who are surprised, Hinata is delighted. The confident smile on her face gives her an air of certainty. "Is there any doubting it, that's Naruto".

A couple of people turn to Minato to verify this. It's true, Naruto is no longer stood over his father. There can only be one conclusion.

This is Naruto.

Shikamaru shares Hinata's smile, "Of course, only Naruto can do something as crazy as that".

"Unless you think someone else can move that quickly" Tenten teases the others.

 **The Invader's Hill**

Peterson still struggles to calm himself as he surveys the scene. He is certain that Naruto was healing the poisoned one just moments previously. To get all the way to the bottom of the valley, that is a speed that transcends the Colonel level of power. A speed on par with Generals.

Clyde keeps calm being the only one capable of following Naruto with his eyes. Still, he cannot deny that he is shocked by what he has seen. _'So, this is your level, Uzumaki Naruto'_.

Having saved Boruto, Naruto seems to disappear to all but Clyde. He reappears before the formation of Colonel's causing them to jump in surprise.

"You can hit me with as many cheap tricks as you like" the 7th Hokage explains, "But, I'm not going to let you hurt the others".

The tension can be cut with a knife as he stands truly face to face with Clyde.

"The sun is setting General" he frowns, "Tomorrow… tomorrow you and I will settle this".

 **In the Valley**

Naruto heads back down into the valley. Not as speedily as before but he still makes haste to check that his son is still alive and kicking.

"Dad, thank you, if not for you I would have died".

"Come on" Naruto grabs hold of Boruto's hand, "Your grandfather is in trouble". In another dash of speed, Naruto disappears from the bottom of the hill with Boruto, before reappearing at the top.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Naruto, that was incredible" Kushina exclaims. "But, do you really have no way to save your father".

The 7th Hokage hangs his head in shame. For all his strength, he still cannot save his father. Something as trivial as poison is going to overcome his mighty power.

"I have a way to save him" Hashirama finally declares, "But it's very risk".

"What do you mean?".

"You will have to shoulder the risk Kushina, are you alright with that?".

"Of course, I am" the red-haired shinobi practically shouts towards Hashirama, "Just tell me what I have to do".

Hashirama stands from his crouching position, turning away from Minato and instead facing his wife. "I am going to extract the nine-tails from you and place it inside Minato".

For those who understand the repercussions of losing a tailed-beast, this comes as a great shock. If a jinchuriki is separated from their tailed-beast, they will beyond doubt die afterwards.

"Will that really work?" Naruto asks, knowing better than anyone the curse of death such a move normally harbours.

"It will work" the 1st Hokage declares confidently, "The nine-tails grants his jinchuriki an incredible recovery rate. Having his chakra inside Minato will be enough to battle the poison away".

"It could work" Tsunade nods as she scratches her chin, "This poison seems to adjust to the victim, slowly killing them. It's more like a method of torture than a poison".

"I'm ready to sacrifice my life if that's what it takes" Kushina asserts. The pain that she went through before, having nearly lost Minato, it is something she would kill not to experience again.

"You've spoken about this before haven't you mom" Naruto asks, "You're an Uzumaki, if we combine your superior endurance with my healing power, you may survive".

"But the chances…"

"Are not zero" Sarada interrupts Tsunade, "Can't we overcome the impossible here?".

Kushina wastes no time, nodding to Hashirama. "Do it".

Hashirama shares Kushina's sentiment. Placing his hand on her stomach he offers a quick warning, "This will hurt", before pulling the nine-tails out by its chakra. This sort of incredible feat is only possible through Hashirama's enormous power and Kushina's willing cooperation.

The Uzumaki clanswomen begins to collapse but is quickly caught by her son. Immediately Naruto places his right hand on her chest and works his magnificent chakra into her body. He is no expert but immediately upon acting he gets a feeling, a premonition. He faces his emotional granddaughter and assures her, "Don't worry, she will survive".

By this point, Hashirama has used a quick sealing formation to seal the nine-tails chakra within Minato. But that does not mean he is safe, something quickly picked up on by Boruto using his Tenseigan.

"Dad" Boruto calls, "Something is wrong".

"The nine-tails isn't helping him" Hashirama grits his teeth. After overcoming so many impossible obstacles to come this far, is Minato really going to die just like that. Just like Mito had. Is he going to prove unable to save either of them?

Naruto clumsily pushes Hashirama out of the way before placing his own hand on his father's stomach. With but a thought, his consciousness leaves his body and enters Minato's inner world.

 **Minato's Inner World**

Naruto immediately storms up to the newly-housed Kurama. "What's the matter Kurama, why aren't you healing my old man?".

The nine-tails turns his head away from Naruto, as if ignoring the plea of a younger sibling. "Are you insane, I'm the nine-tails, I am hatred incarnate".

It should be understood that this Kurama is younger than the one sealed within Naruto. This Kurama has not experienced what his future self has. This Kurama has still not known the respect of friendship of a shinobi from the hidden leaf. He still harbours an enormous resentment within his heart.

"Don't give me that nonsense, I know you better than anyone" Naruto raises his voice as he swings his arms out to his sides, "Old man six paths told you that one day someone would come, a child from a prophecy, that child is me".

"… that doesn't matter to me".

"STOP LYING".

"Kid…".

"This is the old man's world" Naruto declares, "This is the world he strived to protect, a world that he dreamed you would one day protect. There is no more time, that day has to be today, so please…".

"… just give my father a chance".

"… get lost" Kurama demands as an orange chakra begins to flow from his body. The cloud like chakra drifts slowly past Naruto, over his shoulder and down into a body hidden by the jinchuriki's feet.

"Thank you, Kurama".

"I said get lost" the nine-tails snaps as he banishes Naruto from Minato's inner world.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Naruto removes his hand from Minato's stomach, opening his eyes again as he looks towards his children with a smile, "Boruto, Himawari, they're both going to live".

"Thank you" Himawari whispers as she grabs Boruto for a hug.

The aforementioned Boruto simply smiles, "Father, Lord 1st, thank you. Truly you are incredible men".

' _Naruto, you make miracles happen one after another'_ Sarada smiles, _'Mum, Dad, all the things you said about him. They really were true'_.

' _It will be decided tomorrow, he can win. We can survive'_.

* * *

 **Author Note**

Please bear in mind, I made the decision for Boruto to unlock the Tenseigan ages ago. I was inspired by internet theories that he would get it in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.

In that story, Boruto has an unnamed dojutsu and does not have the Byakugan.

In this story, Boruto unlocked the Byakugan before Indra helped him unlock the Tenseigan.

This was a part of the plot I formulated before Boruto: Naruto Next Generations was realeased. I know that show has now made this plot inconceivable but you will have to bear with it if you want to keep reading. Please do not criticise me because this cannot happen, as I couldn't have known that when I decided to write this.

Thank you for your understanding and for reading,

Cbehrills


	43. Destiny

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – DESTINY**

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Overlooking the valley is Uzumaki Naruto. It is a calm, still night, a perfect contradiction to the metaphorical storm he finds himself at the centre of. It is his death that made the leaf realise how real a threat these invaders are. It is his future self who lost in a battle against General Clyde and now it is himself from the past who has to win in order to secure the villages safely.

Fighting the final battle is harder in his opinion. He has felt the emotions of all those who have fought before. Mirai, her determination to not give up. Kakashi, his will to work with Obito to win. Tobirama, his desire to bring his brother back to the light. Hashirama, his power stemming from his wish for Mito's revenge. Sarada, her learning as she goes, adapting and overcoming the impossible. Boruto, his anger at those who would hurt his family.

All of the hidden leaf's team members have fought their hearts out, they have battled and struggled with every fibre of their being just to get to this stage. Not a single one of them had given less than 100% and every one of them had done that knowing they may have to depend on Naruto. No, every one of them did what they did knowing they would have to depend on Naruto.

The 7th Hokage turns his head to the side, sensing someone approaching. "You've returned then".

Emerging from the shadows is a man with blue, heavy-looking armour and short white hair. Senju Tobirama. "As I thought, it's impossible to sneak up on you".

"Kurama makes it harder to avoid detection" Naruto smirks as he recalls that the 2nd Hokage is now one of three nine-tails jinchuriki's, "Also, never giving up has paid off for me".

"It certainly has".

"Thank you for chasing that Colonel earlier" Naruto turns his body around, fully facing Tobirama as the two engage in conversation.

As Naruto mentions, Tobirama had put Minato first earlier by leaving the battlefield to chase the fleeing Colonel. While the 2nd hadn't been able to catch up with him, it was still an effort that everyone appreciated at the time.

"It's no problem" Tobirama replies, he had not wanted to lose another friend to Martin's poison, "Thankfully you and my brother were able to help Minato yourselves".

"I didn't really do anything" Naruto smiles dumbly, "It was all Kurama".

"I suppose it was" a cool smile comes to the 2nd Hokage's face, "For such a hated creature, he's not too bad when you get to know him".

"Right?".

The conversation has become awkward for the two of them. Tobirama's lowered eyes and tight chest indicate how much he is struggling. Clearly the older of the two Hokage's has something he wants to say but he just cannot find the words to do it. To get a heavy issue of his chest is not something he is used to, usually he had been the bouncing board for other people's problems. He had someone he could talk to, that was his brother but that has changed, Hashirama's attitude is different.

"You're worried aren't you" Naruto asks.

"Was it that obvious?".

"It's your brother's new attitude isn't it" Naruto calmly observes, "That's what is worrying you".

Tobirama sighs deeply. He walks to Naruto's side before clumsily sitting down in the grass, looking over the destroyed valley as his counterpart had been doing just moments ago.

"You remind me so much of my brother" he begins, "I thought he would continue to believe even after Mito's death. But…".

Naruto places a hand on Tobirama's shoulder, inspiring the latter to look up at the former. "We will bring back old man 1st, don't worry about that".

"After all" Naruto continues, "The hidden leaf village is his dream, he will never betray that".

The blonde shinobi places a hand on the damp ground before lowering himself just as Tobirama did. With a sloppy thud he also hits the floor. This valley, it has truly fallen into a state of disrepair, it's beauty has been ruined. Still, some destroyed beauty is easily worth it for the freedom of the villagers.

"What if he restarts the cycle of hatred?".

"I'll stop it again, I'll stop it as many times as I need to. I will never give up".

"And if you can't stop it?".

"Then I will leave it to those who come after me".

Tobirama contemplates this. This is what Sakura had told them when she was describing shinobi history. The single greatest difference between Hashirama and Madara is their ability to entrust. Hashirama had entrusted the village to his brother, to Hiruzen and to all those who would follow. Madara had entrusted his dream to nobody, instead leaving Obito to continue the legend that is 'Madara'.

"Sarada has decided she wants me to be her teacher" Naruto smiles as if this is funny, "Perhaps others will do the same, or maybe someone will follow her teachings. Still, as long as we continue to believe in those who follow, the cycle of hatred cannot win".

"… you are truly inspiring, Uzumaki Naruto".

The 7th Hokage scratches the back of his head as he tilts it backwards, "I'm just repeating what my master told me".

"My master was called Jariya, his teach was Lord 3rd. If my history is right, Lord 3rd learned from you Lord 2nd".

"Lastly, the will of fire was passed on to you by Lord 1st".

The armoured shakes his head slightly, "Brother…".

"Do you see what I mean" Naruto asks as he nudges Tobirama, "The Hashirama of the past entrusted the rest of us with bringing the current Hashirama back to his senses".

He gets to his feet. Dusting off his orange jumpsuit before offering his open hand to the 2nd Hokage. The two exchange a smile as Naruto helps Tobirama to his feet.

"Do you think you are going to win?" Tobirama questions.

"Of course" the reply comes, "I've said from the beginning, I will beat that General so bad he will never hurt us again".

"Thank you"

"Thank me when I've won".

Tobirama turns away from Naruto, facing into the black night. "I intend to".

After leaving his final words, he disappears.

 **Hashirama's Hut**

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Hashirama doesn't bother to raise his head, the smile creeping onto his face shows reflects that he already knows who is on the other side of that door. He is being visited by just the man he was hoping to see.

"Enter".

The door opens to reveal a medium-sized man with a newfound power. This is of course, the Shadow Hokage, Uzumaki Boruto.

"You were right" Boruto claims as he approaches Hashirama, joining the 1st Hokage in sitting at the table.

"So it would seem".

"With everything that was happening to my grandfather, I got more and more angry. Then, I had this sort of, vision. Someone came to me and unlocked the hidden part of my chakra" Boruto recounts an abridged version of what happened to him, "I gave in to my anger, my rage and then my eyes changed".

Boruto demonstrates his new power, his eyes first shifting to a Byakugan before a bright pattern appears around a newly formed pupil. This is the appearance of the Tenseigan.

"Nara Shikamaru referred to this as the Tenseigan" Hashirama stretches out his finger before tapping Boruto's forehead just above his eye.

"The Tenseigan" Boruto repeats the word, smiling as he finds it to his liking. "It's a good name. Why have I never heard of this before?".

"The Uzumaki clan descended from Otsutsuki Hagoromo" Hashirama explains, "Better known as the sage of the six paths, he is also the ancestor of the Senju and Uchiha clans"

"However" the 1st Hokage continues, "The Hyuuga clan is different, the Hyuuga clan are the descendants of his brother, Otsutsuki Hamura. At least according to legends".

"Hamura" Boruto makes a mental note to remember that name.

"I suspect it's because you are the first to fuse these two chakras" Hashirama explains, "That would explain why you are the first to awaken it. Never before have these two chakras fused".

"Then Himawari?".

"Perhaps your sister was simply not strong enough". Hashirama is not wrong to suggest this, while Himawari unlocked the Byakugan at a far younger age than her brother, she cannot be said to be stronger than him. She may be a genius but Boruto's hard work is something he learnt from his father. "Or, perhaps it is only a matter of time and she will soon unlock it. Either way, you realise, now don't you? We must embrace our rage if we are to win".

Boruto nods, it's not something that is pretty or even desirable but in his mind, it is essential. "Yeah, it's a temporary but powerful measure".

Hashirama grins as he strokes his chin, "I was right to trust you Uzumaki Boruto, Sasuke taught you well".

"When this is over" the blonde shinobi places his hands on the table as he gets to his feet, "When this is over, will you teach me?".

"Teach you?".

Since the death of Sasuke, Boruto has had little in the way of guidance. Naturally, a shinobi as experienced as him would typically require little. He is still developing though, for him it is impossible to catch up with Naruto and Sasuke so quickly, his father and his master had been granted an enormous power in an instant. To be as strong as them at the same age is impossible, for anybody. To surpass them required constant meticulous training, training that Sasuke was unable to complete.

The training Sasuke couldn't complete, Boruto deems there is no one better to continue that training than Senju Hashirama.

"Your strength is incredible" Boruto points out, "It's unlike anything I've ever seen".

Hashirama had not won his match. In fact he had lost in an embarrassing fashion. Still, one thing was clear from his match, with the exception of Naruto he is their strongest shinobi, if not for his lower starting point, he may have actually been stronger than Naruto. Nobody on the hidden leaf team, nor any of the Colonels can hold a candle to this man, the 1st Hokage.

"Your greatest power is your incredible mastery of sage mode, that's an area I am most lacking in".

"It's not that I don't want to train you" Hashirama replies, hesitance in his voice, "However, after this, there will no longer be a reason to get any stronger".

The Uzumaki clansmen lowers his head, thinking back to an experience that nobody knows of. That day when he had stumbled across the portal, when he had knocked Mirai unconscious and snuck through, he had understood what they were up against. That day he had seen Clyde being spoken down to by another General, then he had seen that General kill thousands in an instant.

No, in Boruto's mind, this threat is far from over.

"That's what we said last time" Boruto frowns.

"Very well then" the elder Senju brother smiles, "I'm sure there is plenty we can learn from one another, Boruto".

As one extends their fist, the other excepts it.

The two fists bump together for the first time as master and student.

 **Sarada's Hut**

Sarada smiles away as she chats leisurely with Himawari. At this point everything is out of her hands but she cannot help being nervous. Himawari is an old friend, someone she can talk to when things become uncomfortable for her. During the period in which she became Hokage, Himawari had been a good alternative to Konohamaru when she had wanted to talk about the stresses of the Hokage position. While Boruto would be away from the leaf, Naruto's daughter rarely left the village and understood, very well, just how hard it is to be the Hokage.

As well as the constant support Boruto had given Sarada when she became Hokage, he also gave her a route to befriending Himawari again, someone Sarada had talked to little since their youth. Hence, a friendship quickly formed between the two.

At this point their conversation is interrupted as Mirai enters. "Yo, Sarada, Himawari".

"You seem quite cheerful" Sarada notes.

Mirai sits at the table, the rooms only major feature as she pulls up a chair next to Himawari. "What point is there in being miserable now?".

We have done our bit" Mirai says as she points to a wound on her arm, "Now if we die, we die and if we live, we live".

"Are you scared" Himawari asks.

"Maybe a little bit" the Sarutobi clanswomen confesses, "It's now all or nothing. Even the rest of the contest hasn't felt like this. To put our very existence on the line, it's a little intimidating".

"There is no need to be afraid" Himawari smiles, "My father is the one fighting tomorrow".

These three women have all grown up around the same period. Even for Mirai, the eldest of the trio, Naruto is someone she was told stories about growing up. The man who had killed her father had been defeated by Naruto. A feat that sparked his rise to the top, through Kakazu, through Pain, through Madara and even through Sasuke.

"Very few people have truly battled to decide the life and death of the village" Sarada suggests, "As Himawari says, Naruto is one of them".

"I suppose so" Mirai shrugs, "But tomorrow is different, he is fighting a General. We had never beaten a Colonel before you summoned the Hokage from the past. It took Naruto and Hashirama working together to beat one and now we are going one step further".

"Perhaps". Sarada's eyes flicker as a smile comes to her face. This situation does feel intimidating but it doesn't feel hopeless, it feels more hopeful than ever before. "Don't you feel that fate is on our side right now?".

"But, logically speaking, can he stand up to someone that powerful?".

Himawari chuckles lightly, "Did you see how fast he moved earlier".

"No".

"Exactly" Sarada taps the table with her palm, "Even I could barely follow his movements". The last Uchiha puts great emphasis on herself as she says this, tapping the side of her skull to point out just how incredible this is.

"Even with the rinnegan you couldn't…".

"He was just that quick".

The eldest of the three shakes her head gently as she smiles, "This is the Uzumaki Naruto from the stories isn't it".

Sarada nods. "I always thought my mother was exaggerating when she spoke about my father and Naruto. She wasn't, he truly is our greatest Hokage".

"You haven't done so bad though" Mirai grins.

"That's right" Mirai continues enthusiastically, "By bringing the Hokage back you have given us a chance. Think about it, we may actually survive through tomorrow".

"We will survive through tomorrow and beyond".

As Himawari makes this declaration it draws curious looks from her friends. "It's my birthday the day after tomorrow, there is no way he would miss it".

"Of course not" Sarada nods.

"He will win. He will win and we will be free".

"Definitely".

 **The Side of the Hidden Leaf Hill**

Shikamaru has caught Naruto for a moment. Desperate to ask him about the thing that only the two of them know. About Naruto's power, about their destiny for this tournament, if the miracle has happened.

"You've watched this entire contest, you've had plenty of time to observe" Shikamaru notes, "Have you had that flash of inspiration, has it come to you".

Naruto shakes his head reluctantly. "No, I still don't understand it".

This is a great pain. Shikamaru has been depending on Naruto finally understanding something. This is the miracle that he has been praying for, a miracle that nobody else knows they require. How can he react now, he cannot act to discourage Naruto and he cannot rob the others of their hope by declaring this fight unwinnable?

"Can you win without it" he asks optimistically, "Tomorrow is the day you know?".

"I don't know if I can win without it. I know for a fact I could beat any of the Colonels". Naruto scratches his chin as he tries to formulate a realistic estimate for his power. "Clyde didn't look the least bit intimidated by my speed. He could have just had a good poker face but…".

"Do you really believe that?". Shikamaru's grey hair flutters in the wind as he locks eyes with Naruto.

The 7th Hokage smiles, "I believe in giving it my best, in never give up, also…".

"Also…".

"I believe that I will have that flash of inspiration tomorrow".

Shikamaru laughs heartily, "Dammit, what a drag. Well, I can't really doubt you, can I? You're the legendary Lord 7th".

"Thank you Shikamaru, for believing in me".

The Nara clansmen approaches Naruto, a serious look on his face as he clamps his hands firmly down on his friend's shoulders.

"I'm not the superstitious type but if I were I would say this…".

"It is your destiny to win tomorrow. You were born to do this. Go now, fulfil that destiny".

"And win".


	44. The Final Battle

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – THE FINAL BATTLE**

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Today is the day. The sun has risen on over the peak of the hill. It is today that destiny will show itself. Fate only has two options today, to be very kind to the hidden leaf village or to be very cruel. Those are the stakes, by the end of the day, the village will either be protected or it will be doomed.

The hidden leaf hill is occupied by every shinobi that has come from the village, awake and alert, ready to watch how this day unfolds. For Sarada, bringing back the Hokage of the past has already proven to be a masterstroke but whether or not it was effective will be proven right now. People try to hid their gazes but you would have to be a fool not to notice them, the sideway glances at Naruto. The last fighter.

Naruto oversees the situation as a group of Captains request to setup special equipment on the hidden leaf's hill. At first the others resist but when the Captains tell Naruto it is specifically for the final match, the 7th and 9th Hokages agree to have it set up.

Machinery.

Strange looking machinery is set up, much to the confusion of the historical Hokages.

"Television" Boruto mutters.

Naruto looks towards his son, who of course has more technical knowledge than himself, coming from the future. "Boruto, what's television".

"Oh" Boruto is stunned by the question, until a second ago he hadn't even considered that Naruto had not been exposed to this when he was young. It was a completely different time, technology improved so fast after the war when the villages began to work together.

"It's moving pictures on a screen" Boruto explains, "It was invented shortly before you became the Hokage".

The 7th Hokage looks on at the contraption in awe. "Amazing".

"Never seen one before?" a voice asks from slightly down the hill.

The footsteps of this man are light in weight, barely making a sound. Yet, to the shinobi of the hidden leaf who are experts in stealth, these footsteps sound heavy, very heavy indeed. It is not just because of their owner's clumsiness, no, it is because of the aura, the importance their owner carries with them.

It is the enemy's General, Clyde.

"Clyde" Naruto shrugs his shoulders as he questions the arrival to his hill, "What is happening? Why is all this equipment being brought to this hill?".

"Surely you must know" the General reacts with faux-surprise, "It's time for the final match. It's time for our match".

"Why would you need TVs for that" Sarada asks, noting that there are TV's being setup on the invader's hill as well.

"The last match will be special". A huge smile comes to the face of Clyde as he answers this question. He has competed in many captained six challenges but none so important as this. The last round rarely comes about but whenever it does, it's fun, great fun.

"The last match will involve all seven competitors from both sides".

"What" Mirai walks towards Clyde as she hears this. She hasn't been expecting to fight again.

Tobirama snaps, his anger overflowing. "You bastard, you never told us about such a rule".

Clyde shrugs. "Whether I did or not, those are the rules of the captained six challenge".

Boruto recalls this from when the 14 warriors first faced each other at the bottom of the valley. Back then the General had mentioned that the last match would be different if it were to come about. He had refused to say why the last match would be different or how it would be different, but it has become clear now. Indeed, this is a truly unique match format.

"It makes sense" Hashirama strokes his chin as he does a fine job of remaining calm. "That's why we designated Naruto as the 'Captain' in the beginning".

"Exactly".

Naruto looks between the various members of his team. Each of them are battered and bruised. Ironically, Hashirama, who lost his match, looks the closest to 100%. Boruto doesn't look so bad, as for the other's though, they are not in peak fighting condition. He dismisses their injuries, while he is concerned for them it cannot be helped, plus, the enemy Colonel's will be injured too, it's not like this is an unfair stipulation.

"Fine then" Naruto accepts this condition, "How does this last match work?".

Clyde takes a deep breath before explaining.

"The two of us will face each other in battle, much like the others have done up to this point".

"However, in our battle our allies can help or hinder us. They could prevent one of us from staying down for the full ten seconds".

Naruto nods gently, a simple enough rule. "So, I have to beat all of the Colonels to make sure you stay down".

"That's right" Clyde affirms.

"However, the two of us will be starting in a different place to the others".

"A different place?".

"There are seven starting points" the General explains, "Firstly, there is ours, the place where you and I will be fighting one another".

"There is also a starting point for each of the six pairs who have battled so far".

Mirai chips in. "That means Sisto and I will share a starting point".

Clyde clicks his fingers, pointing towards Mirai. "Exactly, you've got it. Though, the two of you will be in different circumstances".

"At each starting position, the loser from that respective battle will start in our specially made enclosure. For simplicity, we call it a prison".

"What's a prison" Naruto asks.

Upon instruction from Clyde, one of the nearby Captain's provides a picture for the shinobi through the TV. The prison appears as a black cube from the outside, with various apertures indicating that one face is a door. This is the enclosure that the losers will start in.

"The prison is a hollow black cube big enough to fit one person" Clyde says as he points at the picture, "It is made from the toughest metal we can forge".

"There is no way to break a cube. Not even I could break it" the General shrugs with a smug smile forming on his lips.

"There is only one way to escape the prison. That is for the door to be opened. The door can only be opened from the outside, it can only be opened by your teammates".

"Take you" Clyde points at Boruto. "You will be free from the beginning because you won your match. You could leave your starting point and save your friend here", saying this Clyde gestures to Hashirama.

Hashirama will start the match inside a prison because he lost to Grace. Therefore, Boruto can free Hashirama.

Clyde explains that the door opening mechanism is simple, you need only touch the surface of the prison and the door will open automatically.

"So, it's a tactical battle as well as a battle of power" Kakashi observes before reminding his teammates to use their abilities wisely.

"There is a definite requirement for teamwork" Sarada says in agreement with her parents' sensei.

"I have one final thing to say to you" Clyde lifts one finger to head height before dropping it, "Uzumaki Naruto and I will not be starting our battle in this valley".

"Why?" Kushina steps forward and asks. Concerned for her son's safety. "Everyone else has".

While Kushina is concerned for Naruto's safety, that is simply her instinct as a mother. Something Minato would have said if she hadn't beat him to it. Still, no matter where the battle is held, nobody can save Naruto when it starts. Only one person on either team can hope to fight effectively against the two team Captains. That person, is Hashirama.

Clyde looks over his shoulder, "The valley has become a terrible mess. Besides, if we went all out here you wouldn't be safe, right Naruto?".

"Is that really true Naruto?".

"Yeah" Naruto reluctantly answers. "In the other battles debris, has been sent flying everywhere. Of course, I have been able to protect you from any danger like that. I'm fighting this next battle though, none of you will be capable of withstanding the power that I put out".

Hiruzen starts. He may not have trained himself for this contest but he is still the 3rd Hokage. "Isn't that a terrible exaggeration".

"It's no exaggeration" Shikamaru smiles, "This is Naruto we're talking about, it's for the best that he fights away from us. Besides, we can watch on TV, right?".

"I suppose so" Hiruzen resigns to this fate.

A few minutes later, a group of Captains walk up the hill. Seven of them in total, their bronze cloaks dwarfed by those worn by their accomplices. Accompanying these seven Captains are five people in silver cloaks, these are, of course, the Colonel's from the previous battles. Sisto, Burns, Peterson, Grace and Sheer. A notable absence is Colonel Martin, who has obviously not returned after retreating.

Clyde explains that these captains are here to accompany the various combatants to their starting points. To make sure that the prisons are closed properly and that no cheating takes place. They are hardly unbiased but Sarada accepts that she cannot realistically complain in this situation.

As the Captain's begin to accompany the pairs away, a voice stops Naruto in his tracks.

"Naruto!".

The 7th Hokage turns around, it is Hinata. "Hinata he smiles".

"You are going to win, right?".

"Of course,". Naruto boisterously shouts his answer, a throwback to the kid from his past. "Then the two of us are going to eat ramen together, aren't we?".

"Naruto…".

"Besides" he continues, "It's Himawari's birthday tomorrow, I'm going to her celebration so you better be there too Hinata".

"I will".

As Naruto and his future wife share a thumbs-up with one another, Kushina looks on. She is unspeakably proud of the man that Naruto has become. He is not even an adult yet, he has been thrust into this desolate future and named as the number one hope for their salvation. He has been made Hokage without any sort of ceremony, he is the destination of awe-filled looks and people treat him like a divinity. Despite that he is smiling as he walks to the battlefield, ready to decide the village's fate as the Hokage.

' _Naruto, it's all on you now. I know I don't have any right to ask you this but please…'_.

' _Win'_.

 **Tobirama and Peterson's Starting Point**

Tobirama's gaze turns back in the direction he came from. It has been a goodly while since they started travelling and their pace had not been slow.

"We're so far away" he whispers to himself.

He looks up into the air to notice a floating piece of technology. If his knowledge of the future were to be more thorough, he would recognise this as a camera. For this is the camera that will record this starting position.

"HEY" Peterson shouts to Tobirama.

"What is it?".

"Nobody has ever put up this much of a fight against us before and I just… I just" a crazed smile slowly comes to the scarred face of the Colonel, "I just wanted to let you know, even if we lose, I've had fun with you, Senju Tobirama".

"It won't make a difference to me. I'm going to do my best either way but…" Tobirama begins, "What will happen to you? What will be your fate if you lose?".

"What will happen to us?" Peterson is surprised to hear this question. Normally the people of this world fear him, they spit on him and lash out at him, never before has one shown concern for him.

Since Tobirama has come to this world Peterson's life has changed. Tobirama had been the one who first detected him coming. Following the battle between Peterson, Naruto and Hashirama, it had been Tobirama who held Peterson's life in his hands. Then the two fought in the contest, only for Tobirama to overcome Peterson. Now, this person who has bested him time and time again is showing sympathy for him. When you consider their power, it is a complete role reversal.

"You don't need to concern yourselves with our fate" Peterson finally answers, "Besides, I intend to win".

"As do I".

Peterson smiles contently before he steps in through the open face of the prison. There is a simple, unassuming chair on the inside. As the Colonel sits on this chair, the open face of the prison begins to close. With a thud, it shuts completely.

The prison is complete.

 **Boruto's Starting Point**

"Why isn't there a prison here" Boruto asks of the Captain who accompanied him.

"Your opponent ran away".

"So, he really did run and hide". The shadow Hokage shakes his head in disgust. He hadn't thought much of the invading forces before but he had never assumed they would be so pitiful. If they had continued that fight Martin could well have beaten him.

"Colonel Martin is a hated man" the Captain sneers as he thinks of his ex-commander, "He was a cowardly man despised by many".

Boruto looks away from the Captain. _'Still, that's one less opponent to deal with. We have the advantage here'_.

 **Sarada and Sheer's Starting Point**

"What do you think Uchiha Sarada, do you believe you can win?".

"Sheer…".

"The odds are on your side after all, you are one person up". The purple-haired Colonel doesn't look the least bit disappointed by this fact, reflecting the general consensus of Colonel Martin with her own low opinion of the man.

Sarada steels herself, "I won't drop my guard if that's what you are hoping".

Sheer chuckles. "I thought not".

"I have too much riding on this" the 9th Hokage clenches her fists as she thinks of what home had been not so long ago. "I've got friends, people who have been like family to me and the entire village depending upon me".

"I too have friends depending on my victory" Sheer explains, "Perhaps this time it is my turn to overcome the impossible, to win against the odds".

"Then give it your all, if you get the chance".

"Oh?" Sheer smirks at Sarada's confident attitude.

"I don't plan on letting you out of that prison" the Sharingan user declares.

The Colonel replies ominously as she steps into the prison.

"You won't be able to stop me".

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Naruto surveys his environment. There isn't much to shout about. To the left, nor to the right, there is not a single feature of these surroundings that is worth speaking about. It's just grass, the sort of field you could run through for hours before reaching the other side.

"Isn't this perfect" Clyde asks, arms wide as he gestures to the domain, "A huge open grassland. Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run, nothing to use as a weapon. We are just stood here, as two men, ready to fight for what they believe in".

Naruto's eyes flutter to the object floating in the sky and the various similar looking ones all around them. "These are?".

"They are cameras" Clyde explains, "They will be recording the fight and sending it to those on our hills".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Damn" Shikadai curses as he looks at the screen showing Naruto, "A wide open setting like that, this is the worst".

Inojin agrees, "We are shinobi after all. The most advantageous place would be one with plenty of places to hide".

"What are you saying" Hiruzen frowns at the two Ino-Shika-Cho members.

"Are we wrong Lord 3rd?".

"Fundamentally you aren't wrong. Indeed, a shinobi fights best in an area with plenty of cover" Hiruzen answers, "But, this fight is different. Every fight has damaged the valley more and more. Just look at it".

Mitsuki quickly understands. "There isn't any cover left".

"Exactly, cover has proven useless in these fights so far and this one is different. Naruto is takin on a General, these two are leagues apart from those who fought before".

"Hiruzen sensei is right" Tsunade lowers her head in contemplation, "Naruto said that we wouldn't be able to survive if they fought here. If 3 Hokage cannot guard against their fight, what chances to do some trees have".

Himawari clenches her fists tightly as she looks at the television. Naruto has perhaps been on television more than anybody else in history but never like this.

' _Dad, do your best'_.

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Clyde smirks.

It is finally time for his big reveal.

"I imagine you thought a team battle would be advantageous to you, Uzumaki Naruto".

"Our team unity is better than yours" Naruto replies as if this is obvious.

"That was simply because of Martin. But without him our unity vastly outstrips yours" Clyde smiles as he makes this declaration.

"We have thought together for hundreds of years".

"Hundreds of years!".

"That's right" the General laughs as he explains it. "It's a difficult thing for you mere locals to understand but we have battled together for centuries. Let me say it like this, compared to you, we are immortal".

' _He doesn't look a day over 30'_ Naruto looks Clyde up and down; the man certainly does not look aged. _'Could he really be immortal?'_.

"I hope you know what you have let yourself in for, Uzumaki Naruto".

"The mightiest warriors from many places have battled against me and they have all fallen in battle"

"You will be my crowning achievement, saving Peterson like this will be the greatest victory I have ever achieved".

"It will be my greatest victory. And your destruction".

A moment of silence passes. Leaving Clyde to assume Naruto understands his situation. That he cannot win.

That is until Naruto speaks.

"No" he declares resolutely.

"It doesn't matter how long you have been doing this, or how good your team unity is".

"We are united by our experiences, we are united because we have all experienced the same pain".

"The hidden leaf has endured your torment for far too long and our emotions are about to boil over".

Faces enter Naruto's mind. The face of Konohamaru. The face of Sai. The face of Mito. And the faces of Sasuke and Sakura. There are so many more from the leaf that have died and there are even more from the other villages.

"The wills of the dead have been passed on to me and they are telling me to beat you".

Clyde frowns as Naruto continues.

"You won't be able to stop me".

"Because…".

"I have a birthday part I need to be going to".

The General is stunned. "A birthday party?".

In the air above each starting point a buzzer sounds, signalling the countdown to the start.

3...

' _I can't afford to lose here'_ both warriors tell themselves.

2…

' _No matter what, I'll win'_.

1…

' _So here I come'._

BUZZ

"Naruto!"

"Clyde!".

With this, the final battle begins!

* * *

 **Author Note**

Hi All.

Sorry about a chapter of mostly explaining rules and buildup.

It will start now though, I promise. Tomorrow will be the first chapter of the final battle.

For a perceptive few, yes, this format is pretty much taken from KHR.

I quite like KHR, it's the basis for the one story I wrote before this one.

I would prefer it if you interpreted this as 'taking inspiration' rather than 'stealing' but hey, it's your life. Either way I'm not changing it.

As always, thanks for all your support. It's great to see quite a few people are reading this story (at least compared to my last one).

Thanks for reading,

Cbehrills


	45. A Plan to Win

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – A PLAN TO WIN**

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

The countdown finishes.

The buzzer buzzes.

The fight begins.

The moment the claxon sounds the two warriors dash towards one another. Their speed is incredible, Clyde through his battles against countless mighty warriors just like Naruto, Naruto through his physical training coordinated by his friends. The only thing that this speed can be compared to is the Raikage from the hidden cloud. Unspeakably fast.

Clyde is the first to throw a punch, his fist cutting through the air on its route towards Naruto's chest.

The blonde shinobi has the same thought in mind though, he throws a punch along a pre-calculated path. The path is perfect for the collision. With a bang the two fists connect. A tremendous outward force stems from the point of contact. While the two fighters stand unaffected by this great force, the nearby environment doesn't remain unaffected. Within a fifty-meter radius, all of the grass is torn up, leaving behind a barren circular plane.

As the outward force stops, Naruto is the first one to move his fist. He allows Clyde's previous pushing efforts to carry the General forward, using his enemy's momentum against him. With this Naruto leaps into the air, his feet reaching heights such that his ankles are parallel to the top of Clyde's head.

With all the strength, he can summon from his hips, Naruto kicks his leg towards Clyde's head. The General catches his leg though, taking a firm grip on the shinobi's left ankle. As Naruto starts he has no time to free himself, Clyde swings him by his leg, just like a club, down towards the ground.

There is just time to weave a couple of signs, but this is enough for Naruto.

A cushion of wind stops him from hitting the ground at full force.

' _Wind'_ Clyde notes to himself.

This thought is a distraction for the General, he is wasting too much time focusing on his opponent. After all, Naruto has one leg free.

Naruto uses his free leg, swinging it upward and catching Clyde on the underside of the chin. The shinobi uses the momentum of his right leg to carry him around a full revolution, backward flipping before he lands with both feet on the ground.

The General takes a similar motion. A kick to the underside of the jaw can be fatal if he does not take it properly. To do so, he follows the momentum of Naruto's foot with his own face, back flipping himself to reduce the impact of the kick.

The two land after their reverse rotations at the exact same moment.

Naruto weaves a succession of signs, creating a translucent blade in his hand. Clearly, this blade is also made of wind. The creation of this melee weapon is a mere dummy in the battle against the General though, Naruto steps forward, arching his arm like a baseball player as he launches the sword towards his opponent.

Clyde is able to dodge the sword but this gives his opponent the chance to dash him. Naruto takes hold of Clyde's head with both hands. Pulling his arms and raising his knee, he sets Clyde's face on a collision course with his leg.

The General is left with no choice, he puts both palms out in front of him, bracing himself against Naruto's thigh as he stops his skull from connecting with his opponent's kneecap. This presents him an opening, with both Naruto's hands on his head, the shinobi's midsection is wide open. Clyde pulls both his arms behind his back before slamming his open palms into Naruto's abdomen.

The Hokage skids back, small waves of dirt arising from his feet as his ankles rub against the ground. Slowly he comes to a halt. The loser of this fist exchange.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Hey, hey" Dan stares at the screen with shock on his face. Naruto and Clyde's match is incredible, "Is this for real?".

Both Naruto and Clyde have tremendous speed and strength. A lucky few shinobi have seen someone near the Colonel level battle before. There have been a few of these shinobi throughout history. Hashirama, Madara, Naruto, Sasuke and even for a few moments Obito and Kakashi. Nobody though, nobody has seen a shinobi on this level before, Naruto had already transcended the limits of what was thinkable for a warrior, this battle has put him even further beyond that.

"I've never seen a battle like this before" Metal remarks despite being a veteran of many battles in this war.

"Neither have I" Mitsuki nods in agreement.

"It's in every single hit" Tsunade notes. "This battle may appear straightforward. What makes it special is the scale though, every kick, every punch, the strength they are packing is incredible".

"The ground around them is all torn up just from that little skirmish" Hiruzen stands mouth agape.

"Yeah" the 5th nods, "And this is just the beginning. Neither of them is going all out yet".

Naruto's various trainers look between one another. They know that their physical training had been incredibly tough, even for the man who would become the 7th Hokage. They had not been expecting results like this though. It's nothing short of miraculous, it's not the strength that should be possible for a shinobi to obtain. It's far from over though, Clyde hasn't even begun to use an element yet, much less a cloak. No, this unbelievable strength, it's just the beginning.

Hinata grips the sleeves of her shirt tightly. _'Naruto, keep going. You can win!'_.

 **Naruto and Clyde's Battlefield**

"That strength is truly impressive" Clyde compliments Naruto while maintaining his fighting pose, "You have come a long way in the short time since you battled Peterson".

Naruto smiles at this compliment. "You're not weak either, but I can't stop here".

"My strength when I use my element is as great as Peterson's when he using his elemental cloak" Clyde explains. This is a monstrous claim, Peterson is perhaps the strongest of the Colonels, Naruto and Hashirama together had only just defeated him in that form last time, yet that represents the General's strength without the use of a cloak. "I hope you are prepared for this".

Naruto doesn't waver. His eyes are fixed firmly upon his enemy. His gaze drilling a hole through Clyde's head. He simply watches.

Clyde holds his hand out before him with his palm facing the sky. Slowly, a thick dark black substance pours from his hand.

' _This is…'_.

Clyde doesn't allow Naruto to finish his hypothesis. The General condenses the black substance into a hand sized ball, much like the rasengan, before throwing that ball towards Naruto.

Despite the speed of this attack, Naruto is confident his own speed will not be overcome. He speedily creates a rasengan in his hand before smashing the high velocity chakra ball into the black ball approaching him.

A gust of wind stems from the point of contact but the result soon becomes obvious. The dark ball completely overcomes the rasengan.

Thanks to Naruto's keen skills of observation and quick reaction time, he is able to dodge the black ball of energy but it is a close-run thing. _'That was close'._

That attack seemed to be incredible, to be unprecedented. But, Clyde refuses to waste a second, creating another energy ball in his hand, ready to attack.

" _Kurama"_ Naruto shouts into his inner world, _"Do you have any idea what that element is"._

The tailed-beast replies in a solemn voice. _"It doesn't matter what it is. It's dangerous. It's more powerful than whatever the Colonels have been using"._

"It's confused you" Clyde smiles as he interrupts the conversation between Kurama and his host.

"What…".

"An element that cannot be formed from chakra" Clyde's grin only widens as he continues to tease the blonde shinobi.

"It can't be formed from chakra" the 7th Hokage repeats these words, considering what they could mean.

" _STOP GETTING DISTRACTED"._

Kurama's voice acts as a wakeup call for Naruto. As he raises his head he sees Clyde's arm quickly moving in his direction. It's another throw, another energy ball is hurtling towards his head.

Crossing his fingers, Naruto creates two clones.

The first clone runs forward, slamming a rasengan into the black ball before dissipating. The second follows in quick succession, succeeding in little other than slowing the ball's path. However, that is exactly what Naruto has been planning on.

As the two clones are destroyed, Naruto finally completes his jutsu. A wind rasen-shuriken appears in his hand. With a primal shout, he throws the shuriken, crashing it perfectly against the dark coloured ball. At last, the ball is destroyed. Two rasengan and one rasen-shuriken, that is how much it had taken to destroy that one attack.

" _Nice quick thinking"_ Kurama encourages his host.

Naruto takes a few moments to observe Clyde who seems to be doing the same to him. This is a battle neither of them can afford to lose, if either is able to see any weakness in their opponent, they will not hesitate to act upon it.

" _Kurama"_ Naruto calls the nine-tails name, _"Do you want to try something we've never done before?"._

" _Now of all times?"._

Naruto explains his thinking. _"If he starts to use that cloak then it will be a lot harder to defeat him"._

" _You can't mean you…"._

" _Yeah, I have a plan to defeat him. I have a plan to take him down before he even uses his cloak. It will require us to do something we have never even done before though"._

Naruto quickly explains his daring plan to Kurama. A perfect culmination of sophistry and deception, a plan of bluff that could help him to defeat even someone as mighty as this General.

" _Do you think it will work?"._

Kurama snorts, turning his head to the side and speaking from the corner of his mouth. _"It might do, if you had any talent at all"._

" _Kurama…"._

" _But sure"_ the nine-tails grins menacingly, _"I'll give it a go if you will"._

As if hearing their agreement through some form of psychic power, Clyde creates another ball of dark energy in his hand.

In reaction, Naruto places his hand into his pocket, pulling a spherical object out and throwing it down into the ground. With a bang, smoke appears, covering Naruto and the area surrounding him.

The General is unperturbed by this trickery though. _'It doesn't matter what you do in there, you are not escaping from my attack'_.

Clyde smiles as he watches his own attack hurtling towards the mass of smoke. _'The only way he can withstand a direct hit is to transform, but, if he did that I would be able to feel the increase in his chakra'_.

Just as the General thinks that, a rasen-shuriken flies from inside the smoke. Cancelling out the black ball. That does not end this exchange though. The smoke clears to reveal a trio of clones stood in front of Naruto. All three of these clones charge together, their speed slightly inferior to the original Naruto as they bear down upon the enemy.

' _Ignore the clones, they won't do any great harm'_ Clyde tells himself, _'If I attack the real one they will defend him'_.

Creating another dark ball, Clyde launches a second attack towards the original body. As expected, all three clones react by creating rasengan. With this, most onlookers conclude that the shinobi had planned to test if three rasengan could cancel out Clyde's repeating attack.

' _You can try and counter all you want, it's too late'._ With a click of Clyde's fingers, the dark ball accelerates, flying past the three clones faster than they can defend.

Naruto's eyes widen as he quickly begins to produce a rasen-shuriken. It's too late though, the dark ball hits Naruto and the shinobi begins to fall backwards.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

As Naruto falls to his back on the screen. It takes everyone a moment before they can process what is happening. The 7th Hokage is down.

"DAD!" Himawari shouts as she looks at the screen in panic.

 **Naruto and Clyde's Battlefield**

The original body.

Or so everyone thought.

It disappears in a puff of smoke.

Clyde starts, _'His clones are so advanced that not even I can see through them'_.

The situation continues to worsen for the invading General. That wasn't the original body so the clones have not disappeared. They all continue their charge, their intention now clear. To launch a surprise attack on him.

' _Damn, which one is the real one'_. The first of the clones swings a rasengan towards Clyde's face, an attack the General is able to dodge only by the skin of his teeth. After escaping, he grabs hold of the attacking clone's arm, swinging him around with the help of his own momentum before launching him into another Naruto lookalike.

The two bodies crash together and disappear in a puff of smoke.

That can mean only one thing, the one remaining Naruto, is the original.

The original Naruto is right in Clyde's face at this point. He had evidently faked the decrease in his speed during the last attack. With a rasengan ready, at this point-blank range, the General will have no time to counter attack. This attack, will definitely hit.

' _So, this is the original'_ Clyde sighs internally, _'But this is fine, that technique won't do any great damaged to me'_.

That is where he is wrong.

The rasengan suddenly begins to change. The blue appearance of the attack just an illusion that slowly peals away before his eyes. A genjutsu, previously Naruto's weakness, now another weapon achieved through his training.

It would be impossible to trick Clyde with an enormous genjutsu, but, a small visual trick like this is well within Naruto's power. What is truly terrifying is what the blue energy peals away to reveal.

It's a mini tailed beast bomb.

' _NOT GOOD!'_.

Naruto lets out a primal scream as he slams the mini tailed beast bomb into Clyde's chest. Just as dictated in his plan, the General didn't have the time or the opportunity to dodge. It's a hit.

Clyde falls backwards, landing flat on his back.

" _You did it"_ Kurama shouts in Naruto's inner world.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"He fired off that attack without using the nine-tails chakra mode" Shikamaru exclaims.

Hinata shares his surprise, "I didn't even know Naruto could do that".

"He can't" Kiba shakes his head, "He has never done that before. Not the Naruto from the present or from the past, he has never been able to do that".

 **Naruto and Clyde's Battlefield**

" _You, sneaky devil"_ Kurama grins towards Naruto, _"You used your battle from before. Back then he saw you fight, he knew that you should only be able to use that attack while using my chakra"._

" _That's right"_ the host responds, _"I used his own experiences against him"._

' _This kid'_ Kurama keeps his thoughts private as he looks at Naruto, _'He really dared to attempt something so outrages. Not even the old man had such a perfect fighting sense. Indeed, only you could have won this fight, Naruto'_.

Outside from his inner world, Naruto is breathing heavily. Readying himself for any other attacks that may come at him. To use the tailed beast bomb without help from chakra mode is difficult, it is incredibly taxing. He will likely never use such a method again, it would only work the once, a true surprise attack. Still, it is worth it, Clyde is down.

' _Damn, I dropped my guard'_ the General curses to himself, _'My chest feels like it's going to collapse'_.

Something snaps in Clyde as a memory comes to him from his past. A memory of an old man. _"Remember Clyde, the most important thing is to look after your men"._

' _I can't let them down'_ Clyde concludes after he recalls these words from the old man. This old man who meant so much to him, this old man who taught him what it was to be a leader.

1…2…3…4…5…

' _You have to get up Clyde… GET UP!'._

' _Stay down, stay down'_.

6… 7…

At the count of seven, the General manages to force himself upwards. Getting himself onto his right foot and his left knee. This may not be classed as getting onto his feet but it virtually guarantees that he will be successful in getting up. This is enough for Naruto to understand, right now the most important thing isn't chancing the count. He needs to attack, attack again, attack until you have won.

8…

As Naruto begins to approach Clyde roars aloud, "I can't afford to lose here!". The General covers his palm in the dark energy he had used to form his attacks just a few moments ago. Bang, he slams his open palm into the ground, sending the black substance towards Naruto's feet. With the blonde shinobi barely avoiding the fatal action of stepping upon it.

"This element" Naruto starts, "It's…".

"Darkness" Clyde finally answers the mystery.

Clyde's element is darkness.

Not standing on ceremony, Clyde throws a volley of punches and kicks at Naruto. Each and every hit is enhanced by the power of darkness. That is not to say that the attacks are physically stronger but the element seeps in through Naruto's pores each time a blow connects, dealing far more damage than Clyde's initial attacks with merely his hands.

As Naruto begins to fall backwards, his eyes roll back in his head.

' _No more messing around'_ Clyde resolutely declares as he watches Naruto fall backwards, _'When I fight seriously using my element, you don't stand a chance'_.

Naruto begins to lose consciousness, despite screaming to himself to stay away. _'Am I… Am I going to pass out… will I lose here'_.

" _WAKE UP!"_ Kurama practically screams at Naruto.

With this scream so many emotions are carried. Sasuke and Sakura's images pass through Naruto's brain. _'I f I lose here, would they have died for nothing?'_. More images pass through his brain, loved ones, Kakashi, Sarada, Minato, Kushina, Boruto, Himawari and Hinata, _'If I lose here, won't they die to'_.

The shinobi stops his fall by catching hold of the General's wrist.

Clyde is stunned, he had believed Naruto had lost conscious.

An orange chakra begins to spread up the length of Naruto's arm. _'If I die here, all of my friends are going to die too, so I have to hold on'_. He focuses his eyes upon the face of his enemy, retorting to the earlier shout, "I can't afford to lose either!".

Upon regaining his focus. Naruto enters chakra mode. This makes it easy for him to form a mini tailed beast bomb. To counter this Clyde creates a ball of darkness. Two balls of pure black energy, they slam against their counterparts to create an ironic, blinding light.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"This is already the most intense fight we have seen so far" Minato points out, "And they are both holding back their true power".

"It's incredible" Hiruzen finds himself forced to agree, "This isn't a level it should be possible to reach".

Shikamaru grins hearing the high praise of the 3rd Hokage, the man who had been the village leader during his youth. "That's what is so special about Naruto, it doesn't matter if it's impossible, he will do it anyway".

' _Naruto, please be alright'_ Kushina prays in her heart before switching her gaze to another of the screens, _'Boruto, you have to be OK too'_.

Suddenly, she feels a hand take her own. She looks up to see her husband watching the same screens.

"Minato…".

"They'll be fine" the 4th Hokage smiles, "They wouldn't come this far to lose, would they?".

"Of course not. They're going to win".


	46. The Leaf's Trump Card

**Author Note:**

Hi All,

I happened to not have much to do today.

That means you get an early chapter.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Thanks for Reading,

Me

* * *

 **THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – THE LEAF'S TRUMP CARD**

 **Mirai and Sisto's Starting Point**

Sisto gazes towards Naruto and Clyde's starting point, shaking her head gently as she feels the battle progress. _'Damn, that guy is actually fighting against the General. Even for a General, using an element as strong as darkness is unusual. They're both monsters'_.

Sisto takes a deep breath. He has seen the General battle against people stronger than Naruto before. Those battles had not been fights to the death but they hadn't gone too badly. He quickly concludes that the General should be able to pull through this fight as well. Still, what sort of monster is Naruto? To fight not only against a General, but one using darkness. That is truly amazing.

He turns to look at the prison before him. The weighty black metallic structure is incredibly strong. From his brief time knowing Mirai, her personality means she likely tried to break out from it, such a thing is impossible though, there is no way to break out of the prison. Not even Clyde could do so, much less any of the locals.

' _Mirai won't be too much of a problem even if she gets free'_ Sisto notes.

During the Colonel's battle with Mirai he hadn't had to battle too hard to win. Mirai is strong, her power is one that he doesn't understand. He has seen many people with the power to manipulate chakra, he has seen even more sharing the same power source as himself. He has though, never before seen someone who could fuse elements at will. Such a power is ungodly.

Nevertheless, while Mirai is strong, she is not too strong. Her power is equivalent to a low-level Colonel at most. Despite her perhaps unrivalled capacity for development.

' _That being the case, I should try to free one of the others'_. Sisto amplifies his senses to the maximum, searching for all the other starting points. He could have memorised them before-hand but he has some honour, he does not need to cheat in a match like this, not with all his experience. _'Sheer is the closest from here, her opponent is waiting outside her prison'_.

Yes, that is the decision Sarada has made, not to free her comrades but instead to prevent Sheer from being freed.

' _Sheer is one of our stronger warriors, our most experienced Colonel and her opponent is one of their greatest fighters too. If I can free Sheer and defeat her opponent, then we will be well ahead in this match'_. Sisto makes this opponent before his feet lift slowly from the floor, the separation gradually increasing as his height increases. He soon looks in Sheer's direction and begins flying towards her at full speed.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Biwako is stunned by what she has just witnessed. Unlike everyone else, her eyes have frequently drifted to this screen, the screen covering Mirai's position. After all, Mirai is her granddaughter, it's natural to have a bias to watch her. However, something has changed since she last looked. Sisto has gone.

"The water user has left Mirai unguarded" she says as she points towards the screen.

"To do such a thing…".

"It's a good strategic move" Shikadai interrupts the 3rd Hokage mid-sentence, "Compared to some of the others, Mirai is a minor threat to them".

"A good strategic move" Biwako is surprised once again. "But if someone is to free Mirai…".

Hiruzen places a hand on her shoulder, smiling to his wife as she looks into his eyes. "If a member of the Nara clan says it's true then it must be true".

The Nara clan is famed for its tactical comprehension. For years, the clan has been the intellectual driving force behind the shinobi of the hidden leaf village. The clan heads, whether it be Shikaku, Shikamaru or Shikadai have all been reputed as their villages greatest tacticians and not without merit. They see things that others cannot, the very motions of battle have spoken volumes to them.

"I agree with Shikadai" Shikamaru nods as he adds his piece, "This is a good move, it has little to be lost and a lot to be gained".

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Naruto turns his head to his left, looking as if he can see something that nobody else can. He doesn't really understand what he is feeling but he can sense movement. This is a result of his sensory training, with Kurama's help and the practice routine formulated by his friends, his sensory prowess far exceeds what it was before.

"Amazing, you can really feel it" Clyde sighs, _'This man Uzumaki Naruto is truly incredible. It took me hundreds of years to reach this level and he isn't even an adult yet'_.

Naruto turns to look at Clyde, who evidently understands the feeling better than himself.

"Sisto is moving" Clyde explains, "He made the perfect decision to try and free Sheer from her prison. It's not our first time battling in this sort of contest, we have the advantage in terms of teamwork".

The 7th Hokage looks his opponent up and down. Even for one of the invaders his power seems to defy all logic, his ability to keep calm yet admire every development the shinobi makes. _'Are they really as old as he claims? Is something like that really possible?'_.

"Next will be Burns" the General points in another direction as his mind wanders to his red-haired subordinate, "She has been waiting to see what happens and now that Sisto has moved, she will make her decision on how to act".

A smile comes to Naruto's face. He actually begins to laugh.

"What's so funny?".

"You keep talking about how great the situation is for you but I think you have overlooked something".

"Oh" Clyde grins, "You talk as if you have a secret weapon of some sort".

"We do" Naruto replies, "You are overlooking the hidden leaf's trump card".

 **Kakashi and Burn's Starting Point**

Burns laughs faintly as she senses Sisto moving from his starting point, heading towards Sheer. _'That's good Sisto'_.

She takes in the prison before her, recalling her battle with Kakashi. It had become more difficult during the fight, that is for sure but it had been easy for her to win. She considers that it's a miracle her opponent even forced her into using her elemental cloak. Of all the fights, hers had truly been the easiest.

' _This guy isn't worth defending, he's the weakest of the lot'_ she concludes, _'Grace can't move. She has to protect her prison because if that man escapes'_.

That man is of course Senju Hashirama. Hashirama had only lost last time because he had been so careless, he had wasted time toying with his opponent and he had yet to get used to his own power. That was the danger of sage mode. If he were to get free this time though, it would be different. He would likely now have complete control over his power and he would not be so foolish twice. With the exception of Naruto and Clyde, there can be no doubt, Hashirama is the most dangerous fighter in this battle.

Burns shivers, _'He will have realised his own weakness. He will be truly dangerous. In that case, I have to move to stop that guy interfering'_.

The man she will stop interfering is their true disadvantage. Namely, Boruto. Martin abandoning the fight had truly been a knife in the heart to them, not only had he lost, that meant Boruto was immediately free to leave his starting point. Of course, it is obvious who he would try to free first. It could only be that man, Senju Hashirama.

Burns lifts off the ground slightly, preparing to fly into the distance.

"Where are, you going?".

A voice stuns her, pulls her gaze away from the distance and back to her own starting point.

It's an impossible voice. Escaping the prison is impossible. Not even General Clyde can do it.

But, one man can, that man is the hidden leaf's trump card, Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi walks leisurely through the wall of the prison, passing through it as if it is not there at all.

He raises his eyes to meet those of his opponent. "The two of us aren't finished yet".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Het, what is going on?" Dan asks as he looks at the future generations. "How did Kakashi escape from the prison…".

That's not what stuns Minato though. What stuns Minato is Kakashi's eyes. Each eye contains a red and black pattern, commonly known to be used by the Uchiha clan. Other than Sarada, Kakashi is the only one capable of manifesting this kind of eye today. It is the Mangekyo Sharingan inherited from Uchiha Obito.

"It's Obito's power" Hinata recalls, drawing a questioning look from Minato. "Obito had the power to pass through objects at will".

Minato sighs in admiration. This man, Hatake Kakashi is his pupil, a man who would go on to inherit Obito's goal of becoming the Hokage. Indeed, Kakashi became the 6th Hokage, he inherited the power from Obito's eyes on a permanent basis. His abilities are unspeakably profound, his space-time jutsu impressive to an even greater degree than Minato's own.

"It's here" Mitsuki smiles knowingly, "This is the power the two of us were training for. The power we trained to unlock from within him and now this power is here".

 **Kakashi and Burn's Starting Point**

"We battled once before and you lost completely to me" Burns reminds Kakashi.

"That may be so" the masked shinobi admits, "But I am stronger than I was yesterday".

Kakashi hits the ground running, dashing towards Burns with a speed greater than before. Each of his paces is enhanced not only by his muscle but by his newfound chakra. Every day Obito's chakra has been growing from within him and now it is complete. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the warrior on the move now, is not Kakashi but instead a fusion of Kakashi and Obito's powers, of their chakras.

Burns notices the difference in Kakashi's speed immediately, she quickly creates a huge shield of ice to protect herself. She concludes that behind the shield of ice she should be safe, that even if used his most powerful blow from before it should not be able to pierce this defence. Her caution, is insufficient.

Kakashi creates a ribcage around him, a technique commonly known as Susano. His Susano is the colour Obito's was always meant to be, cyan. Perhaps not even this Susano fist could smash through the barrier, Kakashi has no intention of testing that though, instead he runs through the barrier, Susano and all before slamming the first forwards ricocheting Burns back along the ground.

' _He can run through anything'_ Burns makes a mental note of this capability as her opponent begins to run towards her once again, _'I need to wait for the moment he attacks and match his strike so that my own will connect'_.

Once again Kakashi charges towards Burns, the Susano ribcage fully formed around him. His fist prepared. From Burns' side a fist forms, a fist of equal size to that of the Susano, a fist made of pure ice. This will be their collision. Or at least it would be, if Kakashi decides it will be.

Kakashi instead times his punch perfectly, pulling Burns into his own timing, so their fists would slam together perfectly. It is at that moment he activates his power. The two fists pass through one another, with the Susano fist quickly starting to dissipate.

' _Not good'_ Burns curses as Kakashi passes through her.

Burns has over a hundred years of experience on the battlefield. She is a conqueror though, never before has she truly had to fight with her life on the line, never before has she had to pool all of her abilities with no choice but to win. This is the cruelty of the shinobi world, even from a young age Kakashi has been doing this, watching his friends die one by one. It is a cruel world that he was exposed to, with situations that only he survived. Hundreds of people were thrown into the forge with almost no chance of coming out, the 6th Hokage had come out though, he had come out as a sharpened blade. No matter how long you practice for, small time contests will never allow you to compare to the tenacity of someone who has walked the border of life and death.

Kakashi passes through Burns and jumps into the air, spinning a full 180 degrees before kicking his opponent in the side.

BOOM!

Once again, the red-haired Colonel is sent tumbling back along the ground.

This time she takes a lesson from the encounter. Take your time, you have to win here so don't let him pull you into your pace. She learns from just one encounter, battle experience making the world of difference to her mentality. _'I have to keep my distance from him while I think of a plan'_.

This is the correct way to think, although the 6th Hokage pursues her he cannot catch her. His physical capabilities have improved but they are still no match for hers. It is practically impossible for a local to have abilities that transcend a Colonel. It must be understood that Naruto and Hashirama who have done so are both monsters, unseen by Burns through her entire life.

' _I'm still faster than him in this form'_ Burns fixes her eyes on Kakashi, not daring to lose sight of him. _'Then, if I use my elemental cloak, I may be able to move faster than his reaction speed'_.

Burns turns on her heels, preparing her fist for an attack as she activates her ice elemental cloak. She doesn't swing though, she allows Kakashi to approach her. The 6th Hokage may have a superior battle mind but there are some differences that you can't account for, even if you are a genius. Burns waits for the last possible moment, until Kakashi is right before her, before unleashing a full power punch into his gut.

Kakashi starts, the attack had arrived at his stomach before he could even make the decision to let it pass through him. As the force transfers from his opponent's hand into his gut his backwards momentum increases enormously. His only saving grace is that he does not need to use the ground to slow down, he instead uses the air resistance in the alternate dimension linked to his kamui. Still, it was not an attack he could take casually, the internal damage is already done.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Kakashi…" Minato mutters, clenching his fist as he realises his pupil's predicament. When he had taught Kakashi, the latter had almost been able to pass the bell test without his teammates help, this would go against the point of the exercise. At his stage, there is no way he should have been able to pass that test alone yet he had almost done so. Not just against anyone either, against the yellow flash who would one day become the 4th Hokage.

"What a drag" Shikamaru sighs, "Even with Obito's power Kakashi is really struggling".

"No" Kushina shouts as she raises both fists to her chest, "This is the combined power of Kakashi and Obito, there is no way they can lose".

Himawari turns awkwardly to her grandmother. "If the Colonel is so much faster what can he possibly do".

' _Come on Lord 6_ _th_ _'_ Mitsuki begins this mantra in his head, _'Have you started to feel it yet?'_.

 **Kakashi and Burn's Starting Point**

Burns laughs maniacally at the situational change. In an instant, she has turned the tide, making this a near impossible situation for Kakashi. "How can you possibly hope to win now?".

She continues, "You're weaker than me, that special technique was the only thing that allowed you to be on my level for a second. But, now even that won't work". Her aura flares as she growls at Kakashi, "I hope you are ready for what I'm about to do".

Kakashi is paying no attention to the words of his opponent. _'I can follow her by copying Sasuke's observation algorithm, that's no problem. I still won't be able to activate Obito's technique in time, I'll have to battle her with my fists. In that case, I'll have to copy Sakura's chakra control technique'_.

Burns dashes towards Kakashi, the Hokage's copied observation technique just barely keeps up with her.

' _It will drain my chakra rapidly but I have to do it anyway because…'_.

' _because…'._

"I am the 6th Hokage!".

Kakashi copies Burns charge, launching himself forward at his maximum speed. The two don't use any flashy jutsu or ice constructions, instead they simply bang their fists together. Some out-draft stems from the point of contact, nothing so impressive as when Naruto and Clyde had done it but still enough to push back a normal shinobi.

Burns realises that Kakashi's strength of punch has increased even further. To help herself in this tussle she increases the power of her own punches, cladding each fist thrown in the coldest ice she can create.

The two exchange punches. Three punches each. Four punches each. Tens of punches each. Hundreds of punches each. Both warriors condition worsens at a uniform rate as they throw their fists, while they both dodge some of the incoming blows neither of them is perfect, neither can possibly dodge all of the incoming attacks.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"He's doing it" Minato gasps.

"Go for it Kakashi" Kushina eggs her husband's student on as if he can hear through the television.

' _It's different'_ Mitsuki observes, his eyes wide with shock, _'Everything about him. It's different, his speed, his strength, his determination. This is a far greater level than he achieved while we were training'_.

 **Kakashi and Burn's Starting Point**

Kakashi changes from punching, instead flipping forwards and slamming his foot into Burns' chest on the way around, sending her skidding backwards along the ground. It's not his most powerful kick but it achieves its goal, separation.

As Burns skids, backwards, Kakashi finds the opening he has been looking for. "Kamui" he calls as he opens a hole between this world and his other dimension. Out from the hole comes two shuriken, on a perfect course for Burns' head.

This is naturally, nothing to the Colonel. She is easily able to deflect this attack, with just a flick of her hand a small icy gust knocks the shuriken onto a different path, missing her head by the narrowest of margins. Still, it speaks volumes of her power that she is comfortable with such a margin. That moment of distraction is enough though, Kakashi is right before her.

'' _Being the Hokage is about more than your personal power'_ he shouts in his head, almost as if giving a lecture to Burns.

A desperate situation, Burns throws a simple but effective punch towards Kakashi's head.

A punch that Kakashi avoids.

' _It's about embracing everyone's power'_. In one hand, he creates a chidori, in the other a rasengan. The lightning extends further than ever before and the rasengan spins more quickly than he has previously managed.

' _Naruto's rasengan, Sasuke's chidori, Sakura's power, I'll combine my three student's specialities'_.

Burns gasps as she realises the incoming disaster is impossible to avoid.

' _By embracing them all, I will defeat you'_.

SLAM!

He swings the chidori into one of Burns' arms, the rasengan into the other. He does this using Sakura's chakra control technique, the power of the slam is therefore enormous, comparable to the 5th Hokage's. Imagine combining the 5th Hokage's strength with the techniques created by the 4th and 6th Hokage's, that is the essence of this attack, of its power.

The explosion isn't big but it's powerful, it's condensed and the epicentre is Burns.

After it finally settles down she falls to her knees. "Sorry… everyone…".

Then she collapses.

Elsewhere the hidden leaf hill is euphoric in their celebration. They cheer with jubilation as Kakashi stands over the opponent he had previously failed to defeat.

The 6th Hokage falls to one knee, taking repeated deep breaths as he presses the ground with his fist to maintain his balance.

' _Obito, this one is for you'_ he declares, _'I hope that I can be the Hokage you want me to be'_.

To escape from a prison that nobody else can. To defy all the logic set down in this final match. To put the first competitor down for the count.

It should be impossible but it has been done.

That is what makes Hatake Kakashi, the leaf's trump card.


	47. Sarada's Plight

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – SARADA'S PLIGHT**

 **Tobirama and Peterson's Starting Point**

The 2nd Hokage is an expert sensor. His greatest sensory technique involves him pressing his finger to the ground, allowing him to sense chakra, even in another country. The starting points for this final match are far away from one another but they are not that far away. That means that Tobirama is able to keep track of each and every member of his team, he is best able to understand their situation. Regrettably though, even after his training, everyone is outside his teleportation range.

What he focuses on at this moment is the biggest fight of all. The battle between Naruto and Clyde. The two continue to trade blows while he monitors their conflict. _'Naruto'_ he says in his head, _'I know you were strong, that you had inherited my brother's will but this power… this is something else'_.

Naruto had originally used six paths sage mode to great effect, when working together with Uchiha Sasuke, he could fight on a level similar to the sage of the six paths. However, Naruto has now improved upon his original level, getting even stronger than before. Now his strength has become comparable to those on another level, to Hagoromo and Hamura. This sort of power for a shinobi, it is like stepping from the realm of man and into the world of the gods.

Tobirama steadies his resolve upon understanding just how hard Naruto must be fighting. _'If you are going to fight so hard, I can't afford to fail you on this front'_.

The 2nd Hokage rotates his head, looking behind him to the black metallic structure. This is the prison that the invaders have provided for the match. This structure is impossible to escape from, even for a General like Clyde who wields the element of darkness. Naturally then, it is not possible for a Colonel to escape from the prison. _'I need to make a decision here; do I attack or do I defend'_.

He looks at Peterson's prison as he continues to speculate about the match's progression. _'We have the advantage in numbers since Boruto's opponent run away… also…'_.

Recalling his battle with Peterson, Tobirama frowns. That battle was his victory only through trickery and outsmarting his opponent. Likely such a thing would not work again. On top of this, if you were to compare the powers of each and every Colonel it is likely that Peterson would be ranked very highly. It is no coincidence that he was able to fight to a standstill against both Hashirama and Naruto simultaneously.

' _Peterson is perhaps the strongest of the Colonels'_ Tobirama notes, _'In that case I have to stay here and defend this prison. No matter what, I cannot let him escape'_.

 **Sarada and Sheer's Starting Point**

Sarada stares vacantly at Sheer's prison, not to admire the architecture or not to contemplate what Sheer's plans are, her thoughts are far away from this match. While she should be concentrating, her mind is fixed on the changes she has seen in a blonde-haired shinobi. Not on the spectacular development of Naruto, not on the miraculous recovery of Minato, her thoughts are on the gradual change of Boruto. Boruto has become one of if not her closest friend, someone she can talk to anything about, someone who she could entrust any job to. He had always agreed with her philosophy, inspired from his own father but lately that has started to change. Boruto has started to change.

To interrupt her thoughts, someone arrives.

Colonel Sisto, Mirai's opponent, attacks Sarada from behind.

It's a blind spot attack, there is no way to see it coming.

Yet somehow, somehow, Sarada avoids the punch. Spinning around Sisto's still moving arm, Sarada positions herself towards the outside of his body, slamming her left hand down to take hold of Sisto's left wrist. It's not like she does this slowly either, it takes an instant for her to dodge and take hold of her opponent's hand, this is true speed.

Sisto starts as he looks at Sarada's face. She is not even looking at him. _'How, she shouldn't be able to sense me, the power I use is above her realm of comprehension'_.

The answer to his question is far from complicated, it is a skill that many shinobi develop through their careers. Sarada's greatest asset may be her eyes, or perhaps her enormous reserves of chakra but she has another talent picked up through experience alone. A shinobi of her level depends not just upon sight, but also upon sound, smell and even the feeling of the air moving. Through practice, all of these variables can be combined, a true picture of your surroundings can be produced without even opening your eyes. This is an advantage that Sarada has because she is the Hokage, because she is a shinobi.

While Sisto wastes, time trying to work this out, Sarada gathers solar energy on her hand. She tightens her fingers into a ball, creating a well-formed fist emblazoned with the suns energy before slamming it into her opponent.

As Sisto skids backwards he realises the power his opponent wields. To slow his backwards momentum, he points his palms behind him, firing high speed water jets. As he decelerates and eventually comes to a halt, he raises his head, looking Sarada in the eye. _'This woman may not have such an amazing ability as Mirai but her power is great. I can't afford to go easy on her'_.

The Colonel doesn't hesitate. While he delayed the activation of his elemental cloak in his battle against Mirai he dares not do the same thing against Sarada. In the blink of an eye, a blue translucent cloak surrounds his body, the water elemental cloak.

Upon activating the cloak, Sisto bends his knees, leaping towards Sarada with great speed. As he approaches he notices that a yellow coloured ribcage is forming around her. He doesn't know the name of this technique but a shinobi would know it to be the Susano. While he doesn't understand, it he has no intention of underestimating it, he gathers water in a tight layer around his hand and throws a punch at the ribcage.

Of course, Sisto's punch immediately penetrates the Susano ribcage. This is a low-level technique by Sarada's standards, if it were enough to fight a Colonel she would not have needed to summon help from the past. However, after the punch passes through the ribcage, she dodges it comfortably.

Sisto drags his tongue off the roof of his mouth, _'She altered my timing with that ribcage'_.

Before he has time to react, his eyes are drawn to a brilliant light in Sarada's hand. Once again, she is preparing a solar punch. Once again, she throws the solar powered fist towards the chest of her opponent.

The Colonel has no chance of dodging this, he instead creates a small whirlpool of water, it cannot block Sarada's incredible punch but it does slow it down noticeably, it slows it down enough. While the 9th Hokage's punch is being slowed, Sisto throws his own punch, hitting Sarada on the underside of the chin with his fist.

Sarada flips backwards but struggle to land on her feet, she relies on her off-hand to balance herself as she attempts to steady her rocking legs. _'This guy has seen my battle with Sheer, he definitely won't underestimate me. I'm at a disadvantage though, his battle with Mirai didn't show me too much about his fighting style'_.

As Sisto fires a high-pressure jet of water at Sarada her rinnegan contracts. _'I don't need to win this fight though, all I need to do is…'_. Her thoughts are impeded as she is forced to lean backwards, she contorts herself so her back is parallel to the ground and uses her gravity manipulation power to change its direction from up-to-down to down-to-up.

The high-pressure beam sails narrowly over the top of her nose as she finishes what she was thinking. _'All I need to do is hold on until Naruto can defeat that General'_.

With Sarada off-balance, Sisto charges towards Sarada once more. This is a unique chance to pressure her while she has lowered her guard. Naturally, Sarada rebalances and readies herself quickly, she is a shinobi, balance exercises are nothing to her, Sisto is like a chess amateur challenging a master.

' _Changing gravity is a unique ability'_ Sisto smiles as he fires yet another high-pressure water beam towards Sarada, _'But it won't help you from this range'_.

Yes, that moment in which Sarada was off-balance may not have been enough for the Colonel to reach her, but it was enough for him to get close enough for this. So, that gravity cannot save her.

"Amaterasu" Sarada calls as black flames launch from her eye.

As the water collides against the black flame, both energies dissipate, instead leaving behind a huge cloud of steam. This is a great shock to Sisto who has never experienced something like this before, _'Flames made from chakra that can evaporate my water?'_.

Sarada can see fine through the steam. She is a user of the most impressive eye in shinobi history. The rinnegan. She transforms herself into a comet and flies through the white gas. Upon reaching her opponents side she changes back to her human form and begins to gather solar energy in her hand. In the most devastating combination she can think of, she manipulates gravity, pulling Sisto towards her as she slams her solar powered fist into the side of his face.

The Colonel is sent flying back away from the prison. He spits blood as he hits a rock behind him. It's an unfavourable landing though not a fatal one. It's at this point that he finally starts to realise what is happening before his eyes. Not so long ago he could dominate Sarada, now one on one, she is undoubtedly the stronger of the two.

' _It's like she has gotten even more mature since her fight with Sheer'_. Sisto gets to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, _'In that case I can't win this fight alone, I will have to free her'_.

Sisto raises his arm into the air above his head, keeping it there for just a second before he swings it down towards the ground. For a few seconds, nothing happens, leaving Sarada to contemplate, _'What is this technique?'._ The sound of incoming water, provides her with a quick answer. A huge tidal wave appears from behind Sisto, carrying him towards the Prison.

"Not good" Sarada inadvertently speaks aloud as she tries to stop Sisto from reaching the prison. She copies a technique used by her father, manifesting a humanoid Susano and readying a bow and arrow.

As the Uchiha clanswomen fires an arrow towards Sisto, the Colonel raises his hand, a collection of super dense water forming before him. The super dense water forms a shield like structure, it's currents prove not enough to block the arrow but just enough to drive it off course.

Sarada's eyes widen as she realises it is too late.

Sheer surfs past Sarada, touching the corner of the prison before his waves dissipates.

The prison opens.

Sheer steps out.

She grins maliciously at Sarada before looking towards her comrade, the one who freed her, Sisto. "Sisto, what is the situation?".

"It seems like Burns is down for the count".

"I see" the purple-haired Colonel sighs, "So we have to make our numbers count here. Uchiha Sarada, it seems I can make up for my earlier loss here".

Sarada bends her knees, getting herself ready for the fight of her life. _'I won't give up in this fight but I can't do this alone. I'll send out the emergency signal'_. As the 9th Hokage makes this decision, she relaxes before slowing pulsing her chakra. A beating heart of chakra, representing the final struggles of Uchiha Sarada in this battle. A call for help, a call understood by so very few people.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"This is…" Mitsuki's eyes go wide in horror as he realises what is happening. He looks away from Naruto's screen and towards Sarada's. _'Damn, while I wasn't looking Sarada has bumped into a terrible situation'_.

Shino approaches his former student, "Mitsuki, what is it?".

"This is the signal Konohamaru sensei taught us" Mitsuki explains, thinking back to the days of his youth when he teamed with Sarada and Boruto, "It was a way we could let one another know that we were in trouble".

As Hanabi sheds a tear Hinata places a hand on her younger-sister's shoulder. The two share a hug as Hanabi's complicated emotions begin to return. In this battle, it looks like once again the 8th Hokage would play his part, even from beyond the grave.

"It's two on one" Minato grits his teeth as he looks at Sarada's hopeless situation, "In that case she is summoning help from him, right?".

"Yeah" Mitsuki nods, knowing better than anyone who Minato is talking about, "She is asking Boruto for help".

Kushina looks towards the screen following her troubled grandson. Alone from the beginning of the match he is now met with an incredibly tough predicament. "Boruto…".

 **Boruto's Location**

Upon feeling the pulsing chakra, Boruto stops in his tracks, looking over his shoulder towards the source of this chakra. He knows there is only one shinobi who this could possibly be. _'That's the emergency signal, only I know it on this battlefield'._

A frown comes to his face as he turns his whole body around to face the direction Sarada is calling from. _'In that case Sarada must be asking for my help'_.

He turns his head once again, looking over his shoulder back towards his previous destination. Previously he had been looking to end this brawl quickly, there is only one man on either side who can do that, Senju Hashirama. The man Boruto has taken on as his master, the man who dominated a Colonel in his match and only lost due to his own carelessness, the man who had helped Boruto to unlock the Tenseigan.

Boruto clenches his fist tightly and lowers his head, his anguish clear, _'I've been heading towards Lord 1_ _st_ _this entire time. He is much more valuable than Sarada in this fight… I'm closer to him too, I'm so close'._

As Boruto continues to contemplate the best action, he notices the chakra pulse coming from Sarada. It is becoming more and more sporadic, as if she is panicking, as if she is in a truly hopeless situation.

Previously, Hashirama has forced Boruto to think about his philosophy. It's not like he believes that absolute power is always right, just that it is what is needed in this fight. It is only acceptable for one reason though, because Sarada is there to save him. To him Sarada's a friend, someone who has been there for him ever since he was young. Perhaps she was the only one who truly understood how he felt, to always be living in the shadow of a giant. When that giants head has already reached the highest height, you cannot possibly outgrow him.

After being put on the same team, Sarada and Boruto had become closer with Mitsuki and Konohamaru but even they were different. Mitsuki was determined and Konohamaru was a workhorse but they would always leave before the children of Naruto and Sasuke. With only one another for company, Sarada and Boruto realised that only they could prop each other up, only they could support one another as they strived for greater and greater heights. This is a special bond that is nearly impossible to break.

Still, Boruto's grandfather had encouraged him to have confidence in his own thinking. Suggesting Minato be left to die was the wrong decision back then but any other time it could have been the right decision.

So Boruto asks himself, _'Is there any bond too special, too important to be broken in this match?'_.

He clenches his fist even more tightly as he turns to face Hashirama. _'Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. DAMMIT. It's the wrong choice to help Sarada. What we need in this tournament isn't good morals, it's absolute power'_.

Boruto takes the most important step in his life. A step away from Uchiha Sarada and a step towards Senju Hashirama.

' _Sorry Sarada. I've made my choice'_.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Everyone is in shock. It is the correct tactical decision but it goes against all the principles developed by the Hokage of the hidden leaf. Everyone believes that Boruto has made his final decision, except one person.

Except Mitsuki.

' _Don't think you've tricked me Boruto, I know you have yet to resolve yourself. You can't leave Sarada just like that, you don't have it in you. You could leave anyone else but not her'_.

Mitsuki balances the options.

' _Absolute power or the will of fire'_.

' _Hashirama or Sarada'_.

' _Now Boruto, show it to me'_.

' _What is your real choice?'_.


	48. A Fight for Survival

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – A FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL**

 **Sarada and Sheer's Starting Point**

Sarada looks to her left and then her right. The situation is not good for her. She has gone from battling Sisto in a one-on-one fight to a much harder battle. Now she has to fight in a two-on-one situation, she must fight against Sisto and Sheer at the same time.

The wind and water users circle ominously around the 9th and incumbent Hokage. Even as they travel into her blind spots she knows exactly where they are, building up a full picture using every one of her senses. Even then, her rinnegan facilitates a far greater system of vision than a normal shinobi. Yet, despite knowing exactly where the enemy is, she feels little comfort in this situation.

She stops sending out her chakra pulse. _'I've sent out the signal, now all I have to do is hold on until Boruto gets here'_.

She naively thinks this, not realising what Boruto has done. Boruto had turned to face her, he had reacted to the signal but once more he had reacted with his head and not with his heart. He had chosen absolute power and continued towards Hashirama. He has doomed Sarada to a two-on-one fight.

Sheer changes direction as she activates her wind elemental cloak, switching to anti-clockwise circle while Sisto maintains his previous clockwise path. Sarada knows that the moment they reach one another her fight will begin. Her hopeless fight.

A smile is shared between Sheer and Sisto as their approach comes to its climax. The two Colonels stand facing one another with their eyes locked firmly on Sarada. Sheer raises her hand, placing it on Sisto's shoulder before they disappear.

With a gush of wind the duo of Colonels appear at Sarada's side. Sheer is the first to attack, she coats her palm in a dense layer of wind as she attempts to slap Sarada's face. While the 9th Hokage is successful in dodging this attack, she had not anticipated that Sisto would be ready. Her eyes widen as they fix on watery Colonel's palm.

BOOM!

A high-pressure jet of water leaves Sisto's hand, slamming straight into Sarada's chest. She tumbles backwards as the water continues to push her along the ground. It is only when she has been pushed a suitable distance that she is able to escape from the beam and regain her balance.

' _There is no way I can fight the two of them at once'_ Sarada notes, _'This coordination they have is incredible'_.

The Uchiha clanswomen is quick in realising just how impressive the teamwork between this duo is. They did not exchange more than a few words prior to attacking her but they knew exactly what each of them would do. Sisto knew how Sheer would attack to set him up and Sheer knew exactly how to set Sisto up.

' _It's as if they have fought together for a lifetime'_.

Unbeknownst to Sarada, her thinking here is correct. It's more than correct. Sheer and Sisto have known each other for longer than Sarada has been alive. They have worked together more times than she has given an order. For hundreds of years they have battled as a team, using practice to strike up a coordination that nobody could hope to match.

Once more, Sheer teleports herself and Sisto to Sarada's side, looking for another opportunity to execute a joint attack. This time it is Sisto who attacks first, he creates a whirlpool in his hand which seems to have an attractive effect. This whirlpool pulls Sarada towards him, the Hokage's feet dragging along the floor as it does.

"Amaterasu" Sarada calls as she fires the black flames into the whirlpool.

The combination of the black flames and the whirlpool proves to be deadly, the trigger for an explosion of steam and smoke. _'Use this opportunity'_ Sarada tells herself, _'See through the smoke, your superior vision will be the difference'_.

Using her rinnegan, Sarada has a unique advantage. Indeed, she can see the enemy through this smoke, while they cannot see her. Her rinnegan has other powers though, she uses the first of them, the comet form, to burst to Sisto's side. As she arrives next to him she combines her gravity manipulation powers with her keen chakra control, knocking Sisto as far away as possible.

' _There, a moment where they are apart'_ Sarada encourages herself, chanting in her head, _'Now take advantage of it'_. Again, the last of the Uchiha uses her comet form, this time flying to Sheer's side before returning to her human form. She quickly begins to gather solar energy on her fist. As her hand shines, brighter and brighter the smoke begins to clear but it no longer matters, she has got the separation she had wanted.

She has won.

Or so she had thought.

As Sarada throws her solar punch towards Sheer, the purple-haired Colonel holds a palm parallel to the attacking fist, firing a high-speed gust of wind at it. Sarada's uncontrollable momentum combined with the sheer power behind this gust of wind forces her arms sideways, causing her to miss Sheer.

The Colonel smiles maliciously, "Sorry Sarada, I won't fall for that again".

Sheer grabs Sarada by the throat, viciously slamming her down into the ground. Sarada coughs blood onto the Colonel's hand, the deep red colour not that different from her own Sharingan. She feels as if her throat is about to cave in having been slammed so hard. Truly, this is the cruelty of a two-on-one situation.

"You taught me an important life lesson" Sheer confesses as she looks into the mauve eyes of the shinobi, "Because of that I don't want to kill you". Who would have thought, the woman who resurrected Sasuke would learn a lesson from his daughter in overcoming the impossible?

Unfortunately for Sarada, she only taught that lesson to one Colonel.

In a moment, Sisto surfs to the pairs side.

As Sheer lifts Sarada up by the throat, Sisto looks into the dying shinobi's eyes. "It's a shame though, I have no problem killing you".

Water gathers from the surroundings, from the cracks in the earth, from the leaves on the trees. It gathers from all directions and gathers next to Sisto's hand. In less than two seconds a weapon forms, a full-length sword made fully of water. Despite the unnatural positioning of the water it sticks tightly to itself, not splashing onto the floor, such is Sisto's power.

The blonde man takes hold of the water sword and shoves it violently through Sarada's chest.

Far away from here many shinobi shout in surprise as they watch Sarada get impaled by a sword. This is the 9th Hokage, a woman who has led them through thick and thin, a woman who has been there for them since the very beginning. Is she really going to die like this?

Sarada's left eye changes, reverting from a Rinnegan to a Mangekyo Sharingan. The tomoe in her eye suddenly begins to spinning around.

CAW! CAW!

Sarada bursts into a group of crows. Startling both Colonels, Sarada's jutsu forces both of them to cover their eyes as the birds' flock around them. This technique is taken straight from Sarada's uncle Itachi. It is a technique designed specifically to fluster an opponent.

Sarada's body finally reforms behind Sheer and Sisto. _'Use your mother's strength'_ she tells herself as she pulls both fists back, _'And hit them as hard as you can'_. That is just what Sarada does. With two punches to the Colonel's backs she propels them forwards, it is not a fatal attack, one that the Colonel's quickly recover from but it did some damage. Against two people of this level, that is more than Sarada could have dreamed of a few months ago.

Sisto snaps his head to the side. "Sheer, she is only one woman, why are we struggling to defeat her?".

"Relax, it is because she is a technique user" Sheer answers, "But, she was on deaths door just then, she is surely out of techniques now. Have you memorised all of them that she has used so far?".

Sisto simply nods.

"In that case we won't fall for those tricks again, right?".

"I suppose not" the blonde man answers.

' _They're right'_ Sarada trembles as she realises that she is nearing her end, _'I can't beat them alone but I do have one last life-preserving technique'_.

' _Come, let me show you what the 9_ _th_ _Hokage can do'_.

"Are you ready" Sisto asks as he turns to his fellow Colonel.

"I'm ready" Sheer takes a deep breath and focuses on Sarada. Quite frankly she does not wish for Sarada to die, this is a woman who has taught her a lot, a woman that she would have made every effort to befriend if this was another world. It is not another world though, there are some harsh realities about the world she lives in, she doesn't have the luxury of choosing her friends. She does however, have Sisto as a friend. That is something she wants to protect. "Let's win here and go home".

Both Colonel's launch towards Sarada to attack once more.

' _I'll just try to survive'_ Sarada determines this as she raises two fingers before her face.

A powerful yellow chakra manifests around Sarada. It grows and grows, towering above the trees and the surrounding landscape of her battle. The chakra starts off erratic, unstable and dangerous. She calms it down though, this is the incredible power that only a truly powerful Uchiha can use. Only four Uchiha have ever used this power, Madara, Obito, Sasuke and now Sarada. It is the complete-body Susano.

The Susano swings its foot forward towards Sisto and Sheer. However, the invaders easily dodge the attack. Sarada refuses to give up though, after her Susano misses with the first attack, she creates a pair of swords for it to wield in its hands. The Susano swings these swords time and again, missing with each attempt.

"Hey, hey, is she serious" Sisto asks incredulously, "She is never going to win like this".

"She is not doing it to attack, she is doing it to defend" Sheer answers with a smile, to use a method like this means that Sarada must be on her last legs. "She thinks that we can't break through it".

That brings a smile to Sisto's face, he loves a challenge. "Well then, let's show her a thing or two".

Sheer raises her hands in the air, clasping them together before rapidly spreading them apart. This creates a torrent of wind, blowing Sisto and Sheer in opposite directions, one on each side of the Hokage.

Sisto does the opposite. He raises his hands in the air to his sides before clapping them together. The result is not one tidal wave but two, pushing the two Colonels back together, with Sarada in the middle.

' _This is the end'_ Sarada realises.

BANG!

The Susano shatters. As Sheer punches the right side and Sisto punches the left, it implodes leaving Sarada defenceless.

This is a good enough opportunity for Sisto to pounce upon.

He fires a high-pressure beam of water towards Sarada. This beam is much stronger than the ones used previously. It is obvious that this is intended to be the killing blow and it is more than likely going to work.

Sarada closes her eyes and resolves herself. _'Mom, Dad, sorry… I lost'_.

But the water never comes.

She opens her eyes as she feels a hand on her back. It is not a strike, not an attack and not a jutsu. It is a catch.

A tinge of green signifies what she had hoped for has come.

"You came" she says with an emotional smile.

"Of course" the newcomer answers.

This can naturally be only one man.

Uzumaki Boruto.

This is the closest that Sarada has seen Boruto using Tenseigan chakra mode. _'The bright green colour is truly beautiful'_ she muses as she contemplates his appearance. Then she focuses on the most important thing. His chakra, though it has only increased in volume a bit it's entirely different before. The quantity is similar but the quality cannot be compared to before. This Boruto is likely on par with herself.

"So this is the eye Shikamaru called the Tenseigan" she asks.

"Yeah, I'll admit that I haven't fully mastered it yet" Boruto lowers his head and focuses his eyes on the opponent. "But I can still fight".

Sarada smiles at Boruto, realising that she has yet to take her own weight from him. She rebalances herself and emulates him, focusing on the enemy and any moves they make. Though, to escape the sight of this shinobi pair would be almost impossible. The Tenseigan and the Rinnegan, the two best possible tools for observation.

"We're against two colonels, a few months ago I would have said we don't stand a chance" Boruto admits.

Sniggering, Sarada replies, "Things are looking a bit different, now right?".

"Yeah, how's your condition?".

"I can still fight".

"Then let's do this".

At this moment the two Colonels are greatly shocked. Neither had sensed Boruto coming. That is not because they cannot, merely because they had genuinely not been expecting him. In battle they had very little chance to see Boruto fight, he is largely an unknown to them. However, they do know one thing, every single Colonel had sensed a terrifying power from within Boruto. He is definitely someone to be feared.

"Sisto, that is Martin's opponent, right?".

Sisto nods. "Yeah, his technique is impressive, though for Martin to run away because of this… it's pathetic".

Without speaking a word, Boruto and Sarada dash simultaneously towards Sheer and Sisto.

"A team attack" Sheer is stunned for a moment before collecting herself, "Of course, they do not understand how long we have been fighting together".

"Then shall we show them?".

The Colonel's attempt to counter-attack and it seems to go well at first. Though, something is wrong they feel. As this fight between pairs is progressing they should be dominating but that is not happening at all. In fact, as the fight progresses, it begins to favour Boruto and Sarada more and more. Despite hundreds of years of fighting together, of understanding each other's styles, Sheer and Sisto's unity does not seem to outstrip the Hokage and Shadow Hokage.

Boruto dashes in front of Sarada, obscuring the sight of her to Sisto. While doing this he fires a golden wheel reincarnation explosion at Sheer. As the Colonel is left with no choice but to create a wind shield and block Boruto's attack, the blonde shinobi moves away from Sarada's front. While he has been obscuring her from view, she has fully charged a solar punch!

Sarada slams the solar punch into Sisto's gut as hard as she can. While he is sent flying back though, she does not rest, immediately preparing yet another solar punch.

As the fight has progressed, the two teams have become more even. This should not be put down to unity though. Boruto and Sarada had near perfect unity before the fight began, what has changed in this fight is Boruto. His understanding of his own powers is improving.

He uses one of the Tenseigan's abilities, pulling Sisto back towards him with its attractive power.

' _I have to block that punch or will hit Sisto'_ Sheer shouts in her brain as she prepares to run towards her partner.

She is cut off though, Boruto's form gives him a series of truth-seeking balls. Naruto's son fires a trio of these balls towards Sheer. They do not connect, but the time it takes her to dodge is all he wanted out of this attack. This forces a sneer from the purple-haired Colonel, _'It's like they know exactly what we are going to do before we do it'_.

While Sheer is distracted, Sarada finally throws her second solar punch at Sisto.

It connects with his face, knocking him unconscious.

' _How…'_ Sheer cannot understand what is happening as she floats wide eyed, observing her opponents, _'They can't be more than a tenth of our age… so how could their teamwork be on such a high level'_.

She is given no more time to think, Boruto creates a silver wheel reincarnation explosion and swings it towards Sheer. The Colonel only manages to dodge at the last moment before retreating at full speed. She is certain of one thing, if she could not defeat these two with Sisto's help she won't be able to do it alone.

' _Dammit'_ she curses, _'Don't worry Sisto, Sarada definitely won't kill you. I'm sorry to leave you but I have to put winning this contest first. It's for our own survival'_.

With that Sheer disappears over the horizon.

In this battle, Boruto and Sarada have won

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

The hill is euphoric. This doesn't mean that they have won this match but it is certainly a huge step forward in the battle. It signifies something more than that though, something truly important to the hearts of many. Boruto had turned around, Boruto had gone back for Sarada. If only for one moment, he had chosen his friend over the path of absolute power.

"Mitsuki" Hanabi calls excitedly. "When did you guys achieve such a high level in teamwork".

Mitsuki cannot contain his smile. What he has just seen has restored his faith in Boruto, it has reminded him of why they are friends, why Boruto had the ability to change him. He shakes his head though, "This isn't a level we have reached as a team".

As Hanabi starts, Minato approaches the third team member, "What do you mean Mitsuki?".

"We're a good team sure but we have never had teamwork on such a high level. That combination was a result of Boruto and Sarada's understanding each other so well".

"For years, they have known one another. They have experienced the same pain, they had the same problems and they have worked to solve them together".

"Those two" Mitsuki smiles, "Their teamwork is on a level that could never be reach through practice. It's like destiny put them on the same team, those two were born to fight together".

"Good job, Boruto, Sarada, I am proud to be your teammate".


	49. Going All Out

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – GOING ALL OUT**

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Clyde looks into the distance with astonishment. He senses exactly what just happened in the battle of the Colonels. Sarada and Boruto had worked together to defeat Sheer and Sisto in a battle of teamwork. Such a thing is unthinkable to the General, he and his subordinates have fought together so many times against challenging opponents. For one of them to go down in a battle like this, it's truly surprising.

' _Sisto is down, even though he was working with Sheer'_ Clyde gazes with wide eyes. _'How could it be that their teamwork has reached a high enough level to…'_. The General gasps, cutting his own thoughts short as he senses a bundle of chakra coming towards him.

ZOOM!

Clyde doges at the last moment.

It was a rasen-shuriken.

The General notices that two orange coloured arms are returning to Naruto's body; shrinking as they do so. It had been using these arms, using Kurama's chakra, that Naruto had launched the rasen-shuriken.

"Hey, where do you think you are looking" Naruto taunts his opponent with a smile on his face. Though Naruto cannot sense the Colonel's power, he can sense the chakra of Boruto and Sarada, the fact that they are even alive is enough for him. Besides that, the strength of their chakra makes it seem like they have won.

The blonde shinobi continues by pointing at his head protector. "Your opponent is me". Naruto crosses his fingers, calling the name of his signature jutsu, he creates a duo of clones to aid him. Now there are three Naruto's, all of the run together towards Clyde, their intention obvious. This is a chance to go on the offensive.

Clyde covers both his palms in darkness. Not one to take things laying down, he slams his two darkness-clad palms together, his clap sourcing the dark energy that spreads from the collision like a sonic boom. This attack knocks all three of the Naruto's backwards but that is not all, the two clones instantly dissipate, such is the strength of the attack.

Naruto is far from done though. While he has never experienced becoming the Hokage, he has been bestowed that title as he has come to the future. The 7th Hokage, it's a truly important job and he has no intention of failing. He gets to his feet, once more creating two arms from Kurama's chakra, this time he uses them to take hold of Clyde and lift the General into the air. Pulling the General towards him with these arms, he simultaneously runs towards his opponent. Creating a rasengan he sets them on an irreversible collision course.

' _Not good'_ Clyde gasps as he watches Naruto approach.

The Hokage swings the rasengan towards the General, only to be countered at the last moment. In a move of pure desperation, Clyde kicks the underside of Naruto's chin. As Naruto flies up into the air, both of the chakra arms he created disappear,

Flying through the air at such great speeds, any lesser man would panic. This is Uzumaki Naruto though. He controls himself, waiting for his upward motion to stop and his downward motion to begin. He focuses his gaze downward, his fall hastening as he tumbles towards his opponent.

Clyde waits for no man and he dares not wait for this one. This downward momentum Naruto has gained is the perfect opportunity for him. He holds his hand out, darkness power seeping from his pores and forming into the shape of a spear.

This is when Naruto decides this is the perfect moment to clash their powers together. He hadn't been focusing on it until just now, but he still has the rasengan from before in his hand. Anticipating Clyde's spear throw, he focuses his chakra on this hand, spinning the rasengan until it forms into a rasen-shuriken while he continues to plummet.

The General watches as Naruto's power continues to grow. It doesn't pay to wait any longer. He thrusts his arm forward, generating as much power as he can with his waist, he launches the spear towards Naruto.

Naruto would be injured if he were to clash directly with the spear. He has prepared for that though. He launches his rasen-shuriken, his previously manufactured momentum adding further to the speed at which it is thrown.

BANG!

An enormous explosion that sends a shockwave over the entire battlefield, that is the result of the collision.

Still, a shockwave of this size cannot affect Naruto and Clyde, the ones powerful enough to create it. Naruto continues falling past the point of impact, noticing a lapse in his opponent's concentration he focuses his chakra on his hand, creating a giant rasengan.

At the last second, a massive darkness shield appears to bock this rasengan. While this creates a separation of about 15 meters between the two fighters, this is nothing to Clyde. He manifests a huge hammer with a handle 15 meters in length. Swinging it as hard as he can, he slams it into Naruto, around the Hokage's massive rasengan and his own equally massive shield.

As Naruto is sent tumbling along the ground, his rasengan dissipates. This separation grants him a unique opportunity though.

ROAR!

It's the nine-tails transformation.

' _This form has poor mobility so I can't fight you in it'_ Naruto explains in his head, _'But it will be OK for this single attack'_.

The 7th Hokage holds both his palms out flat before him, his arms at full stretch. Kurama's mouth opens wide and in front of it appears a huge tailed beast bomb, dwarfing all those that Naruto has used previously. Indeed, this unique bit of separation between himself and his enemy is perfect for an attack like this.

"Tailed beast bomb!".

The attack is incredible. While it is mostly dependent on Kurama, Naruto has been straining their link as hard as he can, pushing not only himself but the nine-tails during their training. This tailed beast bomb is greater than any he has launched before.

Even then this only cracks Clyde's shield and hammer but that is plenty, it leaves the General wide open. It takes but a moment for Naruto to drop the tailed beast transformation and dash to Clyde's front.

Naruto has a mini tailed beast bomb.

Seeing this, Clyde prepares himself, creating a thin layer of darkness armour around himself. He plans not only to counter offense with defence but offense with offense as well.

Clyde conjures up a super dense ball of darkness in his hand.

BANG!

At the same moment, Naruto and Clyde both slam their ball-shaped attacks into one another.

At the same moment, both men fall to their backs.

Naruto resolves himself as he looks at Clyde, _'The others are watching so…'_.

Clyde does the same, _'My subordinates can all see my situation, I can't afford to worry them so…'_.

Both share the same concluding thought. _'I can't get to my feet a second after he does'_.

1…2…3…4…

Naruto is up. Clyde is up. From those two incredible attacks, it takes them only four seconds to reach their feet.

They exchange a glance before Clyde finally does it.

The General activates his darkness elemental cloak.

' _Now he's fighting seriously'_ Naruto tells himself as he adjusts for better balance.

Clyde approaches slowly but confidently. "Now it's time to finish you, Uzumaki Naruto".

 **Sarada and Sheer's Starting Point**

Boruto finally looks away from the direction which Sheer fled, he looks instead towards the fallen Colonel. He looks towards Sisto, making sure that he is down for the count, hoping to relax for just a moment. Of course, the Tenseigan means that he doesn't even have to turn his head, it's simply a human habit, something that even the most experienced shinobi cannot shake.

Sisto is definitely down. After Boruto and Sarada have both confirmed this, they turn, exhausted, smiling towards one another. For a moment, neither can move, they just stand perfectly still, sharing a smile.

Suddenly, Boruto collapses onto his back, struggling for breath as he forces his arm out from under him. He rests his head on the ground as he looks to his side.

"Boruto" Sarada calls after him, "Are you alright". The 9th Hokage takes one step towards her shadow Hokage before she does the same as he did. She collapses just as he has.

A moment of near silence passes while the two of them give their all to controlling their breath. An expert shinobi should be able to recover their energy fairly quickly with no injuries to speak of.

Boruto is the first to do so, he looks to Sarada not two feet away from himself. "Are you alright?".

"Yeah" she answers, "I'm just a bit exhausted is all. Are you OK, Boruto?".

"I'm the same" he replies.

It is a great relief to both shinobi, to hear that they have pulled through this battle without any injuries. It had been Boruto's plan to leave Sarada, to instead head after Hashirama, to ensure victory in this match. He couldn't do it though, he found himself unable to do nothing as Sarada got hurt, so he changed his mind. For one moment, he deviated from the path of absolute power, something he hadn't done even for his grandfather.

Shortly, the 6th Hokage arrives at the scene. Kakashi had started to move this way after he had defeated Burns. At this moment, he does not use the Sharingan, he is making every effort he can to preserve chakra until the last moment. He is not blind though, he arrives to see two of his teammates on the floor together.

He lets a moment pass as he notices their close proximity. "… I hope I'm not interrupting something".

"You're not!" the hidden leaf pair shout as they go a deep shade of red.

Boruto is the first to realise that Kakashi said this very deliberately, as an attempt to relax them. _'Damn, to think that Lord 6_ _th_ _could find time to tease us, even in this situation'_.

"Are the two of you OK?".

"Yeah" Sarada answers, hopping to her feet and then helping Boruto to his, "We're just exhausted".

The shadow Hokage staggers towards his father's teacher. Observing that he shouldn't be in front of them, that it defied all tactical logic in this match. "Lord 6th, how are you free?".

"I mastered Obito's ability" Kakashi answers tapping the side of his head, level with his eyes, "I can pass through objects now. I went through the prison before defeating Burns. It has exhausted me though".

The 9th Hokage takes one final deep breath, readying herself for what is ahead. "That means Mirai and Hashirama are the only two left who are restricted".

"Yeah".

"You two go and free Mirai" she says as if giving an order, "I'll meet up with Tobirama, the two of us will make a plan to free his brother".

Boruto instantly refutes this plan. "Mirai is unguarded" he reminds Sarada, nodding towards the downed Sisto who had been Mirai's opponent, "Two are us aren't need to free her, one of us should…".

Suddenly he falls to his knees, an agonising pain overcoming him, building up in his chest. This is the strange energy that only he and Naruto know about, the wispy grey substance that leaks from his body is trying to do so again. _'Not now'_ he shouts in his head as he holds it back forcefully, _'This can't be happening now of all times'_.

Kakashi helps Boruto back to his feet, not realising that the issue for the shadow Hokage is more serious than simple exhaustion.

"I'm alright now but you two are completely unable to fight. Go, free Mirai" Sarada smiles at her childhood friend, grateful for his concern but at the same time weary of what is best for the team, "Lord 2nd and I will try to free Hashirama until Mirai arrives".

"I don't like it personally but it's not a bad strategy" Kakashi admits.

"But if you fail…" Boruto begins.

"Don't worry, even if our plan does fail, this is just the battle of the Colonels. None of this will matter as long as your dad wins, right?".

In response, Boruto maintains an awkward silence, looking down through the bottom corner of his eye. "… you could die".

"Of course, I could die" Sarada responds, acting like Boruto has said something stupid, "Why does it matter now of all times".

"I…".

Seeing her shadow Hokage struggle to explain himself, Sarada smiles and places her hands on his shoulders, at long last this inspires Boruto to look up from the ground, his eyes meeting hers as she makes a solemn promise.

"Boruto, I promise I won't die".

Kakashi decides to tease them once again. "Do you two want a moment alone?".

"NO" they both shout at him.

Boruto sighs, "You better keep that promise".

"I will" Sarada nods as she removes her hands from his shoulders, "Now go, Hokage's orders".

"Yes".

Boruto and Kakashi begin in Mirai's direction, their speed far slower than they have achieved in the past but still respectable. In the other direction, Sarada flies, having transformed into her comet form. While she is technically weightless, she carries a great weight with her at this moment, the weight of everyone's lives, the weight of her promise to Boruto.

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Seeing the dark cloak around Clyde, Naruto is concerned but he does not panic. Unusually, it is instead the tailed-beast within him who is flustered by this development. _"Naruto, if he is using his cloak, you have to power up too"._

" _No"_ Naruto shakes his head. _"Not yet, I can still…"._

Before Naruto can even finish what, he is saying to Kurama, Clyde has appeared beside him. Incredible speed, speed that Naruto can barely follow with his eyes, the sort of speed you would need a Sharingan or Byakugan to follow.

Clyde slams his foot into Naruto's back, launching the shinobi forward. Despite the speed with which Naruto is launched, he does not travel far. The General is already in his path, he catches the flying Naruto's face with is foot before slamming the back of his opponent's head down into the ground.

For those watching on TV it happened in an instant. For Naruto, it seemed even quicker. The attack was not only quick though, it was powerful, strong enough to hurt even someone like the 7th Hokage.

Naruto coughs as he flails his arms around him, looking for something to help pull himself to his feet. It is useless though, in this open grassland there is not so much as a pebble, never mind something substantial enough to bring him to his feet. He makes a horrible realisation, he cannot push himself up. This could be his end.

1…2…3…

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Naruto…" Hinata clutches her fists nervously as she watches him struggle.

4…5…6…

"This can't be happening" Kushina remarks as she stands mouth agape. "Is he really going to lose here?".

7…8…9…

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Naruto quickly assimilates as much chakra as he can in his hands before slamming them down into the ground, each creating small explosions. It is not pretty, it is in fact a huge waste of chakra, but he does manage to propel himself to his feet. He manages to survive to fight another day.

The General rolls his eyes in annoyance. The fight must go on.

" _That was pretty close huh"._ Naruto makes this joke to Kurama but the delirium is clear in his voice.

" _Stop messing around, this isn't someone you can afford to hold back against"_ the nine-tails snaps at his host, _"You can't experiment here. You can't use this fight to learn clever little tricks. You have to do it now. You have to go all out"._

As if hearing this recommendation, Clyde launches at Naruto for another attack.

Naruto resigns himself to this truth. _"Yeah"._

A blinding flash of light spreads from Naruto, forcing the General to a cautious pause in his attack. Naruto emerges from this light with chakra far stronger, with higher quality chakra than at any point before.

He emerges in six paths sage mode.

Naruto doesn't delay a moment. He fires all six of his truth-seeking balls at Clyde one after another. While, the General knocks all of these away in succession, he is noticeably struggling harder to do so each time. It is a display of power that should intimidate anyone, these two are clearly on another level entirely.

"Tsk" Naruto pulls all six balls back to his behind.

Clyde smiles having succeeded in his defence. "So, we're finally going to have our all-out battle, right?".

"That's right".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Himawari shakes Hinata by the shoulder. "Mother, did you see that. Father was really able to make that General go all out there".

Hinata nods as Minato smiles excitedly. While it is what they were, all hoping for he still struggles to believe it, "He can win" the 4th Hokage states, "If Naruto can make that guy struggle even with his cloak, then Naruto can win".

Inojin smiles lightly. It seems like his father will finally have justice, "It's hard to believe isn't it Shikadai?".

"You can say that again" the Nara clansmen concurs.

However, at this moment, another Nara clansmen is struggling to get to grips with the situation. That is Nara Shikamaru, the one who understands the most about Naruto's training going into this match. _'It certainly is hard to believe'_.

' _During training, Naruto only used that power once by accident. Does he really not need it here? Can he really beat a General without it'_? This is a power that Shikamaru has stressed about consistently, something that only he saw Naruto do during training, a power Naruto didn't use on purpose and couldn't recreate afterwards. A power they do not understand.

' _No, something is wrong here'_ Shikamaru determines with some certainty.

' _Captains have control over an element'_.

' _Colonels have control of that power-enhancing cloak as well'_.

' _If each rank comes with such an enormous increase in power'_ a bead of sweat drips down his forehead as he considers the implications, _'Could it just be the General is so much stronger in his base form that…'_.

Shikamaru looks towards the screen, fully taking in Clyde's appearance before shaking his head.

' _That's too optimistic. Colonels are far stronger than captains when they are just using their element. Despite being stronger in their base form, they have a higher tier power as well'_.

' _If that's the case for all of their ranks then the General is still holding back…'_.

' _He's just toying with Naruto'_.


	50. The Strongest Colonel

**Author Note:**

Hi Guys.

Finally reached this landmark. 'To the Future' now has 50 chapters.

I intend to write a lot more. I'm not even half way through this story yet.

With that said, I'll see you at 100.

Thanks for reading,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – THE STRONGEST COLONEL**

 **Part Way to Himawari**

Boruto and Kakashi run side by side their arms stretched out behind their back as they move as fast as they can. Normally these two could move very fast, far quicker than a normal shinobi but right now their speed is highly conservative. Each of them has had to endure a tough battle. Kakashi had to embrace his new power, to bring about a shining moment of brilliance as he fought for the first time with Obito's full chakra. Boruto though, Boruto had turned around, he had joined Sarada in a battle against two Colonels, greatly draining his stamina.

"Are you really alright?" Kakashi asks.

Boruto pauses, his gaze fixed into the distance, "What do you mean?".

"Back there you seemed to be in a lot of pain" the masked warrior replies, "You may be able to fool somebody else but Sarada and I are Hokage".

Boruto sighs.

That substance has been haunting him for ages now. That wispy grey substance that leaks from his body. Ever since he had miraculously survived the attack of one of the Colonels, the substance has followed him everywhere he has gone. That day, everyone in his team had died, he had been the only survivor. It has hindered him at the most inconvenient of times, leaking from his body as he groans in agony. Only Naruto knows about this strange ailment and with the present situation, Boruto has no intention of making anyone else concern themselves with his condition.

"Yeah, I'm OK" Boruto insists, "I was just pretty winded from the battle. I didn't want to look weak compared to Sarada so I toughed it out".

"Boruto" Kakashi looks sincerely into the eyes of the shadow Hokage, "This is not the time to be hiding something if it could affect our chances of winning".

Kakashi is right of course, this match is possibly the most crucial event in the history of the hidden leaf village. Hokages, their descendants, even a shadow Hokage, the best and brightest from the village's history have all gathered for this match to decide the village's life and death.

"It won't affect our chances" Boruto looks intently towards the man who was Hokage at his birth, "Don't worry, you can trust me".

Kakashi nods, continuing to run towards Mirai. "I never knew you and Sarada were so close".

Boruto recalls what he said before. How he had acted so worried for Sarada's safety, after so long fighting the invaders, with the village being invaded, with Sarada protecting its people each and every day, it makes little sense for him to be more concerned for her now. She is stronger than ever before, stronger than most of the Colonels and yet now is when he is scared of her death.

He knows exactly what Kakashi is thinking.

"It's not like that" he answers.

"It isn't?".

Sighing, the blonde delays his answer, "Well it certainly never used to be like that. Not between the two of us".

Kakashi nods gently. He has experienced far too much war during his life. He has lost too many people. It is only at times of great loss and great danger that you realise just how much you value those around you. In many cases, you feel nothing while your supposed friends are cut down, yet sometimes you are overcome by sadness as some rival dies. Sometimes, humans are incapable of telling how they feel about those they care about, so fate force the answer upon them.

"Grief can make you realise things you never knew before" Kakashi replies to Boruto, understanding exactly how the latter feels, "Your thoughts about yourself, about others".

The shadow Hokage explains his thinking to Kakashi, "I have to protect Sarada because if I ever stray from the right path, she is the only one who can save me".

"Didn't you have someone like that Lord 6th".

Kakashi's very eyes are a testament to this person. A friend taken from him far too soon. A man who he feels, should have been the 6th Hokage.

"Yeah" he says, thinking of Obito, "I had someone like that".

"That's why I can't let anything happen to Sarada". Not so long ago, Boruto had spoken with Hashirama regarding this very issue, about how Sarada could save him no matter how clouded his heart becomes. "Because if something does happen to her, I may do great harm to those around me".

"I get that, I really do". The 6th Hokage has stepped onto a destructive path before, he had begun to lose himself before Hiruzen had saved him. No, Hiruzen put him in charge of a gennin team, it would be more accurate to say they saved him. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura.

Still, this is showing too much concern, it is bordering on fear, something Kakashi seldom felt for his subordinates in team 7. "Is that really all it is? Is that the only reason you are so concerned for her?".

"I thought it was" Boruto answers honestly, "But this war doesn't give you much time to think about these things…".

He shakes his head violently from side-to-side. This is not the time to be thinking about his feelings about Sarada. His feelings for Sarada. "Why are you being so nosy anyway" he shouts towards the Hokage, "I never got the impression you were one to poke into other's private lives".

"Normally I'm not" the 6th confesses, "But you guys are the children of my students. Of course, I want you both to be happy, no matter what".

Boruto pauses.

To be happy, at a time like this.

In years of misery, what time had he to think of being happy.

"Whatever Sarada and I feel, whatever would make us happy, it's not worth thinking about right now" Boruto concludes, "Regardless of what I feel, we have to win here".

Kakashi nods, "Yeah".

' _You may not think this is the time to think about it, Boruto. It may be the perfect time though. Your fears are not unfounded. This time tomorrow you could both be dead'_.

With that thought in mind, Kakashi and Boruto continue on towards Mirai. They may not be much help for the rest of this match, but her power is remarkable, with so much room for development. She could be a difference maker.

 **Tobirama and Peterson's Starting Point**

Tobirama delicately removes his finger from the ground. This is the technique that makes him one of the hidden leaf's greatest sensors. In this battle, there is a Rinnegan user, a Mangekyo Sharingan user, a Tenseigan user, a miracle fusion user and two sage mode experts. Yet, amongst all these people, Tobirama's sensory abilities are still very unique. As such how could he not sense it.

' _She is coming'_.

ZOOM!

Amongst a gust of wind, she appears.

It's Colonel Sheer.

She arrives at Tobirama's side in an instant. Her technique is not teleportation but it allows her to travel with the wind, making her more difficult to hit, nearly impossible to follow and much quicker. This makes it similar to Sarada's technique. Upon her arrival, Sheer throws a punch towards Tobirama's head, intent on killing him with the first blow.

Naturally, the 2nd Hokage sees through this simple attack. In a brief flash of light, he disappears, reappearing behind the attacking Colonel. He also doesn't intend on requiring a second attack, he thrusts his kunai at her head.

Zoom! Sheer uses her evasive technique. She reappears a few seconds later a good distance away from her opponent.

' _If I remember correctly, he can teleport but only to a location he has written on'_. Sheer contemplates this for a moment before she startles, _'Could it be…'_.

Tobirama smiles as he watches her momentary reaction. _'She has likely figured it out already. Yes, I have already marked most of this area with my jutsu formula. I haven't just been sat here waiting you know'_.

The 2nd Hokage continues, _'Still, her knowing will make no difference'_.

" _Let's go Kurama"_ he calls to his inner world.

" _You don't need to tell me twice"_ the nine-tails answers.

An orange aura overtakes him, sticking close to his body, dyeing both his skin and his clothes the bright orange colour that would have met the approval of a young Naruto. This is nine-tails chakra mode.

With a flash, Tobirama appears behind Sheer's back. It's not only his teleportation speed, but his movement speed proves to be quick too. He leaps into the air before swinging a kick at the back of her head.

Miraculously, Sheer manages to dodge this attack. She ducks beneath it before creating a wind sword, turning and thrusting it towards the powered-up 2nd Hokage. This sort of attack will not work though.

Once again, he teleports. Once again, he appears behind her back. He takes the initiative to thrust a kunai towards the back of her neck. Suddenly though, he stops. Sheer has a wind blade pointed backwards towards Tobirama.

Tobirama's kunai.

Sheer's sword.

The two find themselves in a stalemate.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Minato grins. _'This situation is awfully familiar'_ he reminds himself of a battle he had long ago. A battle against Naruto's jinchuriki tutor, the eight-tails host, Killer Bee. That day Bee had shown himself to be a shinobi-killer. A man of true skill and heart, who had been willing to sacrifice himself for his allies.

The lesson Minato is not taking from this though, is that Sheer is also willing to sacrifice herself.

 **Tobirama and Peterson's Starting Point**

Tobirama disappears in a flash. He moves back to the position from which he started the fight. Not so long ago, he was willing to sacrifice himself to kill a Colonel, something has changed though, he has to save his brother, honour his sister. Unlike before, he values himself highly. He calculates that it is not work sacrificing himself in this little skirmish.

Crossing his fingers, Tobirama creates two clones.

Sheer remembers this method from the man's match against Peterson, _'This technique is…'_.

' _In an area, I have marked, I hold the complete advantage'_ Tobirama smiles.

The first clone teleports to Sheer's front. Upon the Colonel attacking this first clone, it uses the flying thunder god technique, switching positions with the second clone. By switching positions, the two clones dodge the attack before the second clone hits Sheer with a simple bare-fisted attack.

Using this tactic, the two clones repeatedly avoid Sheer's attacks while getting their own in. This happens time-after-time, slowly but surely, the Colonel's fatigue from her last battle begins to show, she is being worn down with each attack.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Himawari pumps a fist, "Lord 2nd's offence is incredible" she remarks, "There is no way the Colonel can counter this".

"That may not be so Himawari" Minato counters.

"Grandpa…".

"Lord… Tobirama. Tobirama's offence has one key weakness".

 **Tobirama and Peterson's Starting Point**

As the first clone swaps positions with the second clone, it's fist flies towards Sheer with great momentum. This is the effect of Tobirama's chakra control, naturally it cannot compare with Hashirama's who is legendary for it, nor Sarada's which she picked up from her mother but it is still far better than average.

The punch doesn't work though, instead it is Sheer, who kicks the first clone, sending it flying into the second clone and destroying them both with a single attack.

Tobirama frowns, _'So she noticed it did she'_.

Sheer takes a few deep breaths, recovering from that sustained beating. "Your copies have to start their attacking motion before they swap positions" she explains with a smile, "Otherwise I would have time to react to their attacks upon them swapping positions".

She furthers her explanation, "All you need to do is keep an eye on the other clone to know how to defend from its attacks".

Tobirama knows this is not good. This attack had been very effective against a worn-down opponent, especially Sheer. He still has his link with Kurama, but, that alone is not enough to give him a true advantage against a Colonel.

"I no longer have time to play around with you" Sheer declares as she flies up into the air. Following her rise, comes her dive. She dives down towards the prison at great speed.

' _Damn, I haven't got any marks up there, my manoeuvrability will be limited'_ Tobirama frowns once again, _'Still, I have no choice, I have to defend'_. The 2nd Hokage arches his arm, throwing a kunai as fast as he can into Sheer's path.

The moment that Tobirama teleports to this airborne kunai, Sheer grins and disappears. It is where she reappears that is terrifying to him.

She reappears at the side of the prison.

' _Did I lose sight of her'_.

Smiling, Sheer taunts her opponent. "You gave me some information you shouldn't have during your assault".

"What would that be?".

"Your reaction time is worse than mine". As the Colonel declares this, she slowly stretches out her finger, as if daring the 2nd Hokage to act in retaliation. It is too late though, he has no way of stopping the inevitable.

She touches the prison.

The strongest Colonel, is free!

Peterson steps out from the prison.

The man with the scarred face makes a quick analysis of the situation. Tobirama and Sheer have been fighting and while neither is clearly that injured, it is Sheer who is the worse off of the two. Clearly freeing him was the only choice she had. Drinking in the sight of Tobirama is enough to make Peterson's blood rush, he has no intention of losing to the Senju again.

"Attack" Peterson orders.

Sheer does this with a spear of wind. She throws it towards Tobirama at full force, while she does not know exactly what her partner is thinking in this moment she has unwavering trust in him.

Peterson slowly stretches his hand out to his side, waiting for the moment that Tobirama is about to be hit. It is at that moment, the 2nd Hokage teleports away from danger and Peterson fires his attack. Both choose the same destination, Sheer's back.

Tobirama falls onto his own back as he is stunned by the lightning. _'How could he?'_.

"Our fight was enough for me to understand your thought process" Peterson explains as he stands over his fallen opponent, "I knew that you would try and take the weaker of us out quickly, that is only sensible. I also knew that you would chose to attack her from behind. That's just the sort of man you are".

Tobirama sighs internally. _'He got me'_. Then he faints. Unconscious.

"Burns and Sisto?" Peterson looks to his comrade.

"Both down".

The lightning user nods, realising now how dire the situation is for them. Still, his escape has truly turned things around, there are now four nearly useless warriors on the enemy's side and he has become the strongest on this battlefield.

"Grace's opponent is the highest priority now" Peterson assesses.

"I agree" Sheer turns to face Grace's direction, "We absolutely cannot let that man escape".

This match consists of two separate battles. The first battle is the most important, the one between Naruto and Clyde. The battle between these two is vital, whoever is down for ten seconds first will bring doom to their side, no matter what happens in the second battle. That second battle though, the winner can help influence the first and there is only one person in it stronger than Peterson.

Senju Hashirama.

Peterson looks in the General's direction. The first battle heavy on his mind, _'That man's chakra is incredible, truly incredible. It looks like the General can handle it though'_.

After checking on his superior, Peterson agrees with Sheer, the two Colonels immediately head towards the starting point of Grace and Hashirama.

The battle of the Colonels has come to this.

It will all depend on the escape or detention of one man.

It will all depend, on Senju Hashirama.


	51. The Doomed Children

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – THE DOOMED CHILDREN**

 **Grace and Hashirama's Starting Point**

As the wind blows gently, Grace pushes her bright green hair from her eyes. To her left she senses Burns, she has gone down, the first victim in the battle of the Colonels. To her right, she senses Sisto, a victim of a team battle that should have been impossible to lose. How could a team of people who had fought together for less than twenty years best one that had fought together for multiple centuries.

Sighing, Grace turns her eyes to the prison before her. Inside this structure is Senju Hashirama. Although she had been victorious over Hashirama, she hadn't beaten him. She had won on a technicality. It was only because Hashirama was a novice that he had lost, no, it was because he was a novice and failed to realise it. If the 1st Hokage had been fighting sensibly, if he had acknowledged his own weakness he would have won. It seems unthinkable now, but had that have been the results, the hidden leaf would have survived. The invaders wouldn't have even come this far.

The solemn look on her face persists as her two fellow Colonels arrive. Now only these three and the General remain standing on their team. While their condition is better than the shinobis' this isn't a favourable situation for them.

"Are we giving everything to stop him from getting free?" Grace asks, not taking her eyes away from Hashirama's prison.

"Yeah" Sheer nods as she quietly replies to her friend.

Grace tightens her fist. This is not anger nor determination that she is experiencing, it is fear. "This guy only lost because he wasted his chakra stupidly" she snaps as she turns her head to the side, looking at her comrades out of the corner of her eye, "If he actually went for the finishing blow… if he really tried to…".

A pair of hands land on Grace's shoulders. Sheer's hands. "Don't worry, we won't let him get free".

Grace finally turns around, looking into Sheer's eyes she feels a moment of genuine reassurance. Sheer is one of the eldest members of their group, for her to make a promise like this can't avoid being of some comfort to Grace.

Still, the situation is a lot to take in for the green-haired Colonel. She turns around, resting against Hashirama's prison before slowly sliding her back down its length. Falling until she is sat on the floor. Thankfully, only a member of Hashirama's team can open this prison so this in itself does not free him, it does represent the Colonel's stress though.

"Grace" Sheer shouts before kneeling down next to her friend. "What's wrong?".

"Aren't you fed up of this" Grace asks. "Aren't you fed up of conquering worlds?".

"Grace…".

"We do it time and time again. World after world, but this is the first time the locals have put up such a resistance" Grace is on the verge of tears as she rubs her eyes, "This is the first time we have ever agreed to something like this. This contest is getting to me".

She continues, "Don't you feel at all like we are the ones in the wrong?".

This question stuns Sheer. Of course, any unbiased observer can tell that the invaders are in the wrong. No matter what their personal circumstances, they have showed up in this world, they have murdered the inhabitants of the planet, they have killed without showing any mercy. No matter what their personal circumstances, it's not like there is no choice at all. Sheer recalls what Sarada had told her, that if the odds were stacked against her, she would still try to overcome the impossible.

"We don't have a choice" Sheer eventually answers, "Don't you realise how lucky you are to be in this team?".

"Of course I do!" Grace practically screams at Sheer before taking a few deep breaths to calm down.

It is clear to Sheer and Peterson that this has all become too much for Grace. She has lived for over two hundred years, she is actually one of the youngest Colonels. There is only so much stress someone can take before they snap. The younger you are, it is inevitable that you will be able to take less stress before reaching that point.

"With the exception of Martin, you guys, my subordinates, you have all been like family to me. But, the worlds have always fallen, one after another, they have fought back but they have never come this far before".

Grace looks Sheer in the eye, knowing what she is about to say is especially true for her friend. "One after another, the people of this world have stood up to us. Their feelings, their emotions have reached us, isn't it impacting you at all?".

This is exactly what Sheer experienced against Sarada. "Yeah, of course it's impacting me. I have never met a local who has made me feel the same way these ones do".

"But we can't afford to lose" the wind-controller says with arms stretched wide, "It's because we are like a family to each other. I could give in if it was just me, if I were the only one who would die, but it's the rest of you".

"I don't care what dark thing I have to do, I don't care how many I have to kill. I'm not going to let you die".

Sheer and Grace gaze at one another. It is their job to be ruthless. It is their job to kill. Seldom are they brought together and often are they dragged apart. Yet, in the few moments where the Colonels are united they are truly like family. The bond between them is stronger than it has ever been with anyone during their childhood.

"It's all my fault" Peterson claims, drawing the two women's attention, "If I hadn't lost to that man, we wouldn't have been having this contest".

"If I hadn't lost to that man, Martin would have never fled. Now who knows what terrible fate he will bring down upon us".

Martin, the poison using Colonel. The man who fought against Boruto with an overwhelming advantage only to run away at the first sign of danger. A true coward, someone who has always acted like he deserves more from this group. He had promised that his sister would make Clyde pay for what he had done. An ominous threat that they may not survive.

Sheer nods, "Even if we win we are doomed".

"Yeah".

"If this was all a story" Grace mopes, "Don't you feel like we would be the villains?".

"No" Sheer resolutely replies, "I feel like we would be the doomed children, waiting for a hero".

"I guess that hero would be General Clyde wouldn't it" she smiles cheerfully, "Isn't he the leader of our family, the only one who can save us".

"The General will never lose" Peterson declares, his fists clenched tightly, "He will never lose if our lives are on the line".

Answer with two nods he continues, "If the General is going to do his best for us, we can't fail him on this front".

 **Tobirama and Peterson's Starting Point**

Sarada arrives. Dropping out of her meteor form, she lands next to the 2nd Hokage in her human form. He doesn't appear to be moving so she examines him with her rinnegan, coming to a quick determination about his condition.

' _He's still alive'_ is her conclusion.

She picks him up by the back of the head, looking at his unconscious face as she thinks of what to do. Sarada sighs internally, _'I hope this isn't too rude'_.

SLAP!

Sarada slaps Tobirama's face, "Wake up!" she shouts at him.

Tobirama slowly opens his eyes, grunting in pain as he does so. This is the pain from his injuries obtained previously from Peterson's attack. Still, Sarada's less than subtle method of waking him does not go far towards improving his mood. _'Waking me like that, respect really has slipped amongst the younger generations'_.

"What happened here?" Sarada asks, not concerning herself with the insignificant pain Tobirama will inevitably be feeling at this moment.

Tobirama rubs his palm softly on his forehead. During these last few days, he has endured a thousand negative emotions, between watching his brother's new attitude at work and watching his friends get beaten. He has endured a brutal fight against Peterson, only to have to endure another against Sheer. Not only that, but Sheer had successfully freed Peterson, only for the latter to blast Tobirama with lightning that may have killed him not so long ago. To be woken with a slap after all that, is not something he particularly enjoys.

Still, as always, he persists in doing what is best for the hidden leaf village. "Your opponent, Sheer, she came here and freed Peterson" Tobirama begins, "Together they overpowered me".

"Damn" Sarada stands and looks around, as if questioning where they went. "Did they go after Boruto?".

Tobirama pushes himself to his feet before touching the ground with his finger. Using this method, he can sense sources of chakra in other countries, there is no way that anyone in this battle, with chakra, will escape his sensory powers.

"I highly doubt that they went after Boruto and Kakashi" he begins, "By the time they caught up to them it would be too late to stop them from freeing Mirai".

Boruto and Kakashi are in a weakened state but a short while has passed, they are likely to have recovered to some degree. Sheer is different, her state is very weakened after fighting Boruto, Sarada and Tobirama. If Boruto and Kakashi were to free Mirai, even Peterson and Sheer together may be unable to stand up to them. If Grace were to join the duo of Colonels things may be different but abandoning Hashirama's prison is unthinkable. It's suicidal.

"In that case" Sarada mutters.

"Their strategy has become to prevent my brother getting free at all costs" Tobirama notes.

The 9th Hokage nods. Though she doesn't like Hashirama's new attitude she has a great deal of respect for his power. That is part of the reason she brought him to this time. "That makes a lot of sense, Hashirama, when he controls his power, is the strongest amongst us".

"Yeah" Tobirama nods.

Sarada tidies her clothes before turning to face Hashirama's prison. Naturally, there is only one thing to do at this moment. That is to free the 1st Hokage, if the 1st Hokage is freed then everything will be fine, the battle of the Colonels can be won.

"Do you need a moment to collect your thoughts?" the 2nd Hokage asks.

"What do you mean?".

"Just now when I told you that Peterson was free, you became abnormally worried that they would go after Boruto" he explains, "That would be a completely illogical move given the circumstances, there is no way they would do that".

Sarada averts her gaze, already understanding the implication Tobirama is making. "I'm no tactical genius like you, I just didn't realise" she justifies herself as she waves a hand in front of her face.

"Furthermore" Tobirama begins, "You were worried they would go after Boruto. Not Boruto and Kakashi".

"I have just known Boruto longer" Sarada replies as her face begins to turn pale red, "He and I don't…".

"Sarada, look at me".

She reluctantly returns her gaze to her predecessor. Looking into the steely eyes of the Hokage reputed for his technique creation.

"I don't care what sort of relationship you and Boruto share" he declares, enhancing her blush even further, "But you've got a job to do. You need to focus on saving the hidden leaf, got it, Lord 9th?".

Those words awaken something inside Sarada. She knows it's a common psychological ploy, refer to someone by their rank to reaffirm their sense of duty. Regardless, Tobirama is right, no matter what her feelings on Boruto, it won't matter if she loses here. She has something far greater to deal with, she has to protect the hidden leaf. She has to do her job as the 9th Hokage.

Taking a deep breath, Sarada adjusts her glasses, "Yeah, I've got it".

"Let's go". Tobirama stretches out his hand, throwing a kunai in the direction of Hashirama's prison. He waits but a moment for Sarada to take hold of his shoulder, then the disappear, they teleport away with the flying thunder god technique.

 **Near Hashirama and Grace's Starting Point**

Arriving a few minutes later, Tobirama and Sarada take great pains to remain hidden in some nearby bushes. This is their absolute advantage. With Sarada's rinnegan there is no way the Colonels could hide at such close range, yet with their ability as shinobi, their ability to hide, there is even less chance of them being discovered. Still, the Hokages are still cautious.

"Keep your chakra as well hidden as possible" Sarada instructs.

"It's easier said than done with Kurama sealed inside me" Tobirama explains.

The nine-tails snaps at its host, _"Don't blame me you idiot"._

" _You getting excited is making the situation worse"_ the white-haired shinobi retorts.

" _Fine, just stop blaming me for everything"._

Sarada thinks of an easy winning tactic, surprised that it hasn't been used already. "You must have marked your brother at some point since coming to the future, right?".

"Indeed" comes the reply.

"And aren't we within the range of your flying thunder god technique?".

The flying thunder god technique may seem miraculous but it does have one weakness, it's range. This has come into play several times in history. The best example of this can be seen with the delayed arrival of the resurrected Hokage during the 4th great shinobi war. On that day, it had taken Minato a long while before he arrived on the battlefield, despite using the flying thunder god jutsu and the 2nd Hokage crediting the former with being even faster than himself.

"That's true" Tobirama admits, "But I can't teleport to him right now".

Sarada starts, "Why?".

"I'm not sure, I think it must be because of that prison". The prison had been described as being made of the strongest metal that comes from the invader's world. Is that really all that makes it special though, the 2nd wonders. "Most likely, it is made of some material that separates the world inside from the world outside".

"You mean, as if it's a completely different realm?". Sarada is familiar with the concept of there being several realms. It is something that her parents both understood well, having experienced it in their battles against Obito, Madara and Kaguya. Truly, those three had been on a different level because of their ability to manipulate which realm they were in.

"Right now, I can't sense my brother's chakra" Tobirama points out, "Can you see him through the prison?".

"I cannot. And now that I think about it, I couldn't sense Kakashi's chakra when the start signal sounded. It's only after he passed through the prison that his chakra appeared". The pieces start to fall into place in the mind of the 9th Hokage.

"I see".

Sarada still doesn't understand fully how all of this is possible. "If the walls of the prison separate dimensions, wouldn't that have prevented Kakashi from passing through them?".

Tobirama strokes his chin, "I spoke to Kakashi before, about his Kamui power. Kamui has its own alternate dimension, I imagine that when he passes through objects, his body is teleported to that dimension".

At last it makes sense. Sarada lifts her glasses slightly. "So, that wall is present in our dimension and inside the prison's dimension but it's not present in Kakashi's dimension.

She shakes her head lightly from side to side, focusing on the situation at hand. "It doesn't matter how it works, all that matters now is freeing Hashirama".

The 2nd Hokage reminds the woman who eventually took his job that this is far from easy. This involves touching the outside of the prison, a prison guarded not by one but by three Colonels. Two of these Colonels are fresh, one of them is the strongest Colonel of all and both Hokages are heavily injured.

"No, it should be fine" Sarada counters, "I have my comet transformation and you have the flying thunder god jutsu. We are specialists when it comes to this".

"Sheer and Peterson control wind and lightning respectively, they are not slow". A high praise coming from a man who invented the shinobi world's fastest space-time technique, "Plus, my brother's opponent is also there. She may not be as fast as the other two but she still gives them a one-person advantage".

"We still have to try".

Tobirama smiles, admiring Sarada's determination. "Even if we go down, I suppose we have little to lose at this point. The others aren't within range so I can't use the flying thunder god to bring them here".

"Still" he continues, "They will arrive sooner or later, if nobody else can, then Kakashi can free my brother".

Sarada punches her left palm with her right fist. "Then let's give them hell in the meantime".

The 2nd Hokage nods.

Together the 2nd Hokage and 9th Hokage make their preparations for the most important manoeuvre of their lives.

Can they free Hashirama?


	52. No Holding Back

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – NO HOLDING BACK**

 **Near Hashirama and Grace's Starting Point**

Tobirama may be calm in this moment but Sarada is not. This is probably it for them and while the 2nd Hokage spent most of his youth and much of his tenure walking the line between life and death, Sarada has not. She has, of course, risked her life for the hidden leaf many times but she had training, allies that she could have faith in. Most of the time, Tobirama had little hope in accomplishing his goals, his training came from his family and his blade was sharpened on the battlefield, not in an academy.

Seeing Sarada's nervousness, Tobirama knows she won't say anything. She may be nervous but she is not a coward, as the 9th Hokage she will undoubtedly throw herself into the situation head first, she will give everything to win here.

He places a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "We go together" he says gently, "If we can divide their attention then it will be easier".

Sarada calms upon hearing this advice. She nods lightly.

"And take this" Tobirama hands one of his marked kunai to Sarada, "We may get lucky".

Sarada takes hold of the kunai. They only have to dash once. They only need to touch the prison once. One of them is a user of the rinnegan, with the ability to both manipulate gravity and transform into a comet. The other is the creator of the flying thunder god jutsu, someone who in an instant can teleport to any point which he has marked with a formula. They can do this, it is as if fate has placed them here for this exact reason.

' _It may be true that I'm nowhere near 100%'_ Sarada notes, _'If I had my full power, there is every chance I could touch the prison before any of them reacted. I'm the 9_ _th_ _Hokage though, so I'm not going to give up'_.

Then, she begins.

The air in the immediate area noticeably changes in pressure as Sarada transforms into her comet form. The moment she transforms three gazes flicker in her direction, Grace, Peterson, Sheer, how could any of them not notice this sudden flaring of chakra. They activate their elemental cloaks and prepare for another fight.

Sarada wastes no time, immediately upon transforming she bursts towards the prison. As she noted previously, she is nowhere near her full power, as such her speed is reduced dramatically. It is still a site to behold though as she moves towards the black metallic structure.

In her wake, Tobirama activates chakra mode, embracing the source of chakra that Kurama is willingly providing him with. He stands up and arcs his arm, throwing a marked kunai towards the prison as hard as he can.

Peterson lowers his head, his eyes rapidly shuffling as he does his best to keep track of both his enemies at once. "No matter what, don't let them touch it" he shouts to his comrades.

Grace is quick to react to the situation. If Tobirama can teleport to any marks, simply get rid of all the marks. She extends her hand, pointing her palm at the moving blade before launching a fireball towards it. No matter how fast Tobirama throws this kunai, it won't be able to reach the prison quicker than Grace can react, no matter how fast he throws this kunai, Grace will be able to calculate its trajectory. She uses that as she blasts it from the air.

Sheer intends to use the same logic, she flicks her hand, creating an arrow of wind that flies into Sarada's path. This is not the most powerful attack she is capable of but she is already exhausted with Sarada being in the same position, if this attack were to hit, it may well put her down for the count.

The attack doesn't hit though, Sarada changes direction by ninety degrees, flying parallel to the surface of the cubic prison. Her speed isn't the only thing that has increased as a result of this form, her manoeuvrability and acceleration both have as well. Then she spots the next incoming attack.

Peterson throws something overhand, it seems to be like a concentrated sphere of electricity, tailed by a narrow burst of lightning, like a yoyo followed by a piece of string. The yoyo style attack is moving such that it will collide with her, that is if she keeps on her current path.

Sarada does not maintain her current path. _'Just like Tobirama said, he's fast'_. She drops her transformation, reverting from her comet form to her human form as the yoyo passes in front of her. She drops underneath the lightning string before drawing the kunai Tobirama handed to her earlier. She throws the kunai towards the prison without hesitation, her starting point far closer than the 2nd Hokage's when he threw his kunai.

Tobirama teleports to the kunai just before it reaches the prison. He is not so naïve as to think this is the end though. _'Now, prepare for the incoming attack'_. He swiftly draws a kunai from his pocket before dropping it down towards the floor.

His premonition of an incoming attack proves right. Grace arrives at his side, when teleportation isn't used, her speed is far greater than his in this beaten state. She throws a flame clad punch towards him. This is the attack that he had foreseen. He is more than ready for it though, he teleports to the kunai he just dropped, his feet touching the floor with the prison not a meter away. He stretches out his hand, reaching for the prison's surface, _'I only require one touch'_.

' _We can't let him touch it'_ Peterson desperately thinks to himself.

Sheer is panicking as well, _'Grace won't make it in time'_.

The purple-haired Colonel lifts her foot, a signal that she is about to become one with the wind, to disappear momentarily before reappearing at Tobirama's side. This is a technique she has used many times in this competition so far. Naturally, one person has seen it more than any other, one person is prepared for it.

Suddenly Sheer and Peterson both feel as if they are being pulled away from Tobirama. Gritting her teeth, Sheer looks around to confirm her suspicions. Indeed, this is the pull of an unnatural gravity source. _'Sarada!'_ she shouts in her head as she realises what is happening. Grace cannot reach Tobirama in time, Peterson and herself are too far away now that they are being pulled by this gravity source. Tobirama is going to make it.

At least, the 2nd Hokage would make it, however, Peterson has something to say about that. _'As if I would let you'_. Echoing his fight against Tobirama's elder brother, Peterson pulses a huge amount of electricity through his legs and into the ground.

Just as he is about to reach the prison, Tobirama is paralysed.

This can only last for a moment but that is enough. Grace drops down to Tobirama's level, holding nothing back as she punches him in the chest.

As the white-haired shinobi comes to halt a short distance away, he quickly fumbles around, removing his armour as quickly as he can. He quickly discards the enflamed blue body armour and takes a few deep breaths. He realises now that no matter what he does from here on, that effort has failed.

"Tobirama!" Sarada shouts as she looks towards her injured comrade.

Sheer cares little for her adversary's concern. She uses Sarada's own gravitational pull against her, allowing it to add to the Colonel's momentum, she emulates Grace's attack, punching Sarada with a fist clad in wind energy instead of fire.

As Sarada is launched backwards, Grace re-joins Peterson. "Good work Peterson" she praises her ally as she taps him energetically on the back.

"Yeah" he breathes out, "That power, it's not easy to use. Especially on such a strong opponent".

"We will have to use another method to defend against them".

"No, look closely" Sheer gestures to their two opponents, "They are both completely exhausted".

"So are you" Grace reminds Sheer.

"But you two haven't done much fighting yet" Sheer counters as she looks dejectedly at her junior, "You are fresh and they are on their lest legs. If you attack now it's an easy win".

"That attack was well coordinated before" Peterson nods, "Likely they won't have a backup plan now that it has failed".

"Then I will finish of the teleporter" Grace begins, "Peterson, you finish off the gravity controller".

"Got it" Peterson acknowledges the order before launching at Sarada. This is seemingly, the end.

Sarada attempts to move her feet but then immediately vomits up a mouthful of blood. This is the worst possible moment for her to come under attack. She knows that there is nothing she can do to avoid this attack now. _'I can't… I can't do anything'_ she realises, _'Boruto, I'm sorry, I have broken my promise'_.

She is then surprised by the sudden appearance of someone between herself and Peterson. It's Tobirama. _'No matter what, the Hokage of today is a symbol in this fight, you have to survive Sarada'_. Of course, Sarada reaches forward to try and push Tobirama out of the way, both wanting to risk their lives to save the other, this is the way of the Hokage.

Peterson is momentarily surprised by this display of comradeship. He hardens his heart and continue to press on towards the duo, _'This makes no difference to me, you will both die'_. He continues to press on towards the 2nd Hokage's back.

Tobirama closes his eyes. He has experienced a lot since coming to the future and doesn't regret anything he has done. He has been able to meet many incredible people from the future. He has seen the Uchiha clan redeemed by both Madara and Sasuke, something his friends in the past fought hard for. He has seen Sarada change the opinion of the Uchiha name. He has seen his brother's true successor in Uzumaki Naruto. Despite Mito's death, he pressed on, just like she had wanted. This is the right thing to do.

Then an explosion blasts Peterson back away from Tobirama.

Sarada turns around, a smile coming to her face as she recognises the origin of this explosion.

"Mirai!".

As Peterson steadies, himself he skids back to the side of Grace and Sheer. Mirai throws several more bomb-style attacks towards them, with small explosive bolts of power exploding upon contact. The Colonel's only defence against this is his lightning shield, something he uses to protect all three of them from the fiery attacks.

"Sarada!".

Arriving just a moment after Mirai is Boruto, who, with Kakashi, runs to Sarada's side.

"Boruto…".

"I'm glad your fine" he says as he puts his hands on his knees, struggling to get is breath back, "You too Lord 2nd".

Tobirama shakes his head slightly, noticing that Boruto seemed to forget about him until just now. "Thank you Boruto, though I fear Sarada and I won't be able to help much for the rest of this fight".

Kakashi explains to Tobirama just what he and Boruto have been through in this fight. The only one amongst them who is fresh at this moment is Mirai. "You say you won't be much use in the rest of this fight. The same probably goes for us too".

"I don't know about that" Tobirama smiles to Kakashi, hoping he understands the 6th Hokage's newfound abilities, "Please, Mirai cannot win this fight alone, free my brother".

As Kakashi nods, Tobirama places a hand on the back of his fellow Hokage, pushing him in the direction of the prison. Kakashi takes this momentum and runs with it, while Mirai is holding down the enemy's three Colonels, he will run, he will touch the prison and the fight will change around in an instant.

Mirai continues to throw her explosive attacks, her most effective weapon, at this trio of Colonels. Their elements are lightning, wind and fire, possibly the worst trio of proficiencies to fight against Mirai. _'Go, Lord 6_ _th_ _, I'll cover you'_.

Contrary to Mirai's expectations, Grace braves her attacks. The green-haired Colonel runs through the explosions before tackling Mirai to the ground. They did some damage, her face being largely covered in ash is a testament to this, but her determination has served her well. "I won't let you" she shouts as she holds Mirai to the ground with all her might. Hashirama may have been too much for Grace but Mirai is by no means too much.

Sheer uses her wind-dash technique, arriving at Kakashi's side before attacking him with a punch. Her punch though, is intercepted by a Susano ribcage. Not the cyan of Kakashi's Susano though, it is yellow, this Susano is from Sarada who has just arrived in her comet form, after allowing her strength a moment to recover.

That leaves just one Colonel to attack. Peterson realises he is the only one who can get in Kakashi's way, he transforms into a bolt of lightning, hurtling towards the 6th Hokage.

Once again, the attack is intercepted. This time it is by two people, Tobirama teleports to Kakashi's side, having marked him when he pushed him earlier. He has brought Boruto along with him. Boruto stretches his hand out before him, using the Tenseigan's repulsion power to push Peterson back. This is initially not enough to push Peterson back but when Tobirama creates an arm from Kurama's chakra and hits Peterson, together they manage to knock him backwards.

Grace lifts her arm from Mirai's neck, firing a last-ditch effort at Kakashi. A blast of fire, large enough to engulf and kill the 6th Hokage.

As Naruto once said though, Kakashi is the hidden leaf's ultimate trump card in this contest. Activating his Sharingan, Kakashi allows the fire to pass through him as he runs inside the prison through the wall.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Mirai's doing great" Hiruzen smiles cheerily.

"That's our granddaughter" Biwako nods as she admires the job that Mirai has done. True she had not defeated a Colonel or anything of the sort, but, in the effort to free Hashirama, she had played the most important part.

Tsunade nods, "And now, our greatest asset is about to come into play".

"Let's hope Lord 1st doesn't waste his chakra again" Shikamaru frowns.

"He won't". As Hashirama's granddaughter, Tsunade feels she knows him better than anyone else, "He knows he can't afford to fail this time".

 **Grace and Hashirama's Starting Point**

Kakashi walks out of the prison, stepping through the walls using the power he inherited from Obito.

As the 6th Hokage activates Kamui, the figure of a man begins to appear next to him.

Tobirama, Mirai, Boruto, Sarada, all of them smile as the man fully appears in the outside world.

"Lord 1st!" they all cheer.

"Don't worry, everyone" Hashirama says as he begins to absorb nature chakra.

Amongst this group, only Boruto can sense nature chakra. Therefore, he is the only one who understands just how astonishing Hashirama's power is. When you learn the power of a sage, you have to be very careful not to absorb too much nature chakra, else the consequences will not be good for you. From what he can see though, it looks like the 1st Hokage is ignoring this fact completely, taking in nature chakra with wild abandon.

"I have no intention of holding back this time".

Sheer is the first of the Colonels to react to Hashirama's release. She creates a spear made from pure wind and throws it towards the 1st Hokage as hard as she can.

Then, she is stunned.

Less than a meter from her face, Hashirama has caught the spear.

The 1st Hokage squeezes his hand. The spear made from the most powerful of wind energy, is shattered into a thousand pieces. It must be understood, this spear is made from a Colonel, someone on the level Hashirama only just touched a month ago, now, not only had he caught it but he shattered it, after catching it so close to her face.

Hashirama pulls his fist back, pulling a gasp through Sheer's lips with it. Then, he punches her in the chest. She is driven backwards by his fist, a considerable distance. As she is she is pushed back along the ground, dust is driven up into the air, so much so that it can be seen from a mile in the sky.

Sheer clutches at her chest. _'That hurt like hell. His level is among that of the very peak Colonels. Damn, this is what Clyde was like back when he was a Colonel'_ , she looks to her side, at a man who is now some distance from her. _'Likely, only Peterson I is match for him amongst us'_.

"Hold it right there" Grace shouts as she aims a ball of fire at Mirai's head. Waiting for Hashirama's gaze to intersect hers, she the continues, "If you don't go back into that Prison, I will fry this woman here and now".

Hashirama looks to his younger brother upon hearing this. "Despite our differing philosophies, we're still on the same team, right?".

Tobirama returns Hashirama's look. Since they have reunited, the latter has done nothing but go against the wishes of Mito, the wishes that the former's sister-in-law left with him. On the same team, what sort of question is that? Tobirama opens his mouth so as to answer, then he disappears.

' _Gone!'_ Grace starts before looking from Tobirama's position to Hashirama's. _'The other one is gone too'_.

A hand grabs hold of Grace's bright-green hair from behind.

Hashirama's hand.

He smashes her head down into the ground, knocking her unconscious with one attack.

"Hey" Mirai groans as she wriggles out from underneath her unconscious enemy, "You could at least warn me next time". She rolls Grace's body off of her before preparing an attack. That's when she realises, Grace is already out, it really had happened with only one attack.

As Mirai looks to Hashirama in astonishment, Hashirama closes his eyes and shrugs. "It had to be done".

' _What a guy'_ Mirai reflects on what just happened, _'With one blow, she is already out of it'_.

Hashirama snaps the hidden leaf shinobi from her stupor. "With the condition our allies are in, it's just the two of us now Mirai. The two of us against the two of them". He has an excited smile on his face as he looks to Hiruzen's granddaughter, "Are you ready".

The answer to that. Mirai thinks back to all her training. Before this had all begun she had been hopeless, she had watched too many times as Colonels had obliterated her friends without being able to do anything about it. The one who had changed that was Sarutobi Hiruzen. The one who noticed her talent was Sarutobi Hiruzen. The one who believed in her, was Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Now everyone believes in her. Now everything has changed.

Smiling she stands at Hashirama's side, "Damn right, I'm ready".

Nearby Sheer and Peterson congregate. Burns, Sisto, Grace, all three of them are down, now they are the only two left. Sheer surviving up until now has already been a tremendous feet of endurance, now it looks like she will have to go even further.

"Peterson…" she whispers.

"I know" he replies, "While the teleporter and the others are here, even though they are low on energy, we don't know when they may recover".

Sheer is so exhausted that she hadn't even considered this. Despite having much more experience than Peterson, she looks to him for instruction, at this point she is just a weapon. She has very little mental strength left, so she will just entrust her physical strength to her ally.

"We can't fight freely here" Peterson decides, "There is no way I can beat that guy in these conditions".

"Shall we run?" Sheer asks.

"Yeah. Retreat".

With the decision made, Peterson and Sheer retreat into the air. The Colonel who had started this all by attacking Hashirama, the Colonel who had made it personal by reviving Sasuke, they flee towards their leader. Leaving those on the shinobi team with a moment of peace.

They have forced the Colonels to retreat.

If only for a second, this is their victory.

HokaHHHHJH


	53. Clyde's True Power

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – CLYDE'S TRUE POWER**

 **Hashirama and Grace's Starting Point**

The Colonels have retreated. At least for now, the shinobi of the hidden leaf have defeated the Colonels. That will change though, they have fled in Naruto's direction, it is only natural that Hashirama and Mirai will give chase, however, they take a moment to collect themselves before doing so.

Of course, there are four others who have been fighting in this battle. Four people who have nothing more to give. Kakashi who has followed Naruto's prediction and become their ultimate trump card in this battle. Tobirama who was beaten by the strongest Colonel but still continued to fight. Boruto who changed his direction to go back and help Sarada, despite barely grasping his own powers. And lastly, Sarada, who had battle two on one for so long before winning with Boruto's aid, only to come here and fight once again.

Boruto begins to set himself down gently before deciding he doesn't have the energy. Like a child trying to show off, he flops onto his back, looking up into the sky above.

Sarada smiles as she limps over to join Boruto. "A little tired, are you?" she questions as she sits down beside him.

"Exhausted" he breathes in reply, "I'm sorry that I'm letting the team down like this. But I have nothing left…".

"Boruto, not so long ago you were worried that you would lose in the 6th round". Hashirama knows this better than anyone, he is the one who alleviated Boruto of his fears. It was as a result of this that Boruto took Hashirama on as a master. "If you hadn't unleashed your anger and contributed so heavily, we wouldn't have even made it this far".

"Thank you, Lord 1st".

Tobirama smiles, while he doesn't agree with his brother's new philosophy, it is good to see that he is still a good man at heart. Then, much like Boruto, Tobirama begins to fall onto his back. His is not a deliberate fall, nor one made he had any influence over, it is his legs that have given out on him.

Kakashi catches Tobirama as the 2nd Hokage coughs from deep within his chest. "Thanks, Kakashi".

"Don't mention it" the 6th Hokage replies with what Tobirama assumes to be a smile.

Tobirama notices that his friend is still lowering him though, something Kakashi quickly explains. "Now, I have a few seconds to lay you down" he begins as he places Tobirama's head on the ground, "Before I collapse myself".

THUD!

Kakashi falls down next to Tobirama.

Tobirama's first instinct is to help Kakashi but he is too tired to do anything himself. What he wishes for right now is to go to sleep. Everyone feels much the same way, as if they could sleep for a thousand years. The feeling is more extreme in Tobirama though, he came into this contest, not just with the expectations of all the villagers, but also the dying will of Mito on his shoulders.

"What a cute couple you make" Mirai teases them.

Normally, one of them would reprimand her for such childish behaviour. Not now though. They just lay there, taking deep breaths, hoping to recovery what strength they can, should it be required in the upcoming fight. If nothing else the most difficult obstacle is still before them.

Clyde is still OK.

"Mirai, Hashirama" Sarada calls to the duo, the only other shinobi amongst them who has not collapsed, "The other two colonels fled in Naruto's direction, you have to go help him".

To Mirai this is an order from her Hokage. One that she is only too happy to comply with. To chase a Colonel, with a genuine hope of stopping them. This gives her a feeling she hasn't felt since before the war, a battle she can enter with confidence.

"I won't let you down Lord 9th".

"Let's go".

Hashirama and Mirai pursue Peterson and Sheer. Contrary to all the running that the shinobi have done in this match so far, this is fast. Hashirama's sprint is enhanced by the power of sage mode which he uses to amplify the power of his legs, this speed is something you would expect from the Raikage or a similar speed expert, but to him it is not even a technique. He is just that strong. To keep up with him, Mirai stretches her hands back, using her ability to create explosions to propel herself forward. At this speed, they will only get closer and closer to the Colonels.

Hashirama looks towards Naruto's chakra.

' _This chakra of Naruto's'_ he smiles, _'I thought I had come a long way but he is an absolute monster. Mito, hold on, they will dead before long'_.

' _I can feel his anger, the kill intent pouring from Lord 1_ _st_ _'_. A bead of sweat rolls down Mirai's head as she looks sideways towards the original holder of the Hokage position. _'He's not the same man Sarada summoned to the future. Is this, is this the cycle of hatred we were warned about?'_.

Tobirama's energy slowly returns to normal. He stretches his hands out to his side, forcefully pulling himself up using his abdominal muscles.

"You can't force your energy to return any faster" a gentle voice comes from next to him.

"Kakashi…".

"Just relax for a second" the masked shinobi rests his head back against the cold floor. "Your brother and Mirai can win this".

"It's not that I don't believe they can win" Tobirama explains as he rests his head in his hand, "I'm just concerned that my brother will go too far and lose himself".

People who have lost themselves as a result of the cycle of hatred, they are far too numerous. Madara. Danzo. Orochimaru. Obito. Sasuke. Still, despite this illustrious list of names, many considered it impossible for the likes of Senju Hashirama to join this list. However, even if he does, there exists in this world an expert at removing names from this list.

"Naruto definitely won't let Hashirama go".

"No, I suppose not, thank you Kakashi". Tobirama looks to his side, truly Kakashi has been a constant source of support for him since coming to the future. As Hokage he considers that the two of them are very alike. "I've always had the impression that you would follow a similar path. A path of believing in absolute power rather than the will of fire".

"I started out on that path long ago. Then someone saved me".

"Uzumaki Naruto?".

"Well. I say someone saved me. There were many people. My team stopped me from going insane when my father died. My sensei stopped me from losing myself when my team died. Hiruzen stopped me from going into the darkness as part of the Anbu. And Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, they brought me into the light and kept me there. But…".

"But?".

"If I had to attribute it all to one person. It would be Uchiha Obito" Kakashi sighs.

"Listen, Tobirama. Nobody, not even the Uchiha, are fixed on their path. Anybody can embrace the will of fire. It's a path your brother was born to walk, he will definitely return to it".

Tobirama takes in a drawn-out breath. "You're right of course. He is a Hokage after all".

Boruto glances sideways at Sarada, looking away again just as her head is about to turn in his direction. For some reason, he doesn't understand he is acting like he's never spoken to her before. Despite having been running non-stop recently, his heart rate is increasing not decreasing. Still, regardless of what it is doing to him, he has something which he must say.

"… Sarada, I have something I have to speak to you about".

"What is it?".

"When we decided that you would head towards Lord 2nd by yourself, I was really worried" he explains, closing his eyes as he does so, "I didn't quite know what had come over me but I really didn't want you to get hurt in that moment".

Sarada smiles, a moment of happiness for her as she hears of Boruto's concern for her. For too long it has seemed like Boruto may be taking the wrong path, that the damage he is doing to his own mind may be irreversible, but, to feel concern for a friend, that truly is a sign that he is still himself.

"I know what you mean. When I met up with Lord 2nd, the two Colonels had left him and were heading elsewhere" she recounts the details of her meeting with Tobirama. How he had brought up her illogical concerns for Boruto. "I was terrified that they might be heading towards you".

"It's illogical isn't it" Boruto's voice raises, "Neither of us are fragile, we've teamed together for so long but I've never been so worried before".

"No, neither have I… neither have I".

"I thought I knew what it was" Boruto begins, "This war has continuously driven me into a corner. As the shadow Hokage I have had to make sacrifice after sacrifice. It's a lonely job and it has driven me further and further down the path of darkness".

"Boruto I…".

Ignoring her, he continues, "I tried to sacrifice my own grandfather. I used rage to unlock this Tenseigan. It's completely against all the things that my father and my master taught me to do".

"So, why did you do it?".

"Because I was their reflection in you and me. I thought you had become just like my father and I had become just like yours".

It is a comparison people often make. Naruto and Sasuke had been light and dark, the Hokage and the Shadow Hokage. To that end, Sarada and Boruto shared the same relationship. One was light, the other was dark. One protected the village at home, one protected it beyond the borders. One was the Hokage, the other the shadow Hokage.

"I thought that even if I lost myself to the darkness, that it would be fine because you would be there to save me".

"And that's why you were worried about me dying huh…" Sarada mutters, in what almost sounds like disappointment.

"That's what I thought, but I was wrong".

Sarada is stunned, her head flicking towards Boruto in surprise.

"This fight, this war has been going on for so long now that I haven't dared to look in the mirror and ask myself what I'm thinking. I've not even assessed what my feelings are, what emotions I am experiencing".

He continues, "Then Lord 6th forced me to think about happiness and I came to a realisation".

"I hadn't been happy until my mom and dad came to the future" he explains. "Except…".

"Except?" Sarada repeats, urging him to continue.

"Except when I was around you".

"Boruto I…".

Sarada begins to speak but she is interrupted by Boruto's sudden groan of agony. Previously unmoving, the shadow Hokage starts to roll on the floor, clutching at his stomach as his groan raises to a shout, before raising even further to a scream.

"Hey, Boruto" Sarada shouts, scrambling over to look closely at her friend, "What's wrong? What's going on?".

Before he can say another word, a wispy grey substance leaks from Boruto's body.

The grey substance that only he and Naruto know about. It moves around, dancing in the air for a few seconds as Sarada looks at it with her rinnegan. It is as if it doesn't exist, she can see it through basic human vision but she cannot see it with the most powerful eyes in this world.

The substance spirals in the air, it's path widening and widening until it hits something.

It hits Sarada.

The 9th Hokage screams herself as the grey substance passes through her body. As the pain begins to pass for Boruto, he understands a new type of agony. Not the incomparable physical pain the substance has caused him but the mental anguish of not being able to do anything as it attacks Sarada.

As her body drops down. Completely unmoving.

Tobirama and Kakashi both look on wide eyed. _'What!'_

"SARADA!" Boruto shouts as he crawls over to her.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"What was that" Hinata asks as she points at her son on the screen, looking around to the others. Answered with silence, she panics even more, "What is going on, what just happened to my son?".

"I don't know" Shikamaru answers under his breath.

"I don't understand this at all" Minato adds.

"Who cares what it was" Tsunade shouts, the first to snap from the phase of stupor, "Sarada is down, "We have to do something".

"What can we do" Hiruzen asks, "If we interfere now, we will forfeit the match. We are so close, we can't give in here".

The 3rd Hokage is right. His wisdom shines through as always. To get so close to winning their freedom from the invaders, not so long ago that was a distant dream for the people of the hidden leaf village. Yet, through the hard work of so many people, they managed to get seven mighty warriors ready for this tournament. They survived an impossible operation, poison attacks, the deaths of loved ones, an assault by Uchiha Sasuke just to get here. Who would give up all that hard work just to save one person, even if that person were Uchiha Sarada.

"She will die" Tsunade shouts as she points at the screen.

"It's a sacrifice we have to make" a quiet voice declares. This voice surprises everyone, it's the last person anyone would think would say such a thing. It's Mitsuki.

"Mitsuki…" Tsunade growly.

"Sarada, Boruto, the future Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, it's a sacrifice they would all approve of" he suggests.

Hinata snaps hearing this, lashing out in a rare moment of anger. "Naruto would never approve of this".

She feels a hand on her shoulder. Minato. Her father-in-law. "I know it's hard but… self-sacrifice is the way of the Hokage. A shinobi is not defined by the way he lives but the way he dies?".

"Are you happy for her to die here, all of you?".

"Of course, not!" Mitsuki thrusts his face right up to Hinata's as he screams at her. "Dammit, she's my teammate. The last family I have. But, if could speak right now, she would beg for you not to interfere".

"I won't let a single one of you interfere, I will fight you if I have to".

"So will we" Shikadai declares as he steps out ahead of the latest generation of shinobi.

They know how much Sarada has suffered through to reach this point. She had long since resolved to sacrifice herself if that was required. To bring the Hokage into the present, she knew they would lose morale after being separated from loved ones. Due to this, she almost forfeited her own life to bring them forward together, to get the Hokage at 100%. Dying in this situation, it's a more meaningful death than she could have hoped for.

"We are seeing this through to the end".

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Naruto looks in the direction of his son. He cannot describe what he is feeling but it's a familiar sensation. It is not a pleasant feeling, far from it, it feels as if his world has just fallen apart in a single moment. It feels as if a bomb has been lit under the whole match and its name is Boruto.

Clyde is looking in that same direction. _'Is he unlocking his power? Now of all times, this is not good'_. He switches his attention back to Naruto, _'He saved that man the other day, just as Peterson was about to kill him. Could it be that he knows about his power, is that why he protected him?'_.

Clyde refutes himself internally, feeling this to be a naïve assumption. _'Don't be stupid, of course he doesn't know, he's only a local, there is no way he could understand it. Still, either way, I can't afford to waste any more time'_.

' _I have to finish this now'_.

Naruto's eyes haven't moved from Boruto's direction this entire time. Another ominous feeling is coming to him, this time not about his son but about his pupil, _'Sarada's chakra is weakening'_.

Something quickly snaps Naruto's head back towards Clyde though.

A golden substance seems to materialise on the General's skin before slowly peeling off.

And the ground, it begins to shake, an earthquake.

If this can be described as an earthquake, it is more like the planet itself is falling apart. Surely such a phenomenon could be observed from the moon, that is how dramatic the shaking is. As Naruto loses his balance he has to question himself, _'What the hell is this?'_.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Hiruzen grits his teeth, moving to protect others as the ground around them shifts dangerously. "Even here, the ground is shaking even here".

' _This is it This is the power that all Generals possess, the power that puts them above Colonels'._ Shikamaru scrunches his eyes shut, regret racking his entire being, _'He was holding back Naruto. I'm sorry, I should have prepared you for this'_.

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Naruto doesn't know how he should be reacting to this. Even if he did, he wouldn't be able to break himself away from his default reaction. Awe. Unretractable awe, this sort of power, this ability to shake the whole planet, it is something that he had only guessed that Kaguya possessed, but that was never proven. This man, this General. Had he truly reached Kaguya's level?

The golden substance continues to peel off Clyde's body. First it appears as if he is shedding a skin. Then that golden skin evaporates into a powdery substance. His darkness elemental cloak is like a magnet for the golden powder, taking it up and absorbing it into his very aura. The ground begins to stop shaking as a smile comes onto Clyde's face. His dark aura, formerly it was black beyond words. Now it is a mixture, a mixture of black and gold.

Naruto tries to focus his eyes on his opponent.

' _What is going on, the ground is not shaking anymore is it'_ he asks himself as he struggles to fix his eyes on Clyde's. Then, he realises the truth, _'No, it's not the ground. It's me. I'm shaking, I'm afraid of this man'_.

"You didn't think an elemental cloak was the limit of my power, did you?" Clyde asks rhetorically, watching Naruto's ever-changing expression for amusement. "All Generals are capable of augmenting themselves further. You can call it a golden darkness cloak".

Naruto knows that he has to move but he cannot. He has not been paralysed by any special move or unique skill. He has been paralysed by fear, stood shaking on the spot, he learns the true meaning of fear.

At least he had thought he had.

Then he learns it all over again, he learns a new level of terror.

He learns terror, as Clyde takes his first step towards him.

' _Himawari, I'm sorry'_ Naruto sobs in his mind, _'I really wanted to come to your birthday party but…'_.

' _What the hell do I do now?'_.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi Everyone.

Well aren't you lucky, today you got two chapters instead of the usual one.

I had intended to upload the first of these at the weekend but for some reason I couldn't, the site gave me a funny sounding error.

Anyway, all is sorted now.

Hopefully chapter 52 will have gone some way towards redeeming me for making Hashirama seem weak previously. He certainly isn't weak anymore.

As always, thanks for all of your support. It really makes it worthwhile writing this.

Thanks for Reading,

Cbehrills


	54. It's Your World Too

**Author Note**

Hi All.

Last night was a big landmark for this story.

100,000 views.

Thanks everyone for reading. Compared to the 7,300 my other story has got, this is great.

Still, there is a long way to go yet. We are just approaching the climax of the first arc of this story. There should be at least two more.

I hope you continue to read this story, it's been great writing for you so far. I've still got a lot of areas on which I would like to improve. Hopefully, I will be successful in taking on board the constructive criticism I have had from part 3. Fingers crossed that this will show in part 4.

Thanks for reading,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – IT'S YOUR WORLD TOO**

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Clyde takes slow but deliberate steps on his route towards Naruto. His darkness cloak gave him the feel of a king. This golden darkness cloak though, this cloak gives him the feel of an emperor, no, the feel of a god. Each step is gentle but not stealthy. All Naruto can hear is the quiet sound of dirt crunching underneath Clyde's foot, and his own shivering. Formerly, this battle had been overcrowded with noise, drowned in the sounds of enormous attacks and the sounds of tailed beasts roaring. Now it is silent.

This is the effect of Clyde's footsteps.

This is the effect of a General.

Naruto looks at his own hands, shaking and tries to tighten them into a fist. _'I have to… I have to at least try to fight back'_.

This is well within Naruto's character. To not give up, to keep on fighting no matter what, these are things that define the young shinobi. There is something new here though, hesitance. It's not that he has never hesitated before, it's just the scale that it is new. He can hardly bring himself to move. That is the power that the golden darkness cloak has given the General.

Seeing Naruto's hesitation, Clyde simply smiles, not changing his approach speed one bit.

When you are such a powerful warrior who invades the homes of many, how could he not understand this look on Naruto's face. He has seen it on the faces of many, some almost as strong as Naruto. This is a first though, he has never battled a local as powerful as this before, Uzumaki Naruto clearly defies all logic. He is still human though, he still trembles in the face of his death.

Naruto puts his hand out before him, firing six truth-seeking balls towards the General, one after another.

This does little to bother Clyde. He waits patiently for the first truth-seeking ball to appear and stretches his hand out. Golden darkness energy runs to the tip of his finger before he lets it go. With a gust of air, his finger swings, contacting the first ball, changing its direction completely. Instead of towards the General, the first ball instead flies towards Naruto, knocking each and every other ball out of the way on its path.

BANG!

Having knocked all the other truth-seeking balls out of the way, the first one connects. It hits Naruto in the shoulder.

With a guttural scream, Naruto falls onto his back. He grabs hold of his shoulder in hopes of healing it, though his pain quickly disappears. As he spots Clyde approaching, all thoughts leave his existing injury and instead linger on his potential injuries for the future. He scrambles to his feet as quickly as he can.

For just a second, while getting up, Naruto's eyes drift away from Clyde.

When the shinobi gets to his feet, he is right there.

Clyde is stood face to face with Naruto.

The hidden leaf shinobi has not heard any sound to indicate an increase in speed. He did not see this sudden movement and he could not even feel it in the air until a few seconds had passed. It's unthinkable, this man is not a shinobi, Naruto could believe it had Hashirama been so swift but not Clyde. He is a monster.

It takes only a second for Naruto to create a mini-tailed beast bomb in his hand. "Take this!" he shouts as he swings the super-dense chakra ball towards Clyde's chest.

Out it stretches. Clyde's black gold clad hand. The tailed beast bomb collides against the golden darkness that coats his fingers but it does not explode. Much to Naruto's shock, it instead begins to shrink. The tailed-beast bomb shrinks further and further, until it is completely gone. Somehow, Clyde has dissipated it.

Naruto stands shocked by this development. Is this like the Rinnegan's ability to absorb chakra. Or is it more sinister than that, is this just the power which Clyde now wields. Regardless, he has but one option, to overcome that power with his own. To this end, he creates another tailed beast bomb and slams it towards Clyde.

' _He just doesn't seem to get it'_ Clyde sighs internally. Naruto could attempt this attack a thousand times and still not defeat the overbearing enemy he is facing. The General decides to demonstrate this point. He raises his foot slightly from the ground before slamming it down as hard as he can.

As the ground, around them shakes Naruto swings the tailed beast bomb and misses. He is not greeted by the goddess of victory but instead by a kick to the sternum, a gift from his ever-generous opponent in this match. The hidden leaf shinobi is sent backwards, creating a crater in the ground behind him. This is the power the Colonels were able to generate when they were in the valley, when they hit their opponents perpendicular to the ground. This situation is different though, Naruto had flown parallel to the ground and has still done so much damage.

Naruto coughs several times, feeling the gathering of blood in his throat, he spits it onto the ground next to him, a desperate attempt to clear his airways. _'He didn't even go all out. I could tell he was holding back slightly. He's just that damn strong!'_. The 7th Hokage finally gets back to his feet. In his head, he attempts to compute the possibilities from this fight, to work out a path to victory but, as of now, he cannot see any.

Clyde lifts his index finger, middle finger and thumb to the air before his face. Slowly, golden darkness energy pours off of his fingers, pooling in a point central to all three digits. The energy combines, forming the shape of a weapon. A dart.

The General mercilessly throws the dart into Naruto's leg.

"ARGHH" Naruto screams as he falls to the floor, the dart firmly lodged in his lower limb.

1…2…3…4…5…

' _Pull it out Naruto'_ he encourages himself as he tugs at the sharp object.

6…7…

' _PULL IT OUT!'_. With an almighty pull, he manages to pull the dart from his leg, emitting another scream of pain as he does so.

8…

Up!

He manages to get to his feet.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

There is a sombre feeling running over the entire hill as they look on at this scene. They have come so far, it genuinely seemed as if Naruto was an even match for Clyde and now this has happened. It isn't fair to say the least. It is as if fate has been teasing them, making them believe it is possible to survive when for all this time, they have already been dead, they have been living in a fantasy.

Hinata is distraught, tears fill her eyes as she looks at her future husband. "Naruto…". She has seen him in pain before but it has never hurt this much, it is not the agony he is feeling or the emotional stakes involved. It is the fact that she cannot go to him. During Pain's invasion, she may not have been able to free Naruto but at least she had tried, that was much easier to endure than this is.

' _No'_ Shikamaru looks at the faces of the new generation members, _'All of their life, we brought them up with stories of your greatness. We changed the definition of what it was to be a great shinobi. We removed all that we had previously written and replaced it with your name'_.

Hs screws his eyes shut as he regrets the situation at hand. _'Did we, after all of this did we… did we give them false hope'_.

"Minato".

The 4th Hokage turns to Hiruzen who has called his name.

"I don't know how long you will be able to survive for… minutes… days…" he begins, "If Naruto loses you have to take everyone from here and run".

"No matter what, keep holding on to that hope that you will survive".

"Hope that we will survive" Himawari snorts as the 3rd Hokage suggests this. Someone who did not see their suffering prior to his arrival, how could he be qualified to say these words. If they lost here, not only would those from the past die but so would Sarada and Boruto.

"Without my father, what hope is there against someone like that?".

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

With Naruto, back to his feet, one might expect the momentum of the fight to switch. Naruto's never say die attitude has deterred many opponents in his lifetime, however, this one is different. Clyde decides that if what he is doing is working, why bother changing it, once more he creates a golden darkness dart and throws it into Naruto's leg.

THUD!

Naruto hits the ground once again. He reaches down to his thigh with his hands, desperately trying, once more, to remove the dart.

In this moment, Sheer and Peterson arrive. Flying in from Grace and Hashirama's battlefield, they land either side of the Colonel, astonished by what they discover.

"Sir" Peterson starts as he beholds his superior officer, "He actually forced you to use the golden cloak?".

"No" Clyde refutes his subordinate. "Did you not feel it. That guy used his power again".

Sheer frowns, indeed, she and Peterson had felt it not long after they had fled the battlefield. That power had activated once again, the terrifying sensation that they first noticed when they came face-to-face with the hidden leaf's team. It had manifested once more.

"That man did something" Sheer notes.

"He forced my hand, that's what he did". The General stretches his hand out to Sheer, covering it in the golden powder like substance to prove his point. Naruto was strong, a man who he could have a good fight against using his elemental cloak, using the power of darkness that surpassed the standard elements used by his subordinates. This other power is different though, this other power is something that he does not dare to underestimate.

' _That man'_ Naruto frowns at their conversation. Then the pieces begin to fall into place. He recalls Peterson's attack on Boruto. He recalls the substance that has leaked from Boruto's body previously. _'They are talking about Boruto'_ he realises, _'That stuff that leaks from his body, they're afraid of it'_.

Something clicks in Naruto's head. Not a realisation this time but a feeling, an overwhelming surge of emotion.

"My son…".

These two words draw the looks of all three invaders.

"Like hell I am going to let you touch my son again".

"Your son?". Peterson plays the words back as if they are completely alien.

"People this young don't usually have children" Sheer notes.

Of course, she is right. Unlike the invaders, even the strongest people in this world are all mortal. They aged normally, they looked their age and even the lucky ones could do little to defy the ageing process. Naruto looks 17 years old, at a push he could be labelled as 19, either way it's very unusual for someone this age to have children. As for children in their 20s or 30s, of course this is impossible.

"I've overheard them before" Clyde mentions, "They talked about this position, the Hokage".

"What the hell do you know about the Hokage" Naruto snaps angrily, his breath leaving him and his voice cracking as he shouts at the invaders. "The Hokage is someone who takes the pain on himself, who looks after his subordinates".

"Is that not what I have done" Clyde asks, searching for some moral justification in his actions, "We have had to go through hell to protect Peterson from you".

"Stop joking around". Naruto's legs shake but through sheer willpower he manages to stay on his feet.

"You who have come to our world, who have killed our people".

"You don't know what hell is… when I was brought here from the pas…".

"When I was summoned here, everyone was suffering, you haven't had to endure anything like the same pain".

Now it's Sheer's turn to snap. "What would you know!" she shouts as she steps forward. "You don't know our pain, our suffering. You act like this is all easy for us, like we don't live a dangerous life".

"I don't care if you live a dangerous life" Naruto replies quietly, "You've made a decision to force your suffering onto those weaker than yourself. That is the difference between you and the Hokage".

Sheer cannot reply, she lowers her head in shame.

Peterson is of a similar mind, what they have done here is truly shameless. Grace said it earlier though, Sheer had too, they are family, so there is no shameless thing they won't do, no depth they won't sink to. That is their desire to protect one another.

Clyde sighs at this reaction. "You said that man was your son, you stopped just short of saying you come from the past".

"And the Hokage" he continues, "The leader of your society. Both the 1st and the 9th are roughly the same age. You were summoned from the past weren't you".

"That's why I can't afford to lose to you".

"I honestly admire you, Uzumaki Naruto. I admire you more than I have anyone in a very long time". Clyde truly speaks this compliment from the heart. A lot of the things that Naruto has said to him, that his fellow shinobi have preached, they have reminded him of the man he admired most. An old man from his past.

The General creates a ball of golden darkness in his hand, similar in shape to Naruto's rasengan. "I'm sorry it had to end like this".

Both those watching on the hidden leaf's hill and Naruto tense as they prepare for the incoming attack. This attack is the one that will end the history of the most prosperous hidden village. This is the attack that will end both ninjutsu and ninshu. This is the attack that will end shinobi.

Or at least it would be.

PA!

The golden darkness ball flies out of Clyde's hand. Landing some way in the distance, it creates an explosion that far outstrips a tailed beast bomb in terms of destruction. A truly monstrous attack that even Naruto and Sasuke have never been able to compare to previously.

He released the ball because of a kick.

From Senju Hashirama.

Peterson reaches towards Hashirama's leg, the newly arrived 1st Hokage had just cost them their moment of victory. He may have only delayed it for a second but that is only speculation itself.

Hashirama weaves a quick succession of signs. A wall of wood appears between himself and Peterson, delaying the latter's grab long enough for the former to escape, to dash to Naruto's side.

It is mere speculation that Hashirama made any difference in that moment. On the invader's hill, most people put it down to the Colonel's paranoia, after all, how could Naruto possibly compare to Clyde, even given another year. This is their opinion though. To anyone who knows Naruto, this is a sign from the heavens. The angels of fate are begging him to turn this match around. The divine beings from above are calling to him, they are beckoning to him. They are telling him to win.

"Lord 7th" Mirai shouts as she joins the two most powerful Hokage.

"Mirai, Hashirama…".

"His cloak is glowing gold" Hashirama notes dully, "What is going on?".

"His element is darkness" Naruto is quick to explain, "Generals aren't limited to just the cloak. They can use a golden cloak to make it even stronger".

"That's" Mirai starts, "There is a power even greater than that cloak".

"I'm sorry Mirai" Naruto mopes, drawing her attention. "I haven't been able to save you world".

Mirai's guard that was raised but a second ago is dropped. She walks slowly round to Naruto's front, looking at his feet for a second before staring a hole in his iris.

SLAP!

She slaps him. "Wake up!".

Naruto is taken aback by Mirai's action.

It is now his turn to receive a lecture.

"It is your world too now. There is no going back for you, you have to carve out a future here".

"This is not my world, this is our world".

Out of the corner of her eye, Mirai notices that Sheer is approaching. Broken and battered, the only one left that Sheer can fight is clearly Mirai. Hashirama and Peterson were the strongest bar Naruto and Clyde, it is only natural they will fight one another.

The Sarutobi clanswomen turns once more towards Naruto, giving him a few final words.

"Don't you dare forget your ninja way now".

"Don't you dare give up".

With that she turns, and attacks Sheer.

Hashirama steps forward, a childish grin on his face. "Well, you heard what the woman said".

"What are you saying, do you even believe in that path anymore. Do you still believe in the will of fire?".

"It doesn't matter what I believe in" Hashirama notes. "It matters what works for you".

That's right. All this time, many people had believed in Naruto's philosophy and many people had believed in Sasuke's. Did that make Sakura, who agreed with Naruto stronger than Sasuke, it did not. Did that make Danzo, who agreed with Sasuke, stronger than Naruto, it did not. It's not about what path you take, it's about how well that path works for you. That is what makes you truly strong.

"We have no time to discuss philosophy but I will put this to you" the 1st Hokage begins. "If you lose this match, your daughter will die".

Naruto's eyes widen. _'Himawari…'_.

"It's not just her. My granddaughter will die. Your son. My brother. Your parents".

"I don't care if you decide to never give up. That's your decision".

"But, whether you believe that or not. You are not allowed to give up right now".

Peterson has heard enough, he turns into a lightning bolt and launches at Hashirama.

This is not effective though. With a single punch, Hashirama hits Peterson out of the sky and a good way to the side. This is not the same Hashirama who was summoned from the past. His strength, his demeanour, his attitude, they are all completely different. Regardless, for better or for worse, he seems like he won't lose anymore.

"I won't let these guys do any more harm" he says as he walks towards Peterson, "You better not let my village die".

For the first time since Clyde activated his golden cloak. Naruto tightens his fist. His hand does not shake though, this is the first time he has tightened this fist with genuine resolve. He has, through the encouragement of his friends, regained his determination. This is a feeling, a desire to win burning so deeply within him. A desire to protect his friends. This is the will of fire.

He expresses this newfound determination with four words.

"I will beat him".

"Good" Hashirama smiles as he starts to run towards his opponent.

' _I told him that but I don't know how'_ a bead of sweat runs down Naruto's back as he looks at Clyde. His fear may be gone but that alone won't allow him to win this fight. _'Dad, Mom, Pervy Sage, Kakashi Sensei, Sakura, Sasuke… somebody… tell me…'_.

' _How do I beat him?'_.


	55. Never Give Up

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – NEVER GIVE UP**

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

In one direction, Mirai begins her battle against Sheer. Normally Mirai wouldn't be able to compare to a Colonel in terms of battle prowess and Sheer is stronger than an ordinary Colonel. This situation is special though, Mirai has been fighting for a very short time and Sheer has fought more than any of the other Colonels in this match. With the stronger of the two being completely exhausted, the weaker stands a chance.

In the other direction, it is a different story. The other direction is where Hashirama and Peterson are fighting. Each warrior is the second most powerful on their respective teams. Peterson is the Colonel who started all of this, who Naruto had to work with the 1st and 2nd Hokages to defeat. Hashirama is the man who has gone from strength to strength with only a single moment of weakness since this contest began. When embracing his true power, when he doesn't hold back, his might is easily capable of rivalling Peterson's.

Still, despite the hidden leaf's good odds in these two battles. It doesn't matter, the most important battle is before Naruto. It is between the 7th Hokage and the enemy General. Between Naruto and Clyde. A battle that Naruto cannot see a way to win.

"This whole situation must be hopelessly sad for you" Clyde observes as he snaps Naruto from his speculations.

Sympathy, not something that Naruto had been expecting until a moment ago. "What do you mean?".

"I didn't realise it until now. You've been brought forward from the future. I can't imagine what that must have been like", Clyde looks sincerely sympathetic towards Naruto, the frown on his face is proof of this. Normally, one would have little sympathy for an opponent who puts their friends in danger as much as Naruto has Clyde's but the General has an enormous respect for the Hokage. He reminds him of his role model and his ideals are similar to his own.

"You are clearly the strongest person from your village. Not even that guy fighting Peterson is on your level". Clyde feels a sense of familiarity as the words he wants to express come into his head. "Everyone's hopes must have been pinned on you. It must be hard for someone your age".

"Idiot" Naruto uses a silly voice as he grins in response, "I've always wanted recognition".

"There is a big difference between recognition and dependence" Clyde snorts at Naruto's stupid comparison. Nobody wanted to have to fight for their loved ones under these sorts of circumstances. "To have recognition is to be praised, to be depended upon is to have pressure put on you".

"Ever since I was young, I dreamt of becoming the Hokage". A nostalgic smile is retained by Naruto, even though he is merely 17 years of age it feels like so long ago that he was a kid claiming he would become the Hokage. Not many people had believed him, in the last few years though, things changed and they changed fast. "I was ready for both of those things when I made that decision".

"But never on the scale you have experienced it here" Clyde holds a hand out to his side as he questions Naruto. Truly this is more pressure than anyone should ever have to face, never mind a teenager, "No matter what, you couldn't have been prepared for that".

The 7th Hokage looks out of the corner of his eyes, his smile becoming more disjointed and awkward, "I guess that's true".

"You are truly unlucky, Uzumaki Naruto".

Those words interest him. Those words catch him by surprise. Those words make him realise something.

"Unlucky did you say?".

"That's right" the General confirms.

"You're wrong".

Clyde is taken aback by this statement of defiance. Wrong? How could it be wrong? How could Naruto's position be anything but unlucky?

"Although I wasn't there for their birth, I've met both of my children".

"And my parents are alive, it's not like before when I was just meeting them, they are alive!".

"And so many amazing people from the past are here, and there are amazing people from the future too".

"I've been given such a precious opportunity, a chance to know them all".

"And you call that unlucky?".

"I call that lucky, I'm so glad that Sarada brought me to the future".

"There is so much… life here".

"It's funny, you've spread nothing but death and what has emerged is life".

"My daughter, my son, my wife, my parents and all of my friends…".

"All I want to do is be happy with all of them".

"All I have to do is beat you".

"So I don't care how I do it, I'll beat you. I'll beat you so badly you never hurt us again".

"Their lives are so precious to me. No, all life is precious to me".

"I'll protect that for as long as I can and you will never stop me".

"That's why. I'm going to beat you, Clyde!".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Minato smiles as he pumps his fist in the air. "He's not going to give up".

"Naruto…" Hinata smiles at his determination.

"Don't get your hopes up" Shikamaru sighs as he looks realistically at the situation. In the end nothing has changed. "His resolve alone won't be enough to…".

At this point he stops, staring at the screen with wide eyes. He spotted something familiar just a moment ago. Something that he had only seen once before. It had been difficult to notice and anybody else would have just discarded it as a blip on the screen. Not Shikamaru though, he has seen this before. This is hope.

' _Was that really…'_.

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Naruto and many others have a sudden change in feeling following his speech. There is a sensation telling them that he will now be able to stand up to Clyde that there will be some difference, some greater power to him. There is no basis for such beliefs though, nothing has changed. Naruto has found no new reserve of chakra, he has noticed no new weakness in the enemy.

Their beliefs are all unfounded.

Except for Naruto and Shikamaru. These two notice something.

Perhaps there really is a difference.

Naruto starts as he feels something strange within his own system. It feels just like when he receives chakra from Kurama. The source of this strange feeling is his inner world. "What… what's this" he says as he looks at his own hands.

Clyde flinches. _'He's acting strangely'_.

Naruto heads into his inner world, taking a couple of steps on the watery surface he hears the succession of splashes that usually accompanies him walking in here. As always, it is poorly lit, with a yellowish tinge to the place. There seems to be no source of light, it seems merely to exist, bouncing off the floors as if born in the air itself.

The most significant feature of Naruto's inner world is what it has always been. A giant fox with nine tails. The nine-tailed beast. Kurama. The fox stands proudly as ever as Naruto comes in to visit him despite the desperate situation they are in at the moment. It seems that Kurama is also experiencing this sensation, he is also feeling the same things as Naruto, no doubt due to their link.

"Kurama" Naruto asks, approaching his partner, "What is going on".

"I have no idea" Kurama replies impatiently.

The 7th Hokage shakes his head, this doesn't make any sense to him. The unfamiliar sensation is definitely coming from here and Kurama can definitely feel it to. The nine-tailed beast was always here, his senses always covered Naruto's chakra network from this place. If something were to interfere, how could he not be aware of it. Even when learning sage mode, Kurama had been able to sense the nature chakra Naruto was using. He had prevented Naruto from using sage mode in the same way as Jariya.

"Look!" Kurama shouts as he raises his head, looking above them.

From just the spot he was looking. A giant stone tablet falls down.

Giant doesn't do the tablet justice. It is slightly taller than Kurama and about twice as think as the nine-tails arms. The tablet is far from being in perfect condition as well. It is chipped and cracked in various places, like a gravestone that has been left untended for hundreds of years.

"What the hell is this thing?" Kurama asks looking towards Naruto.

"I have no idea" Naruto answers as he inspects the stone tablet. "It's got something written on it, hasn't it?".

Kurama reaches his large arm up to the tablet. He rubs his forearm along it, clearing the assorted dust from its surface. Naruto has seldom seen dust in this place and on such a large scale it completely covers him for a second. He coughs and splutters as he waves his hand in front of his face, trying to clear the fine substance from his mouth and his eyes.

As the dust finally clears around Naruto he looks up at the now clear tablet. It has a single word on it.

Naruto reads the word and it triggers something.

From the tablet a pure white energy flows towards the blonde shinobi.

"What's going on" the wide-eyed Naruto asks as he watches the thin white substance pour from the tablet into his body.

Kurama's mouth opens slightly as he realises what is going on. "This word… this substance… could this be the power that Shikamaru was training you to use".

The power that Shikamaru was training him to use. A power that Naruto used once during his training and even then, it was by mistake. Back then, a white substance just like this had swirled around Naruto, an incredible power. He hadn't been able to control it, on the contrary, it had actually caused Naruto to suffer somewhat.

At that time only Naruto and Shikamaru were present. The latter thought it was a good opportunity to try and obtain a new power, to try and learn to use this white substance. He hadn't told the others, he hadn't wanted to get their hopes up and Naruto had not been successful in using it previously. He couldn't even bring it out again yet now it has appeared like this.

"Could it really be" Naruto asks as he looks at his hands, "This feeling, it's not chakra".

"Naruto…" Kurama hesitates as he speaks, not daring to believe but at the same time not being able to stop himself. In this moment, the nine-tails is truly excited, "Have you grasped their power".

Naruto remains still, embracing this new sensation through his body.

Kurama doesn't share his patience though, "Try it out" he shouts, "Don't you leave me in suspense".

Naruto nods.

' _This… whatever it is. It's not like chakra. It feels so easy to control. It feels, incredible'_.

He realises that he is just as eager as Kurama to see this power in action.

Naruto wills the white substance into his hand. Just like that it appears, thin strands of this new energy that he is controlling. If he had to describe this feeling he would describe it as pure.

The white substance is acting just as Naruto wishes. Controlling it is far easier than chakra. So he decides to test its true capabilities. He raises his hand slowly into the air and then closes his fist.

ZOOM!

The formerly dull light starts to shine brilliantly. It starts to shine blindingly. From Naruto's fist an incredible power is sourced. It creates a draft, a breeze away from the point at which he focuses the energy. It is strong that even the giant that is Kurama stumbles backwards a step. This is it. This is really it.

"This is it Naruto" Kurama shouts excitedly as his host finally stops using the power, "You've made the breakthrough at a critical moment".

Naruto opens his hand. Lowering it back to chest height he looks at it in awe. Had he really just done that? Was that power from just a second ago really his own. That moment when he refuted Clyde for calling him unlucky, that he had truly understood what he wanted from the future. That proves to be the moment he unlocked this magnificent ability. "Wow".

"What are you still here for" Kurama asks with a smile.

Naruto returns the smile, "Are you saying you don't like my company, Kurama?".

"No, I'm telling you that if this is what we think it is, then it's time for you to go and kick that guys ass".

The 7th Hokage greens cheerily. This a look that Kurama had disliked in the past, that he had associated with his hosts childishness. It was not only that though, it was a look associated with Naruto's attitude, with his ninja way. He would never give up. Through their time together, this look has entirely changed for Kurama. Each time he saw it he was happier than the last. This time is happiest of them all.

"Let's do this then".

The jinchuriki leaves his inner world.

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Clyde frowns and places a foot back to ready himself for combat. While the others had been ambitious after Naruto's speech, he had not shared their thoughts. He had no inkling that Naruto's determination would allow him to win this match. This is different though, the smile on the Hokage's face. It isn't a smile of optimism or cheeriness. It is a knowing smile. In his mind, this fight is not so clear-cut anymore.

' _He is smiling. Don't tell me that he's found a weakness'_. The General shakes his head after a moment, dismissing this suggestion as ridiculous. Compared to chakra, his power has no weaknesses, it augments his physical abilities, it makes him superior. Using the golden darkness cloak he is superior to Naruto in every way.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, General".

Clyde gasps.

"I'm ready to fight now".

Naruto creates a truth-seeking staff using the power he inherited from Asura, from the sage of the six paths. This is not a weapon he has used many times before but it is a weapon he is comfortable in using.

Clyde snorts upon seeing this. _'As if you could fight against me using that'_. He is right there is no way the truth-seeking staff can be used to fight against him. Not a few minutes ago, he had deflected all of the truth-seeking orbs with a single hand, one staff wouldn't change things.

That is what logic would dictate.

The 7th Hokage has a firm grip in the middle of the staff. It is in his right hand, the same right hand he was using before. He wills this hand to be the focal point of his attack. It's slightly harder than it was a second ago but slowly the energy he obtained from the stone tablet starts to manifest in the outer world.

A pulse of white energy runs along the length of his staff, momentarily turning each part of it white before it changes back to its original colour.

This one pulse is enough.

Sheer, Peterson, even Clyde. All three of them look directly at this staff. Their faces go pale as they feel a familiar sensation.

' _This feeling'_ Clyde thinks to himself, _'Is it…'_.

The truth-seeking staff continues pulsing. The white pulses become more and more frequent, gradually the pulses become wider as their frequency rises. It happens, the whole staff becomes white.

The staff is coated in the new energy.

Clyde grinds his teeth, "That can't be!".

He refuses to believe what he is seeing. He creates a golden darkness ball, focusing his power in the palm of his hand like he had done before Hashirama interrupted. Stretching his palm out and pointing it at his opponent, he fires. This attack is far stronger than the darts he used before. This attack is merciless.

BANG!

With an almighty swing of his weapon, Naruto hits the golden darkness ball. It is not easy but after a struggle, a collision of powers, the Hokage forces the golden darkness to dissipate. He cancelled out the attack.

During the time it takes to do this, Clyde had started his run towards Naruto. It strikes the shinobi, it seems slower, this new power has improved his motion vision and his speed. He can keep up. He needs this newly obtained speed as Clyde throws a punch towards him. It is a narrow thing but he manages to return a punch. The two fists collide sending both warriors back. An even collision.

' _This can't be happening'_ Clyde tells himself, _'Even if he has comprehended our power, he is only at the very basic stage, the same stage as a Captain'_.

The General shakes his fist, realising that he is feeling pain in it. That punch was a turning point. No local had ever hurt him in this golden cloaked form. Uzumaki Naruto is the first.

' _He is significantly stronger than me if I don't use my powers'_ Clyde notes, _'But even if he had an element on the same level as darkness… No, even then he wouldn't gain enough from it to fight me while I use the golden darkness cloak'_.

Naruto stretches a hand out before him, from his back he summons a truth-seeking ball. The same thing happens as before, the thin white strands begin to pulse around the circumference of the sphere. Slowly, it is being enhanced by his new power.

' _This can't be happening'_ the General shouts in his head once again, _'I can feel his power, it's definitely not chakra'_.

The enhanced truth-seeking ball is fired towards Clyde.

' _Fast!'_. He dodges the attack at the last second. It provides him with a momentary opening. An opening he is more willing to use now than ever before. He fires a beam of golden darkness energy towards Naruto, a constant beam, an ongoing attack.

This is countered by a shield. White and black collide against one another as Naruto's shield holds off the beam of darkness. It lasts for a whole ten seconds before Clyde stops attacking. To continue to attack would just be a waste of energy.

While Naruto has become stronger thanks to his new power, he is by no means dominating Clyde. He emerges from the destructive power of the beam but his shield is heavily battered as a result. This is a defensive method he stole from an old opponent of his. This is the defensive method he first witnessed Peterson using in the Colonel's battle against Hashirama. It is a technique originally from their world.

"It seems I really have understood it" Naruto smiles, much to Clyde's anguish, "The look on your face when I started using it. This is your power, isn't it?".

"No" Clyde snaps. "There is no way you can fight evenly with me. Not using our power. This… this isn't our power".

Naruto gazes seriously at Clyde.

"It can't be" the General declares, trying to convince himself as much as Naruto.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"What is going on" Kushina asks as she looks around the other shinobi. None of them answer so she asks Hinata, "Did you know about this power?".

The Hyuuga clanswomen shakes her head in reply, "I've never seen him use it before".

"I spoke with Naruto about this before" Shikamaru claims, drawing everyone's attention, "This is what I was training Naruto to do. Naruto is using their power".

"How?".

"Is that even possible?".

"Does it matter" Himawari asks with a familiar smile on her face. A smile just like her father's, "If things keep going like this he can win".

"No, if nothing exceptional happens, he will win. We will survive".

Everyone tries to contain their excitement as they watch on. If this fight has taught them anything it's not to get their hopes up. The General's expression tells them everything they need to know though. He has no more trump cards stored away, no more ways to get stronger. Naruto is truly fighting evenly against him.

Naruto can win.


	56. Naruto's Element

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – NARUTO'S ELEMENT**

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point – Mirai and Sheer**

This is the site of several simultaneous battles. The one featuring the two weakest individuals is this one, between Sarutobi Mirai and Colonel Sheer. It is a testament to the strength of the individuals in this match that Mirai is the weakest one in this battle. The granddaughter of the 3rd Hokage, Mirai is the owner of a miraculous ability to fuse elements. It's not like kekkai genkai, this is something else altogether. This is not such a limited ability, it can combine any elements she puts into it as long as she has enough practice. A truly incredible power.

Facing her is Sheer. Sheer is perhaps the Colonel who has changed the most as a result of this contest. Her first match had been with Uchiha Sarada, it was during that match that Sheer had learnt the importance of never giving up, of battling against the odds even if they were impossibly long. This is a lesson she has thoroughly taken to heart, a lesson she has used to bolster her own mental strength. Since the beginning of this contest, she has only gotten mightier.

Sheer's element is wind. It is not a powerful offensive element but it does have its uses. The first and most important attribute of wind is its benefit to speed. Using her element, Sheer can become one with the wind, travelling over a short distance while seemingly invisible.

Using this ability, she dashes to bursts to Mirai's side. Despite Mirai's strength, she is not a strong as a Colonel and she is certainly not as fast as Sheer.

Sheer prepares to attack the seemingly unprepared Mirai but her attack never reaches the Sarutobi clanswomen. Mirai stretches her thin hand out before creating a condensed explosion. Its small but the power isn't, it's as if a bomb had exploded over a centimetre of space. It knocks Sheer from her feet, onto her back some ten meters away.

The Colonel pushes herself to her feet as she spies the incoming Mirai. _'She wasn't this strong before'_ Sheer shouts in her head, panicking about the direction of this particular battle, _'What happened to her'_.

When Mirai reaches Sheer, the purple-haired Colonel attempts to dodge, to run away from her attacker but quickly realises that her movement has been restricted, her feet are stuck in position. She lowers her eyes, horror slowly spreading across her feet as her visual combines with the cold sensation in her lower body.

Her feet have been frozen in place.

' _Dammit'_ Sheer curses internally, _'I was acting like her power was just creating explosions. I forgot that she could fuse anything'_.

Sheer is right. She has forgotten. Now it is too late to do anything about it. That is the consequence of not looking hard enough at your enemy. That is the consequence of overconfidence.

When you consider who is facing off in these small fights you may consider the leaf at a disadvantage. Thinking logically, these small battles had two losers from the hidden leaf fighting two winners from the invading forces. These battles saw those determined to be weak against those determined to be strong. The leaf has been at a constant disadvantage though. Reaching this point has already been a miracle. A miracle summoned from the past by Uchiha Sarada. However, Mirai hasn't been summoned from the past. She is a miracle of the present. A miracle of hard work.

Mirai's fist shines a brilliant orange colour. Repeated bangs can be heard as it nears Sheer. This is her explosive power compressed onto her fist and with no way for it to be dodged, there is only one outcome for the wind-controlling Colonel. Her demise is inevitable.

BANG!

Held in position by the ice, Sheer's body rattles about violently within its confines. Her eyes momentarily glass over as the pure vibrating power damages her internal organs. A few moments pass before the ice melts and Sheer falls backwards, her head hitting the ground.

This fight is Mirai's victory.

Lowering herself to the ground slowly, Mirai takes a seat next to Sheer. This may be slightly too close to Naruto and Clyde. In fact, it is dangerously close to a battle of such power but she discards these dangers. She is convinced that this is the best seat in the house and she is about to witness the defining moment in shinobi history.

"Why" Sheer asks, her voice strained as she lays unmoving on the floor, "I was stronger than you, I was sure of it".

"You still are stronger than me. You're just exhausted, I had the advantage from the moment we began". This is not modesty, this is the truth. Mirai knows that if the two women had started at full strength then she would likely not have been victorious. She is a victor of circumstance, that is something she can live with. "You realise don't you, that you're completely exhausted?".

Sheer closes her eyes slowly, looking away from Mirai and brining her head back into a resting position.

"Perhaps it's time you took a nap".

The Colonel smiles at this, not having the energy to laugh. "A nap huh… perhaps that wouldn't be so bad after all".

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point – Hashirama and Peterson**

This battle is of an entirely different ferocity. These two are two juggernauts with enough power to rule over this world in any other time period. They are incredibly close to the General level of power. However, that is not to say they could compete with Clyde. Clyde is a General with control over the element of darkness, an element far stronger than normal ones, a transcendent General. 

Peterson fires lightning bolts at Hashirama repeatedly only for the 1st Hokage to dodge them time and time again. This is not going the same way as their first battle at all. Peterson has gotten slightly stronger since then but Hashirama is a completely different man. All of his weaknesses have vanished, all of his strengths have been enhanced. It is like he has moved from a gennin to a chunnin.

Peterson notice his opponent weaving a series of signs and manages to leap into the air just in time to avoid a group of wooden spikes that stick up from the ground. This is an attack that could truly have killed him. It could have killed him. Just who is Colonel Peterson. Peterson is someone who took on Asura's latest two transmigrants and fought them to a draw, a monster not of this world and he could have been killed.

These wooden spikes are nothing to Hashirama though. His true attack is far greater. A shinobi may have noticed it, those weren't the signs for that jutsu. No, they were the signs for a far greater jutsu.

It comes from above.

Splitting the clouds, it suddenly emerges, turning Peterson's head to the sky. It's a giant wooden dragon, the real jutsu that Hashirama was weaving signs for. It's not like when he has created the wood dragon previously, this time it is faster, it is bigger and it is stronger. With a huge smack, it hits Peterson before driving him down into the ground.

With this single almighty jutsu. Hashirama has won.

"Dammit" Peterson spits, "Before you were going to die at my hand when that boy saved you. How is it then, how is it that your strength can advance so much quicker than mine".

"It's simple. You underestimated me, you were so ignorant that you thought you would win easily" Hashirama turns his back on Peterson and instead looks towards the remaining fight. "When I trained, I did it with the fury sourced from my wife's death".

"You… fury…".

"When I stopped trying to save Minato, when I finally trained in Solitude, I just got angrier and angrier. I even start to think, maybe Boruto was right. If I had left him to die perhaps I could have fought the General". This statement perhaps signifies the true end to Senju Hashirama as many known him. The moment where he confesses, perhaps allowing Minato to die would have been correct. The moment where he loses his former self.

"So, my motivation was weaker than yours?" Peterson sighs.

"I would rather you say that mine was stronger than yours" Hashirama replies, "Now, let's see shall we. Is Naruto's motivation stronger than your General's".

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point – Naruto and Clyde**

They continue to battle. Forcing Hashirama and Mirai to realise there is no way they could interfere here. If they were to join this battle, Clyde could use their lives to threaten Naruto, that is just how incredible the two of them are in this moment. That is the power of the golden darkness cloak.

Still, there is something more incredible going on here. Despite the power of Clyde's golden darkness cloak, Naruto is fighting him to a standstill. Despite Clyde having a transcendent element like darkness, Naruto is battling him with his captain level use of his element. Whatever element Naruto is using, he cannot even form it into a cloak, he is can simply use it to augment his movements, to amplify his attacks both on a small scale.

"Dammit, even if this were our power, how is it possible" Clyde asks through clenched teeth, "How could you possibly fight me to a standstill?".

The blonde shinobi doesn't reply with words, he replies with a look. It is not a look of curiosity nor one of confusion. It is not a gaze filled with fear or anxiety. His look is unwavering, his eyes don't leave Clyde's, not even for a second and there is a trace of something that the General really hates. There is a trace of pity. Is Naruto looking down on him?

"A stone" Clyde mutters, "A stone tablet has appeared right, in that world where only you can go".

Naruto smiles, that tells him everything he needs to know. Clyde knows about the stone tablet. This is the invader's power he is using.

"Yeah" he answers.

Clyde shakes his head once again. _'His element is white in colour but it's so strong despite his low level of control… could it be…'_. The General suddenly shudders so hard that Naruto can see it. He acts as if he has just seen a ghost, as if a lifetime of bad karma has come crashing down upon him in one moment.

"That stone tablet" he mutters, "It had a word on it. That word names your element. On mine it clearly has darkness written down. On yours… does it say… does it say…".

"Uzumaki Naruto… is your element… life?".

A smile slowly creeps onto the shinobi's face. Naruto is smug.

"ANSWER ME!".

"The fact that you have asked me means that you already know" Naruto replies to Clyde, confirming his suspicions.

Naruto's element isn't something that can be touched. It is not even something that can be seen but not touched like Clyde's darkness, it is more than that. It is a principle, a principle that only the effects of can be observed. A power that echoes throughout all of reality.

"No, that's impossible" Clyde says again, as if to convince Naruto that he had misread the word himself, "Only the old man could control the element of life".

Naruto's gaze continues to hold firm as the General continues to shout hysterically.

"A mere mortal like you, the 2nd person in history? Your power cannot be life, that's impossible".

"I don't know who this old man is" Naruto points out as he stares down his opponent, "But it's clear to me he's someone who you admire".

Clyde frowns deeply. Of course, the old man is someone that he greatly admires. The old man is the one who has stuck in his mind through his entire life, whose lessons have stuck with him through thick and thin. The old man is the reason he is protecting his subordinates with this match.

"Is it really so unbelievable that someone else could control the power of life?".

"Shut up. Your element isn't life" Clyde snaps at Naruto, he gets more aggressive with every sentence the two exchange, "I have seen so many people try to understand life".

"I have seen the most prodigious of students try and fail".

"They all had expert help from the foremost geniuses in our society and they still failed".

"There is no way that you could succeed where they have failed".

"You're a mere mortal, a local from this lowly place".

Naruto sighs, this man is truly getting more and more out of touch with reality at every passing moment. "Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter".

Naruto raises his thumb. He raises his index finger. He raises his middle finger. Channelling life energy through the three of them he creates a weapon in the centre of them, a deadly vessel with which to attack Clyde.

He creates a dart.

The General gasps, realising the parallels from earlier.

"We can finish this now, General Clyde".

Saying this Naruto throws the dart into the General's leg.

The result is Clyde falling to the floor, clutching at said leg. _'He copied this attack from me'_ he notes as he painfully pulls the dart from his own leg, _'Even if he has understood the element of life, no it doesn't matter if he has'_.

' _Either way, I still have to win'_ he tells himself as he gets back to his feet.

Clyde charges at Naruto, readying a golden-darkness sword as he does so. Naruto sticks to his existing weapon, the truth-seeking staff stained white by the element of life. The two clash their weapons against one another, the ringing of their collisions sounds so loudly in the air that Mirai can feel the vibration just by stretching her hand out.

The General is unable to gain an advantage but he has a trump card up his sleeve. His element is darkness and he is proficient in using it. For just a second, he is able to completely cloud Naruto's vision with darkness. That second is enough for him to draw a blade and thrust it into his enemy's shoulder.

"Tsk" Naruto winces in pain as he kicks Clyde away and pulls the blade from his shoulder. What strikes him is that there is nothing remarkable about the blade. Then he notices a trickle of something familiar, something mauve.

Clyde smiles, "I don't like using it but that knife represented my ultimate backup plan". A moment after he speaks, Naruto frowns angrily at the General bringing a surge of delight to him, "It was laced with the most potent of Martin's concoctions".

"You have been poisoned, Uzumaki Naruto".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"His most potent poison" Minato repeats with wide eyes, "That can't be good". The 4th Hokage is the most qualified shinobi of all to state this, it is he who had to endure the poison and the agony that it brought. It was he who had to wait for his son to awake, for a miracle to come.

"Is something like that even allowed" Hinata protests.

Mitsuki reluctantly answers though. "Poison is a weapon just like Lord 2nd's kunai, I seen no reason why it wouldn't be allowed".

Even if poison were banned from this match, which it isn't. It would not be worth it for the hidden leaf to complain. If the fight were to break off this instant, then it would result in an all-out clash between the shinobi and the invaders. The shinobi wouldn't stand a chance, they would be crushed.

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point – Naruto and Clyde**

Naruto falls to one knee, clearly weakening due to the poison.

"Now… die".

Naruto's hand is shaking as he reaches for his shoulder. After trying a couple of times, he manages to wrap it around though, clenching tightly with each of his fingers. His teeth can almost be heard grinding against one another as he pulses life energy through his fingertips. He does this three times, each time his whole-body shakes, it's like he is shocking himself with a defibrillator. Then he pulls his hand away from his shoulder, pulling something with it.

He pulls a mauve substance from his shoulder.

A mauve crystal forms in the space before his hand.

' _What!'_. Clyde has never seen anything like this before.

Naruto takes hold of the crystal and crushes it. The rush of energy outwards tells Clyde exactly what he needs to know. That crystal was all of the poison and poison energy within Naruto's body. Using the element that is life he managed to take it all out and crush it.

"This was the poison…" Naruto begins.

"Huh…".

With incredible speed, Naruto launches from a standing positon, forcing his foot into Clyde's face. He keeps his foot there, forcing Clyde backwards further along the ground with every passing moment. Yet he refuses to release contact.

"This is the poison you used on my father!".

Clyde struggles about, trying to stop his backwards motion but he cannot. Naruto's standing start has caught him off guard and now he is in a spot he cannot recover from.

"This is what killed Mito" Naruto adds.

Despite coming from different times, Naruto and Mito had struck up a friendship in the short time they had together. Mito had visited Hashirama many times while he and Naruto were incapacitated. Hinata, Mito, Hashirama, Naruto, the four of them had spent a lot of time together as a result of this inaction. And there is of course, one last connection between Naruto and Mito. They are both Uzumaki.

"I won't forgive you for that!" Naruto shouts as he swings his leg forwards, throwing Clyde off his foot and even further back through the dirt.

The General struggles to get any semblance of balance. He grunts in pain as he forces himself to his feet, that attack was never going to keep him down and it wasn't meant to. Clearly that attack was meant to make him feel pain, that attack was for all Naruto's loved ones who had suffered.

"I told you, I will beat you so bad that you will never hurt us again".

Clyde growls, "Uzumaki Naruto!".

Naruto stretches a fist out before him, "I have a birthday to go to, idiot".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"Dad" Himawari smiles at his resolution. It looks more realistic than ever before, he will be going to her birthday party, no matter what stands in his way.

"Naruto can destroy that poison" Minato gasps, "He did it just like that".

"Minato, Kushina, your son is truly incredible" Tsunade praises the parents, "Still, I can't believe it, power like this, it really exists. The ability to tackle poison that strong, just like that".

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point – Naruto and Clyde**

Clyde's vision is wavering. _'It's too soon to give up Clyde'_ he tells himself. He forces his hand into a tight fist, gripping so hard that it turns a pale white, _'You have to win here for the others'_.

' _I'm not ready to let them die yet'_.


	57. Sarada's Fate

**Author Note:**

Hi All,

Sorry for not giving you the usual chapter yesterday.

I have my reasons but I won't make excuses.

To make up for giving you this one late, I will try my best to give you another one tomorrow.

As always, thanks for reading,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – SARADA'S FATE**

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Clyde growls as he observes Naruto's movement. The 7th Hokage doesn't look phased in the least, his confidence is supreme, his heart unwavering. Clyde is a general, someone who can manifest a golden elemental cloak. Not only can he do this, but he is also a user of the darkness element, an element even stronger than standard ones. To be able to stand opposite the General without a trace of fear is near unthinkable, no, for a local it is unthinkable. A person with these capabilities should not exist, not here.

"I've felt sorry for you before, Uzumaki Naruto but now I have realised that you are blessed" Clyde begins, the disdain in his voice clear for all to hear, "You have been blessed with most absurd luck that I have ever witnessed".

He stares down the Uzumaki clansmen, "One of us has to die here though, and it's not going to be me". The General makes this declaration and focuses the golden darkness energy onto his hands. The air around him can almost be seen vibrating as a result of the power he exudes. Through one moment, in which he doesn't attack, he demonstrates just how ready he is to cause pain, to cause damage. In this one moment, Clyde demonstrates just how powerful a General is.

It is in this moment, where there is no combat between them, that Naruto realises just how powerful Clyde is. Now that he can feel the power coming from him, now that he can identify it he cannot help but admire the General. The sensation, the pure power output from Clyde is far greater than from Naruto, but, the shinobi has his chakra based powers to rely upon as well as his newly obtained power. Meaning he can win.

Still, Naruto does not refuse to go toe-to-toe with Clyde, he too flares his aura, gathering the power of life onto his fists and ensuring that any punch he throws with them will be as effective as possible. The tension can be cut with a knife, the whole world stands unmoving for just a moment, until someone interrupts them.

"DAD!".

Approaching is Boruto carrying an unconscious Sarada in his arms. On either side, he is flanked by Kakashi and Tobirama, each nearly as flustered as the shadow Hokage himself. It is clear why he has come to Naruto at this time, Sarada's condition is critical.

Naruto quickly notices the danger to his son. "Get back Boruto!".

The warning is not unjustified, just as his son is approaching, General Clyde forms another golden darkness dart and throws it towards him. For someone of Boruto's speed, dodging this is absolutely impossible. He attempts to push it away with repulsive powers of his Tenseigan but he is not quick enough.

He is saved though. A truth-seeking ball coated in life energy collides with the dart just before the shadow Hokage's face, saving him from certain death. He quickly realises just what sort of power his father has, just how strong Uzumaki Naruto has become.

Boruto doesn't stop, he continues on his path towards Naruto, eventually placing Sarada down at his father's feet. "Dad, it's Sarada".

Naruto looks over his recently accepted pupil feeling something terrible, she barely seems to be alive at all, the physical signs are different from what Naruto senses though. It is like there is a difference between perception and reality. He then looks to his son who seems to be emotionally distraught with the situation, a tear rolling down his cheek confirms what Naruto had thought. Boruto's strange illness has caused this.

"That stuff leaked from my body again" Boruto confirms, breathing raggedly, "It her and she hasn't responded since".

' _It's her chakra'_ Naruto finally understands the strange feeling, _'Her chakra is dying'_.

"Please, you have to help her".

"It's not very easy right now Boruto", Naruto's eyes move back to Clyde, stood opposite from him, "I have to beat this guy first". There is naturally, no way that Naruto can focus if he has to worry about the possibility of an intervention while he is helping Sarada. Such a thing would not be in the General's nature but there is no way of knowing at this moment. There is only one way forward, there is only one enemy left, Naruto only needs to defeat him and this will all be over.

"Dad I… she… when I… if I kill her" Boruto mumbles incoherently. With hundreds of clones, Naruto has seen many people doing this in the 4th great shinobi war, he is more than accustomed to dealing with it.

"Don't worry Boruto" he smiles, not moving his attention from the enemy, "You still have things you have to tell her, right?".

"Yeah".

"Well then" Naruto punches his open palm, "I may be the Hokage but before that I am your father. It's my job to help you with these things".

"So" he continues, "In order to do that…". He focuses his life energy on his open palm and moves it towards Sarada's chest. His power may be incredibly useful for fighting but if it lives up to its namesake then it must have an even greater ability, to help those who are dying.

Just as Naruto is about to reach Sarada he is tackled away. Clyde wraps his arms around Naruto's waist and drags the 7th Hokage into the distance, as far away from Sarada as he can. It may be out of character for such an honourable individual but it is clear that he has made his decision, he is going to hinder his opponent no matter what.

"As if I will let you" Clyde snaps as he tackles Naruto into the distance.

Boruto falls to his knees, "This can't be happening".

With two quick flashes, Tobirama disappears and reappears at Kakashi's side, bringing Mirai and Hashirama with him.

Finally coming to a halt, Clyde has Naruto pressed to the ground beneath him.

"Damn you" the Hokage curses, "She can't threaten you anymore, why won't you let me save her?".

"I'm fighting for my people, that means fighting against yours" Clyde shouts in reply.

The duo is too rushed and frenzied to focus their energies on their upcoming attacks, they just use their physical abilities to go as far as they can.

Clyde takes hold of Naruto's shirt in his left hand before throwing a punch towards his face.

Naruto dodges before taking hold of Clyde's jacket with both hands. He pulls down as hard as he can while swinging his head as hard as he can.

THUD!

A headbutt.

And another!

And another!

With one final headbutt, Naruto manages to create a momentary opening, he pushes his opponent away from him and scrambles to his feet. He wastes no time by continuing to attack Clyde, instead he runs straight towards Sarada, not even looking around as his opponent begins to get up.

The General knows what this means for the fight. Likely, whether Sarada lives or dies, she will have no impact in the battle from this point on. However, there is something entirely different up for grabs here, the momentum. If Sarada dies, fate will seem as if it is on his side, if she lives, then it will seem that destiny has moved in Naruto's directions. The will of the heavens may be decided in these next moments.

Clyde is about to catch up with Naruto when someone appears in his path. It is Senju Tobirama. The 2nd Hokage swings his kunai straight towards Clyde's neck. Of course, this is nothing to the General, he simply dodges to the side of the kunai before casually slamming his fist into Tobirama's side. If he were to go all out, such a blow would be fatal, but he has no time to waste, he simply knocks his opponent away like a fly.

Once more, Clyde is closing in on Naruto when he is interrupted, this time Mirai gets in his way. "Save her, Lord 7th!" she shouts as she fires explosions repeatedly at Clyde. These attacks, although they are unique, are ineffective, instead they prompt the General to try a new attack. Arriving before Mirai, he jumps and swings his foot into her sternum. The goal of this is not to hurt her, though it does break a few ribs, but instead to launch her at Naruto. It works, she flies backwards like a cannonball, hurtling towards her team captain.

A whirling pattern of air appears just behind Naruto's back. Out from it steps Kakashi, the 6th Hokage. "Don't stop moving forward Naruto, no matter what". He sacrifices his own body, he takes the blow by intercepting Mirai's body before quickly activating his kamui. He moves both himself and Mirai into the other dimension to make sure neither of them hit Naruto.

Clyde grits his teeth. _'No matter how many things I try they keep getting in the way'_ he growls in his head, _'If I can't stop Naruto, then I will kill her directly'_. A callous decision but one that is his to make, he haphazardly gathers golden darkness energy on his hand before throwing it Boruto and Sarada's direction. No matter how fast Naruto is, he may even be able to outrun Clyde on a good day, but he cannot outrun Clyde's attack. He is helpless to stop it.

"Boruto!" he shouts as he stretches his hand forward.

BANG!

The golden darkness energy hits, a blow that would kill anyone. No matter if it is Boruto or Sarada who is hit, they will inevitably die. That goes for anyone other than Naruto on the shinobi team.

Except for maybe one person.

Except the one person who may be able to survive.

Except the person, it hits.

Except Senju Hashirama.

Hashirama is not on the General's level though. The injuries are clear all along one side of his body, scars that would make children scream form all along his arm as he begins to fall backwards.

He raises his voice and manages to whisper one word. "Go" he implores Naruto before he lands on his back.

All the time Naruto needs, has been bought. He thrusts his hand towards Sarada's chest and closes his eyes with a prayer. _'Please, this time, please let me make it'_. He gathers life energy on his hand and waits for his hand to move forward, he is so on-edge that time seems to stop moving. While his hand moves at previously inconceivable speeds, it feels like it is moving at the pace of a snail.

Clyde gasps.

' _The way they sacrifice their bodies to protect one another'_.

' _The way the survive all these brutal attacks'_.

' _The way they seem to keep on answering all of our challenges'_.

' _Could it be my destiny to lose here?'_.

Naruto's hand finally touches Sarada and he doesn't hold back in the least. The life energy has so far responded to his every wish so he hopes it will do the same here. His prayer does not cease, it is truly the time to find out whether or not he has the power to save his friends. So, he sends one single pulse into Sarada's body, one strong pulse of life energy that carries the village's prayers with it.

With a deep intake of air, Sarada raises from the ground. She doesn't know where she is but she immediately feels a warm embrace around her. To her there is only one person left who can give her such a warm sensation. It is Boruto.

"Boruto" she whispers, "Naruto".

She doesn't understand what has happened, having been unconscious for the last few minutes, but from the tears on Boruto's face, from the tightness of his embrace, it is clear that she was close to death. Still, more importantly, she is fine now.

All of the shinobi competing have gathered on this starting battlefield. All of the others are watching on their television. Not a single one of them isn't overcome by joy at this sight, Sarada is going to be OK. Sarada is going to live. After all this death, the woman responsible for summoning the Hokage will not be dying today.

Clyde clenches his fist tightly before firing yet another burst of golden darkness energy towards the embracing shinobi. Not dying today, he may still have something to say about that.

This time Naruto is not busy though. He gathers life energy on his hand and knocks the golden darkness away from his child and his pupil.

Clyde starts.

"I won't let you hurt them anymore" Naruto declares resolutely. "This will be settled between the two of us now".

"The Hokage from the past".

"The warrior from another world".

"We will finish this".

Boruto maintains his grip on Sarada, refusing to loosen it for even a second. He fears that if he let's go he may never be able to hold his teammate again, that she may die the second he is not there, or that he may if she is not there. So, he clings. He clings on with all his might.

"Sarada" he whispers, "The stuff that leaked from my body before".

"I don't care" she interrupts him, much to his surprise, "I just won't this suffering to be over".

Boruto turns to look at his father's back. He may have disagreed with his approach several times since the latter came to the future. Still, Boruto feels confident looking at that back, his father, despite his age is still what he has always been.

"He will do it" Boruto declares.

"Not as my father, not as your master".

"Right now, he is not even the 7th Hokage, he is something else entirely".

"He is Uzumaki Naruto".

"Boruto" Sarada whispers, "We could still die, right? This could still be the end for us".

It is true. Naruto has shown a power on par with Clyde's, he has shown an ability to save people as well as an element that is even stronger than darkness. This may still not be enough. Clyde has lived for far longer than Naruto, he has far more experience. He has mentioned previously that he has battled many people just like Naruto, he has defeated them all. On top of that, he has seen people with low power overpower those with high power, he understands how to punch above his weight. They could still die very easily.

"I suppose so" Boruto relents.

"Then, I have to tell you something" Sarada says as she brings her mouth right up to his ear, "I...".

The General has lost all sense. Clyde fires a flurry of blasts towards the embracing shinobi. He is trying to destroy his bad-luck charm. No matter what, at this point he wants them gone from the battlefield. This is the heavens showing him that he may lose and he is in denial. He is throwing the signal away at all costs.

With two quick uses of the flying thunder god jutsu, Tobirama appears and takes Boruto and Sarada away with him.

Clyde quickly notes that all of the other shinobi are grouped together some way into the distance. A safe distance. Now the fight is truly just between him and Naruto.

 **The Safe Location**

Boruto and Sarada finally release one another, feeling that it would be awkward not to surrounded by all of their teammates.

"Sorry to ruin your moment" Tobirama says, "Your safety had to come first".

Boruto nods, "Thank you everyone, thank you for saving Sarada…".

At this moment, he spots the strongest among them, he spots his master. Hashirama is sat on the floor with his legs crossed, his bloodied arm is cut open in several places though, if it were anybody else they would not be able to endure such a thing while sitting upright.

"Lord 1st I…".

"Don't worry about it" Hashirama waves off his students before focusing on the two team captains, "Now there is only one last matter to be taken care of".

Boruto quickly takes this point on-board, he also turns to look at the strongest people in this world. Naruto and Clyde are alone with nobody to get in their way. Peterson, Sheer, Burns, Sisto and Grace, they are all down for the count. Himself, Sarada, Kakashi, Mirai, Tobirama and Hashirama, none of them have the energy left to get involved. This is truly the dying moments of this last match, the last stretch. It is time to do or die.

"Win dad" he whispers as he clenches a fist, "Just win".


	58. Naruto vs Clyde

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – NARUTO VS CLYDE**

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Clyde looks on in disbelief. For that exchange, had represented the will of the heavens in this fight. Of course, he can still rely upon facts to determine who will win this fight, he still believes that he will. He is a superstitious man though, that was a sign of the momentum if nothing else. Despite the terrible feeling that clings to Sarada's body, despite him trying everything he can to finish her off, she has survived. Not only that, but all the others have gotten away too, with only Hashirama suffering any sort of damage.

The General is shaking, such is his rage but Naruto is perfectly calm. The 7th Hokage has come so close to losing this fight on many occasions, his teammates have had to come near-insurmountable odds. Yet he is calm and the General is not. Any logical mind would label this impossible, how could such a set of events occur without divine intervention.

"How did you save her?" Clyde finally asks.

"It was strength. I could sense death all over her" Naruto explains, looking out the corner of his eyes towards his pupil, "It wasn't like normal. It was so dense. It was as if she was already dead".

Clyde finally calms down, analysing the situation he comes to a conclusion. _'So, he was able to sense that too'_. The fact that Naruto can feel this is a testament to his ability to use the invaders' power. It is a sensation that can only be felt using their power, and only one captain-level warrior other than himself was able to feel it. That man was Captain Dred, the strongest of the Captains.

"But" Naruto smiles, "Life energy was good enough. I flooded her insides with it, chasing the death away".

The General experiences an emotion that is quickly becoming too familiar to him. Denial. He feels denial upon hearing Naruto's explanation. These circumstances lining up, it's inconceivable. Throughout all of history, only one person other than Naruto has comprehended the element of life. To do so is near impossible, for a second person to achieve it was thought impossible.

"I've already told you" Clyde clenches his fist as he shouts, "It's impossible for someone like you to have life as their element".

"Why… why of all people would you..." he continues.

A memory comes to Clyde, of when he and his men first arrived in this world. They had overrun the first village easily, they had no chance, the fight they put up was very poor. Evidently, this had spurred on the rest of the world. That day the hidden leaf village had sent two mighty warriors to battle Clyde. One dark-haired man with a single arm and strange eyes, the other with an ability to cloud himself in orange chakra, to take chakra from the surroundings.

"You were a hero who already died at my hands" Clyde starts, "That was you wasn't it. That was the you of this time who I killed. Yes, I have already beaten you before, haven't I, Uzumaki Naruto?".

"It's true" the 7th Hokage concedes with a depressed expression, "A General killed the me from this time. I guess that General could only have been you".

It had been perhaps the darkest day in the history of the village. The day that the most celebrated Hokage and the first shadow Hokage had left to fight Clyde. That day they had both used their full power and failed to win. That day Lee had taken on a Colonel with every gate unlocked and he had failed to win. That was the day which the hidden leaf village was thrown into a pit of darkness, a pit that they have come so close to escaping.

"Then, why" Clyde shakes his head, his voice changes slightly as Naruto spots a new emotion. A trace of sadness. "Why does this you understand the element of life?".

"Why did this you understand it and not that you" Clyde barks at Naruto, "How could a mere mortal like you understand it".

Despite constant exposure to the invaders' powers nobody had been able to understand their powers. Even the most prodigious of shinobi like Boruto and Sarada had no luck in comprehending it, not even simple elements like water. Of all people, it is Naruto who had so little exposure, and with just that he was able to gain critical insights into their power. Perhaps it is because he is the first one who fought toe to toe with a Colonel and survived. Perhaps it is because he is a genius sent by the heavens.

Or perhaps he has the reason himself.

"Tell me, truthfully" the General says, slightly out of breath from his previous shouting, "Who are you?".

Naruto looks away, he looks to the people who have accompanied him here, who have defined him. Lord 1st who defined his ninja way. Kakashi who has taught him and nurtured him. Boruto who placed his faith in him. Sarada who admired him. Elsewhere, there are others too. Hinata, Himawari, his mother, his father.

"I don't really get it either" Naruto admits. His latent ability to use their power is something that he cannot possibly understand. "But, as for who I am, I can only answer that in one way really".

Their eyes meet.

Naruto points to his headband with his thumb, grinning like a child.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto".

Clyde shakes his head. _'What's with that dumb answer?'_.

"You are the one who has kept pushing me harder. And harder. And harder!" he steps forward, letting his stress flow out with his words. "You are not the only one you know. I told you that I am fighting for something important to me".

The General's entire golden darkness cloak seems to increase in intensity. An audible roar can be heard emanating from his body as he raises his power output to the highest level he can.

"Don't blame me if I don't hold back".

Naruto puts one leg back and bends his knees slightly.

"Here I come" the General shouts as he charges at Naruto.

The 7th Hokage makes sure to note every little thing that his opponent is doing, at this point the last thing he wants is to fall victim to any tricks. To lose a fight of intelligence, as a shinobi against a warrior, would be stupid. He notes how the enemy's fists are densely coated in the golden darkness energy that he has been using until now. It is clear that he is preparing to attack with some variety of punch or slap.

Of course, Naruto is ready to play that game. Not only does he coat his fists in life energy, he also coats his foot in it too. With a kick to the ground, the shinobi launches himself forward, approaching the already fast enemy with an even greater speed in the opposite direction. Only a few onlookers, Sarada, Boruto and Kakashi are able to follow this speed. However, everyone knows what is inevitably coming. All of those watching from afar will feel every hit rumbling through the ground. This will be it.

Naruto is the first to throw a punch, bound straight for Clyde's head. This punch is nothing to laugh at, if it connects it would be game over.

The punch doesn't connect though, the General had been expecting it. He is ready with several punches that he is assured are going to hit. Tens of hits turn into hundreds of hits, again and again he buries his fists into Naruto's chest and abdomen. Finally, he ceases his punches, concluding that to be enough.

Naruto's head hangs, his body doesn't move as he stands opposite Clyde. It would seem that he cannot even raise a fist. If he has died standing, he needs to be put on his back to win. To this end, the General takes a step towards Naruto, intent on pushing him over. He stretches his hand out slowly but is interrupted.

Life energy refocuses on Naruto's hands. "Do you… think that… is enough" the Hokage breathes out.

Awe.

Complete Awe.

That is all Clyde feels in this moment. He strengthens his resolve and focuses his energy onto his right hand. This is the first time in the fight he has focused so much power onto one point. His aura physically shrinks as he amplifies the golden darkness energy.

' _This is my full power'_ Clyde screams in his head, _'TAKE THIS!'_.

His hand moves through the air, creating a screeching noise as it make for Naruto's head.

ZOOM!

The full power attack…

…missed.

Naruto has ducked beneath this full power attack. Dropping his left shoulder and stepping forward, he closes the distance between himself and the now defenceless Clyde.

The General knows now. There is no way he is going to dodge these upcoming punches. Both of Naruto's fists are covered in life energy, just as his had been covered in golden darkness energy a moment ago.

' _Uzumaki Naru…'_.

BANG!

Naruto hits Clyde with a punch. He doesn't hold anything back. This is his full power.

BANG! Another.

' _I'll get back up'_ Clyde tells himself.

BANG!

' _I'll use my full power again'_.

BANG!

' _And I'll definitely'_.

BANG!

' _Definitely…'_.

Naruto bends his knees, putting himself well below Clyde for his next punch. A near feral look can be seen in his eye as he unleashes everything he has upon the enemy. This is the man who has made this world hell for years. This is the man responsible for Mito's death. He unbends his knees and raises his fist up from below. He slams it into the underside of Clyde's chin.

An uppercut, sending Clyde flying into the air. Naruto quickly amplifies his speed by focusing life energy on his legs, he uses his maximum speed to arrive in Clyde's upward path. He has no time to switch the focus of his power back to his fists, after all he is only at the Captain level. He doesn't need to though. He concentrates his power in his legs and kicks Clyde downwards as hard as he can.

Sarada smiles.

Boruto gasps.

Tobirama grins.

Kakashi starts.

A small crater is formed but the General still manages to struggle to his feet after a few seconds.

When he struggles to his feet, Naruto is there waiting.

Clyde has no way to defend himself, he has no time to recover his energy reserves. He can but one thing, stand and take the upcoming hit.

A small whirl can be heard as Naruto creates a rasengan in his hand. Next after adding a slight spin to the blue chakra ball, life energy comes next. A three-layered attack, chakra, spin and the invader's power, all into one ball.

The two lock eyes in this fateful moment. Both know what is about to happen. Both know what is inevitably. But, they are fighters, fighters with honour. When you have honour, you look into your opponent's eyes until the very last second.

Then Naruto speaks.

"Get away... from our world…" he growls as he slams the energy ball into Clyde's chest.

"RASENGAN!".

Disbelief. Complete disbelief. Those watching from nearby. Those watching on the hill. The shinobi. The invaders. Everyone. As this attack connects with Clyde's chest, there is no way to defend against it, but this turn of events is still incredible.

Despite using his full power.

Despite the golden elemental cloak.

He hits the floor.

Clyde is down!

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"I… I… I can't believe it" Tenten mutters, "That General, he is down".

Choji nods. "Yeah, he really is".

"Naruto" Hinata smiles.

"Don't get too happy yet" Mitsuki shouts to his fellow shinobi, drawing their stunned gazes. "He may still get up".

This is of course true, but at this point seems highly unlikely. Even if the General were to get up what could he do, Naruto is in far better condition, when the two of them had used their full power, it was the Hokage who had come out on top. For now at least, this seems to be their victory.

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

" _You did it"_ Kurama cheers to Naruto.

The jinchuriki falls to one knee, placing his fist on the ground to steady himself. He takes several deep breaths as he tries to refocus his mind. Still, for now, the nine tails is right, he has done enough.

' _That's it'_ he tells himself, _'That should be enough'_.

1…2…3…4….5…

" _Now we can go home"_ Naruto smiles as he speaks back to Kurama, _"We can attend Himawari's Birthday"._

6…7…8…

" _And we can…"._

9…

Naruto looks up to be absolutely horrified.

Clyde is on his feet.

The General has stood up!

"Did you" the General begins before spitting out a mouthful of blood, "Did you think we were finished, Naruto?".

Naruto cannot move for a moment. To think Clyde could stand up from such an attack. It's a feat that shows of his monstrous strength. However, it does more than that to resonate with the young Hokage. To get up in such a situation requires a tremendous amount of willpower. To get up when there is almost no hope left, when you are all alone, when you are cold, when you are frightened. That is something only a hero would do. Something Clyde is doing for his comrades.

Naruto resolves himself, creating another rasengan in his hand.

"Hey" Clyde calls gently to his opponent, "I didn't want to hurt this world you know. I'm not a bad person".

"I just, I just wanted to protect my subordinates". There is a smile on Clyde's face, a smile that warms Naruto's heart. Previously when Clyde has smiled, Naruto has felt that the General has not been looking at him. That it was a knowing, taunting smile. This is a true smile though, a warm smile, one perhaps not of happiness but instead of great relief.

"I know" Naruto returns the smile, "I'm just the same".

"I see".

"I know that it's more than I'm entitled to" the General begins, "But, if you win… will you… spare them?".

Naruto lowers his head, obscuring his eyes to Clyde. "Let them go? After all they have done?".

"I thought not".

"Of course, I will" Naruto answers, shocking Clyde. To have suffered so much and be merciful at this point is unthinkable. "I don't believe that you are a bad person. These terrible things you have done, there must have been a reason".

The smile returns to Clyde's face. "I see, you truly do deserve that power, Naruto".

"Now then" he continues, the smile not leaving his face, "Let's finish this, shall we?".

The rasengan is already in Naruto's hand. He begins to add spin to it, a small gust of wind emanating from the pure source of chakra as he does so. Next is the life energy. Strands of white flow from his arm, slowing clinging on to the rotating blue mass, enhancing its power, getting ready for one final blow.

Then Clyde stuns Naruto.

"I give up" he says with a smile on his face.

Naruto dissipates his rasengan with wide eyes.

A forfeit.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

Himawari is watching the screen at close distance, leaning in as close as she can despite having the Byakugan activated. As an expert lip-reader she believes that Clyde just forfeited, as do many of the others. Her mouth is agape as she waits for some sort of reaction, some sort of declaration. Some confirmation of the victory.

Three words appear on all of the TVs.

Team Uzumaki Wins.

Tears fill Himawari's eyes as she hugs her mother tightly.

"He won" Shikadai says quietly, as he finally snaps from his moment of stupor.

The young Nara clansmen falls to his knees and shouts to the heavens. "HE WON DAMMIT".

A thunderous cheer can be heard from the hill as everyone reacts to their victory. Family members, old friends, new friends, they all embrace. Many are reduced to tears by the happiness they feel. Many go back to the TV screen, checking again to see that the words are still there.

Team Uzumaki wins.

There is no doubt about it.

Naruto has won.

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

Naruto smiles as his rasengan disappears. He walks closer to his opponent with a smile still on his face.

"You really are something, General Clyde".

The 7th Hokage begins to stretch his fist out, offering it to Clyde as a mark of respect.

The respect cannot be reciprocated though, Clyde begins to fall backwards.

PUTT!

The other Colonels have arrived. It is Burns, Kakashi's opponent in this contest, who catches her leader. Despite being bruised and battered, Grace and Sisto have arrived with her. None of them are in any condition to fight but they are able to walk, which is far more than can be said for the General. His condition is a testament to their morale, it shows just how hard he fought for them. They may be the enemy of the hidden leaf but there is no denying their spirit, their love for one another.

Soon Peterson and Sheer arrive, limping up to the other Colonels they all huddle around Clyde in a big group.

"Don't worry, we will keep the General's word" Burns promises.

"We concede this match to you, Uzumaki Naruto".


	59. A Beacon of Hope

**THE BATTLE FOR THE EARTH – A BEACON OF HOPE**

 **Naruto and Clyde's Starting Point**

The 7th Hokage looks fondly over the people he had considered his enemies not moments ago. Their heads are mostly lowered, their respect for him is clear, they respect his power and his capabilities. That is not the true source of respect though, by now Naruto could have killed each and every one of them but he hasn't, he has spared them despite the terrible things they have done to this world.

Five Colonels, between they have destroyed four hidden villages. The fifth they had not destroyed only for one reason, because the shinobi of the hidden leaf had beaten them to it. Their sins against this world are not something that can be easily forgiven. This person before them though is not a normal person, he has an incredible desire to protect and redeem everyone he meets. That is why he was able to comprehend the element that is life. That is why he is so incredible.

Naruto's allies arrive by his side. They come in no great rush, instead walking to him calmly after their moments of celebration. Hashirama, the man who had played the most vital role in the secondary battle. Tobirama who in his own match had defeated the mightiest of the Colonels. Mirai who had raised team morale before freeing Hashirama in the final match. Kakashi who had become the hidden leaf's trump card just as Naruto had predicted. Boruto who had changed the tide of battle by going back for Sarada. And lastly, the 9th Hokage herself, who had summoned them all here.

"Good job, Naruto" Kakashi praises his student with a pat on his back, "You have really made me proud today. I'm prouder than ever before to have been your sensei".

"You beat them, dad" Boruto is equally as happy about this outcome. As the shadow Hokage he has truly had to endure this war on the dark side, he has gone for so long without seeing the light of day and now it has been shown to him. It is his dad who made that possible.

"Lord 7th" Sarada smiles. "Thank you. Bringing you back. Bringing all of you to the future. That was the best decision that I have ever made".

That is what defines these people from the past. The one thing that they all have in common, they are Hokage. This is why Sarada summoned them in the way she did. They had to truly believe in the will of fire, they had to define the will of fire, they had to set an ideal, that is the Hokage. This mental state, it is something hard to produce, something that needs to be protected desperately, to help with this, Sarada summoned their loved ones at the same time. To lose a loved one, you need only look at Hashirama to see what it can do to a person.

"So, you will keep your promise right" Tobirama asks of Peterson, his opponent in his own match, the first person he fought in the future.

"Don't worry, we will keep our promise" Peterson nods to Tobirama. "We will deceive the other Generals to protect you".

Tobirama sighs in relief. "Good" he declares. It may not be vengeance or entirely satisfying but this is the action of a Hokage, this is the right thing to do. His time as Hokage had been dominated too much by what he did in the shadows. It is a lesson he has learnt from the other Hokage, from Sakura's tale of shinobi history. If you have to act in darkness, if you have to hide what you are doing because it is dishonourable, it is probably the wrong thing to do.

However, not everyone agrees.

"That is not satisfactory" Boruto frowns.

Peterson starts as the shadow Hokage reaches for his pocket. Slowly, methodically, he unsheathes a steel weapon, despite their similar levels of power, to the Colonel it feels as if he is facing a demon.

"We have to kill them here" Boruto decides.

Peterson grinds his teeth momentarily, realising that this could be the end. If a battle is to break out between the two side here, Naruto will of course side with the hidden leaf village. That is all that is required to determine the outcome, with Naruto alone the battle will already be decided. He steps to the front of the invaders' group, he makes the conscious decision to take the first blow himself.

"Boruto!" Naruto shouts at his son.

A sideways glance, Boruto looks at his father and his eyes narrow slightly. He has a terrible feeling that he knows what his father is going to say. He has a premonition of something foolish, of a decision ruled by sentiment and not logic. That is the way of the Hokage, not the shadow Hokage.

"We're not going to kill them". Naruto confirms these suspicions.

The shadow Hokage has anticipated this but he is not prepared for it. "Are you joking" he spits, "This is it, the best chance we have ever had".

"They are before us and they are weak!" Boruto looks at his father as he points a kunai towards Peterson, "We will never get a chance like this again. A chance to kill them".

"Boruto is right" Hashirama concurs with his pupil. There is a definite similarity between their beliefs on this subject, they are near identical, "This is a golden opportunity, we can't afford to waste it".

"Kill them".

"I made a promise to the General" Naruto replies as he snaps his head between master and pupil, "I promised that we wouldn't touch his subordinates. As a Hokage, no, as a man of honour, I cannot go back on my word".

Despite these pleas, there is a true devil at work here.

And his name is Uzumaki Boruto.

"Then it will be fine if we kill the General himself?" he smiles to his father, "Even in your current condition you could protect us from a full power Colonel, right?".

Naruto is stunned, are these really the words of his own child?

"Killing the General is the only acceptable outcome" Boruto decides.

A hand touches his shoulder. The only thing that can pull a demon from hell is an angel.

"Boruto" Sarada whispers to him, "Don't, please just… just let this go".

The hesitation is clear in her voice, her hand trembles as she struggles to bring herself to do this. She is the Hokage whose people have suffered at their hands. She is the Hokage who had to watch the entire hidden leaf be destroyed at their whim. Of course, letting go of this grudge is difficult for her, it's near impossible. Still, more than that, she still has to be the Hokage. Since her youth, she wanted to be a Hokage just like Naruto. To take all this pain on and to destroy it, that is what it means to be the Hokage.

"Sarada" Boruto mouths.

"Boruto, this power that I have grasped" Naruto generates a small amount of life energy in his hand and gazes at it with a small smile, "It didn't come through training, it came through understanding…".

"Understanding?".

"Yes" the 7th Hokage dissipates the energy and looks at his son. "I understood that all life is sacred. It must be cherished and preserved if we are given the chance to do so".

"These guys can't hurt us anymore" he finishes.

Boruto tightens his grip on the kunai, his eyes obscured as he looks down to the floor, "I've had to live through the terror…".

"You won't anymore". Naruto takes hold of Boruto's arms, "I promise".

Boruto tugs his arms free from his father's grasp. "You are making a big mistake, Lord 7th" he quietly announces. He turns around and walks away, not looking back for even a second. After years of dreaming of this moment, of hoping for a day when the village could be relieved of its fear, it has not come. The chance to kill them has presented itself and it is Naruto who refuses to take it.

"Boruto" Sarada shouts as she runs after her comrade.

' _So, it is you will do it, Naruto'_ Hashirama looks at the back of Naruto's head, _'It is you will doom us'_.

' _You haven't done it with weakness or treachery'_.

' _You will doom us with your ideological foolishness'_.

"He was right you know" a voice comes from the centre of the Colonel's group, forcing all eyes to its owner. Forcing all eyes to Clyde. "You should have killed me".

"No, I was right" Naruto refutes Clyde, "All life has intrinsic value".

The General cannot help but laugh. He struggles doing even that much though, hindered by the blood in his mouth and lunges. "I don't know if I believe that… cough… but… cough… I like the sound of it".

"It's obvious that you have powerful enemies, that losing this contest will lose you a lot of friends" the 7th Hokage walks past Peterson and straight up to Clyde. He whispers to him, "I hope you and I can become allies in the struggle ahead".

Naruto turns around and walks away from Clyde. These words would be stupid coming from anyone else but Naruto knows something truly terrifying, something he learnt using Boruto as a proxy. Clyde has been seen speaking to another General, a General more powerful than himself. That happened on the other side of the portal. No matter how the invaders deceive her, one thing is for sure, this is just a single battle. The war is far from over.

To become part of that war, that may not be forced upon Naruto and anyone else may run away from it instead of towards it. Even Naruto may do this under normal circumstances. Something is different here though, it is the way Clyde and the others have reacted to his element, saying that only one person had controlled it before him. Life is Naruto's element, he understands the value of all life, so he cannot run away. Even these people who have made this world hell, to him their life is still worth protecting. So, he will do that, until the day he dies.

Clyde coughs once again as his laugh is stifled by blood.

"You have no idea what you are letting yourself in for, Uzumaki Naruto. I am the tip of the iceberg" he says, "If you involve yourself in our business, in our world, you will find nothing but pain and destruction".

"Or, perhaps you will be different" he smiles, "Perhaps you were granted that element for a reason".

"Perhaps you will become a beacon of light. A beacon of hope like none who have come before".

"I don't know about that" Naruto frowns while scratching the back of his head. "But… I will never give up".

These words hit the invaders like an earthquake. Naruto has said them many times before but now they hold greater weight than each of the previous times. In this battle he had been down so many times, his team had been in a hopeless situation so many times. For locals to defeat them in a captained six contest is unthinkable yet they have done it anyway. If not for this mantra, if not for the fact Naruto never gave up, would this be possible.

"You'll never give up, huh" Clyde repeats the words as if they are the most interesting he has ever heard. "The world presents you with such complex problems and you come up with such a simple answer. I will watch eagerly to see where that takes you, Uzumaki Naruto".

With the help of Sisto and Sheer, the General begins to limp away. When they are out of earshot Sisto cannot help but ask his commander about that exchange.

"General, is that guy really going to help us" he asks, "After everything we've done to this world".

"It doesn't matter" Clyde answers, "Either way, we are facing an impossible task".

"General" Sheer smiles, "It may be impossible, but I think we should try and overcome it anyway".

"Yesterday I would have called you crazy" Clyde copies the smile of his subordinate, "But Sheer, I think that is a good idea".

Grace and Burns wait a few moments, just looking at Naruto. It is hard for them to believe that such a person exists. How could someone endure all of that pain, take it on themselves and then discard it. More than that, he wants to help them, unthinkable. Then Grace recalls a metaphor she discussed with Sheer and Peterson.

In the metaphor, the Colonels had been referred to as the doomed children waiting for a saviour. At that time, they had all thought General Clyde was their saviour but it seems now that perhaps they were wrong. Perhaps this is all a sign, Naruto defeating them, sparing them despite everything. The first local to defeat a General. The second person to ever understand the element of life. If there is a hero they have been waiting for, perhaps it is him.

Grace and Burns turn around, leaving Peterson the only one remaining. He was the first Colonel to make contact with Naruto, and now he is the last to leave him.

"We will keep our distance" Peterson promises. "But Naruto, you are someone who has spared my family, who has done a great service to me, so I have a few words to say to you".

"Don't get involved in our struggle. As the General said, if you do you will find nothing but pain and destruction".

"Besides" Peterson's voice gradually quietens as he leans into Naruto's ear, "You will have problems of your own soon enough".

"What do you mean?" Naruto asks.

"Yesterday, I attempted to kill your son" Peterson begins, "But it wasn't because he let Martin escape, or because he was my enemy".

"It's because your son also has a bit of our power within him".

The memory comes flooding back to Naruto, he recalls the time he saw his son in agony. He recalls the time he saw a grey wispy energy leaking from his body. A constant source of pain for Boruto that he has only recently become able to sense.

"That..." Naruto whispers.

"So you have felt it to" Peterson smiles with admiration, to sense it with Captain level control, Naruto truly is a prodigy, "The power that is within your son, it is possibly on level with the General's".

"No, it may even be on par with yours. But your powers are very different".

"What are you trying to say" Naruto questions.

"Your son is not like you Naruto. He has already started on a different path. His power reflects that, the General's power of darkness may sound nasty but it has a warm feel to it because he is a good man".

"Your sons power is nothing like that" Peterson's voice becomes gloomy as he thinks of the power Boruto has. "Take it from someone who has felt this power in many people. Your son's power is cold, unbelievably cold".

"Watch him closely" Peterson says as he begins to turn away, "Otherwise he will become a disaster for you".

Naruto reflects upon what he has just been told as Peterson walks away. It's true, what he had sensed from Clyde had been intimidating. The golden darkness cloak had been on another level, but that was impressive because of a combination of quality and quantity of power. Examining Boruto's affliction is different, the quantity is so small but the quality is incredible, much like his own. As Peterson had said, it is cold, his power is incredibly cold, as if it shouldn't exist, as if when you are in its presence it is rejecting your existence.

"Naruto, what was that about" Tobirama asks.

"Oh, that's right, you didn't hear" Naruto remarks.

' _I did'_ Hashirama speaks in his head.

"Boruto is walking down the wrong path at the moment".

' _Boruto is walking down a different path'_.

"It just becomes easier to sense when you have this power".

' _That power is the key to seeing his brilliance'_.

"Right now, he is lost".

' _He is the only one who can find us'_.

Kakashi is naturally worried, he saw first-hand what Boruto's power could do. He saw how Boruto nearly killed someone by accident. Ever since coming to the future, he has seen and heard of what Boruto has done, how he has had a ruthless streak unlike anyone else. Considering they are father and son, Naruto and Boruto could not be less alike. However, he also spoke to Boruto alone, he spoke about his feelings and he came to an understanding about the shadow Hokage.

"I wouldn't worry about your son Naruto" he comforts his student, "Sarada will put him on the right path. She is fated to do so, just like you were with Sasuke".

"I know" the 7th Hokage nods, "I have faith in her. As long as she is here, Boruto can be saved".

"Then, is that it?" Mirai suddenly asks.

"Mirai…".

"Is that really it" she asks again, "Can we just go back and rebuild the village now? Can we just go back and live peacefully?".

"Yeah" Naruto answers, "We can go home now".

Mirai smiles widely as she finally hears the words from Naruto himself. Naruto is the Hokage she spent most of her life under, he is the Hokage she witnessed do incredible things, the Hokage who avenged her father and saved the shinobi world. No matter what anyone else says, if Naruto says that it is over, then to her it is over.

The blonde shinobi takes a deep breath.

"I'm coming to your party, Himawari!" he shouts at the top of his lungs.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hill**

"I know" she whispers, still hugging her mother tightly, "I love you dad".

Naruto and the other shinobi have achieved what they set out to do. They are safe to return to the hidden leaf village and create a new life for themselves.

While the others may have suspicions, only Naruto and Boruto know the truth. Only they truly know that the invaders come from another world. They are the only two who know about the portal that they travelled through.

Through that portal, Boruto had seen things more terrifying than they have experienced here today. He had seen a General more powerful, a warrior more ruthless than Clyde. Someone who would kill their own comrades, clearly that General and Clyde are worlds apart.

Indeed, only the 7th Hokage and his son know about the terrifying threat that is still posed to them.

They have their peace for now but peace is a fragile thing at the best of times.

Still, nobody can take it away from them, the great feat accomplished here today.

The shinobi of the hidden leaf village have won.

They have won the battle for the Earth.

* * *

 **Author Note**

Hi Everyone.

That is the end of part 3 - The Battle for the Earth.

As well as this it represents an end to the first arc, if you can call it that.

There are some other things I want to cover in a part 4 (almost part 3.5). This should be relatively short so hopefully I will be back with that soon.

So, in response to kail990, no, it's far from being over.

I'll be back with part 4 soon and hopefully with part 5 not too long after that.

Thanks for all of your support through arc 1. You have all been very good to me and I'm very grateful.

I will try to take all of your advice on-board as I write part 4.

I hope I see you all soon.

Thanks,

Cbehrills


	60. Winners and Losers

**Author Note:**

Hi All.

It's been a really long time hasn't it.

First off I would like to sincerely apologise for how long it has been since you last had an update. **I am really sorry.**

I have been busy during this period, trying to organise a variety of things in my personal life which has prevented me from writing part 4.

I feel I should warn you as well that I have a lot more things to organise in my personal life over the next three weeks and I may be cut off from the internet, meaning I may not be able to provide you with updates.

However, I promise to work as hard as I can to write and release at my usual pace of 5 chapters per week but I would like to stress I cannot promise anything.

Anyway, that's enough excuses, I have some more things to explain.

Part 4 has been inspired largely by combining requests and criticisms that have been made in the reviews. It was not in my original plan for the story so I apologist if it feels like it has been forced in. It will focus on the period between two different parts that I had planned to write originally. That said, I have enjoyed writing it and would like to thank you all for your help in inspiring it. If it is not to your liking then you can always skip over this relatively short part and return for part 5, you will not have missed anything too significant to the plot.

With that said, please enjoy **Part 4: Rebirth of the Leaf**

Thanks,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – WINNERS AND LOSERS**

 **The Hidden Leaf's Hill**

The sun shines brightly as a group of five shinobi climbs the hill assigned to the hidden leaf village. Throughout the Captained Six challenge, this is where the shinobi who weren't competing watched those who were. Some of the observers watched their friends, like Mitsuki and Shikamaru. Some of the observers watched their family, like Biwako and Hiruzen. Though something links them all, each and every one of them was watching over someone that they care about.

The group of five climbs, finally arriving over the highest peak of the hill and coming into the sight of their loved ones. The five shinobi are among the most elite, not just in the hidden leaf but in all of shinobi history. Senju Tobirama, the 2nd Hokage and a new jinchuriki for one of the three nine-tailed beasts. Sarutobi Mirai, a woman who can do things that nobody else has ever done, who can fuse elements together with but a click of her fingers. Hatake Kakashi, the inheritor of Uchiha Obito's powers, the man who went on to become the 6th Hokage. Senju Hashirama, the 1st Hokage, he who has come the closest of anyone to perfecting sage mode, who uses it to wield a power greater than any from his own time period. Lastly, Uzumaki Naruto, the 7th Hokage who inspired a generation, the only person from this world to understand the power of the invading forces.

"Uh" Naruto awkwardly speaks as he scratches the rear of his head, it has been a while since he last had to deal with a situation like this and it has not become any easier. Finally, he takes a deep breath as he settles on what to say to his friends.

"We won".

A mixture of cheers and applause fills the air as Naruto declares the Hidden Leaf's victory. For so long the villages had to fight a hopeless fight against the leaders. Countless shinobi have fallen in the war, so many died thinking there was no hope at all. Then Uchiha Sarada changed everything when she summoned a group of legends from the past. Bringing forward both the Hokage and their loved ones has proved a masterstroke on her part. After so long, the war is finally over. Against all the odds, the Hidden Leaf Village has won.

Himawari walks to the front of the group and tightly hugs her father. Naruto is not even at the age where he first had children, he is far from it. The 7th Hokage has been thrust into the future and introduced to many people who were inspired by him, who befriended him, who succeeded him and who love him. Despite the tremendous mental strain, he won and what's more, the first thing he spoke of was Himawari's birthday.

"Thank you" Naruto's daughter whispers in his ear, "Thank you".

The next of many to step forward from the group of observers is the 5th Hokage, Senju Tsunade. After the first battle against Peterson, the decision was quickly made that Tsunade would be best off not competing in the contest, instead she made room for someone better suited to combat. As well as that, she saved the life of Uzumaki Naruto, she brought him back to full power, perhaps the greatest contribution of anybody.

Tsunade immediately uses her medical ninjutsu to tend to the wounds of Hashirama, to the wounds of her grandfather.

"Tsunade…" he mutters.

"You're wounded, you don't get to argue with your doctor" the 5th Hokage quickly interrupts him.

The recently glum 1st Hokage smiles sincerely, the warmest smile he has smiled in a long time, "Thank you".

Biwako embraces her granddaughter, Mirai. The tight embrace shows no signs of their complex relationship. Biwako had yet to have children in the past and has instead been brought to the future alongside her husband, only to meet her future granddaughter. Despite their similar ages, the embrace is genuine, reflecting their relationship as grandmother and granddaughter.

"Well done" Biwako congratulates her descendent, "I'm really proud of you for what you have done today".

A groan escapes Mirai's lips as she is squashed by Biwako.

"Are you OK" Biwako asks as she looks strangely at her granddaughter out of the corner of her eye.

"Yeah" Mirai nods, "I just hurt my back slightly".

The 3rd Hokage's wife quickly releases her granddaughter and puts her hands down by her side. "Right, sorry, I didn't even think about it". Not knowing how to properly apologise for being inconsiderate momentarily she instead mirrors Tsunade in using medical ninjutsu on her relative. Applying treatment to Mirai's back she smiles, "Let me do this for you, you have done so much for us".

"Thanks" Mirai smiles as she exchanges a 'thumbs up' with her grandfather.

It turned a few heads when Hiruzen decided he would give his spot in this contest to Mirai. Many secretly believed that if he was determined to forfeit his spot then he should instead pass it on to Tsunade who wasn't already listed as competing. However, his decision has paid off, Mirai performed valiantly in the contest. She may not have won her individual match but she came very close and come the final match she more than played her part. As part of the final three, alongside Hashirama and Naruto, she managed to defeat a weakened Colonel Sheer, something that was an essential element of the Hidden Leaf's victory.

Approaching his father, Naruto places a hand on his chest. "Dad…".

Minato looks down at Naruto's hand in awe, it is covered in a pure white energy, an energy that he cannot feel like he can chakra, but knows is there. Naruto condenses that energy onto Minato's chest before pulling his hand away, with it comes a small mauve crystal. This is the poison that has been circulating through his father's body. The poison that Martin has used to cause them so much trouble. The 7th Hokage takes the mauve crystal in hand and crushes it.

"Thank you" Minato smiles to his son.

He would embrace his son but his wife beats him to it. Kushina throws her arms around Naruto and holds him to her. A scene of embrace between mother and son that Naruto has been deprived of since he was a baby. In spite of all their difficulties and tribulations, here they share a moment of mutual love.

"Mom…" Naruto smiles.

"Please don't eve fight like that again" she says weakly, through what sound like the beginnings of tears.

Naruto starts before the smile returns to his face. It is the first time he considered it but there are many times that he nearly lost. Kurama had not been the only one to be worried, he should have been the least worried of anyone, instead it would be his family who were most concerned with him.

Naruto chuckles lightly. "I will do my best, mom".

"Where are Boruto and Sarada?" Hinata asks of her husband from the future. While throughout the battle she has been greatly concerned for his wellbeing, she has been even more worried about Boruto's fate. Boruto is not only weaker than Naruto but his mental state is considerably more fragile at this time, thus it's only natural that his mother would worry about him.

"Boruto was fairly angry that I let Clyde live" Naruto explains, "He ran off, so Sarada chased after him".

"Still, what a drag" Shikamaru moans using words that are familiar but welcome to his friends from the past, "Did you really have to let them live Naruto?"

"Now, now" Kakashi places a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "If he didn't, the other Generals would have found out about Clyde's death and following him here. After that it would only be so long before we run into trouble".

"That may be" Shikamaru accepts this logic, indeed, they have been fighting all this time to earn the General's co-operation in their attempt at survival. Otherwise they would have killed Peterson when Naruto defeated him the first time. "Still, they only needed to send one General in the first place".

"So?" Kakashi shrugs.

"They are expecting an easy victory, they will only wait so long before they come and investigate anyway" Shikamaru declares with a frown on his face, "It may have been just as well to kill them when you had the chance".

Naruto snaps, shaking his head and throwing his hand out to his side. "No way. I don't think they're bad people and if I killed them, wouldn't I become the bad guy".

Naruto's philosophy has changed little over the years. It is based upon the principles of never giving up, of trying to save everyone. His logic has always been that if cannot even save a friend then he could never truly become Hokage. Combining this with the ease with which he befriends people, it makes a difficult set of principles to live by. The principles are difficult but they are fair and just, they are the principles that have inspired a generation, that redefined what it means to be a shinobi.

"Honestly" Shikamaru sighs, "You've always been like that. Well, at least you are still the same Naruto".

Hiruzen smiles as he speaks to the group as a whole. "Come on everyone, let's go back to the villagers".

"Let's go home".

 **A Nearby Forest**

The trees rustle slightly but noticeably, one after another they shake and one or two leaves drop from them. This is because Uzumaki Boruto is jumping between them. Normally he would take great pains not to shake the trees, to be as delicate as he can but that is not necessary here. Even if it were, he wouldn't care, for at this moment he is engulfed by his own emotions.

"Where are you going?" Sarada calls as she chases after Boruto.

The Uzumaki clansmen ignores his Hokage as he continues to jump from branch to branch.

"Boruto stop!" she shouts, finally brining to a halt.

As Boruto comes to a standing position on the ground, Sarada jumps down from a treetop to stand beside him. "What's wrong with you?" she asks emotionally.

His head snaps around. "What's wrong with me" he repeats the question as if it is the most stupid he has ever heard, "I'll tell you what's wrong with me, we're letting them live!".

The shadow Hokage's eyes drill into the ground, clearly, he is furious with this decision. It has been a long hard journey for him to get this far, where so many of his friends have died. Those friends died hating the enemy, wishing for a painful death upon the enemy and when they had finally had a chance to fulfil that wish, they had let it pass.

"They won't hurt us anymore" Sarada explains, doing her best to look into Boruto's intense eyes, "Your dad said that they are good people heart".

"Good people at heart". Boruto gathers the saliva in his mouth and spits it out. He doesn't know whether he should scream or laugh at this statement. After all that has happened. "What a joke, have you had those brilliant eyes of yours shut for the last few years, Lord 9th?".

"Boruto…" she stammers in reply.

"You were there when their mindless warriors overran the village" he shouts as he steps closer to Sarada. "You were there when Konohamaru sensei gave his life to stop them, have you forgotten?".

"No…" she says.

"Have you forgotten the day you ordered me to lead a group of shinobi against them?".

"No…" she says.

"I was the only one who survived that day" Boruto swings his arm around, almost expecting it to fly into the distance yet not caring about it in the least. "I woke up around a collection of corpses, the only survivor".

"Do you know what I saw?" he asks rhetorically, on the verge of tears, "That day I sensed a peculiarity with the Byakugan. Something I didn't see again until we battled against your father".

Sarada starts as she realises what this means. The mindless warriors that they have been fighting against until this point. Dead hidden leaf shinobi were amongst them.

"That's right, they were being transformed into those mindless warriors that they control" Boruto furiously announces, "They were probably the ones who attacked the hidden leaf that day. Have you forgotten…".

"Of course I haven't forgotten!".

Sarada finally explodes with deep emotions of her own. This is the inevitability she knew deep-down when she decided to follow Boruto. The two of them have contrasting experiences, contrasting ideologies and contrasting mentors. There is no way that they wouldn't have some opinions that differ from one another, it is fixed that this extreme scenario would pull these conflicting emotions out of them.

Sarada grabs Boruto's collar as she continues. "Do you know which Hokage oversaw the destruction of the Hidden Leaf, that was me".

"I know that I wasn't there" the 9th regretfully admits, "But don't you dare act like I haven't suffered at the invaders hands".

"Then how can you forgive them so easily!?".

"I haven't forgiven them!".

"Then why… why let them live, you must realise that this isn't the end, that we will be attacked again, if not by them by someone else?".

"Because…" Sarada shouts before calming herself.

She realises in this moment just how aggressive she was just now. She let's go of Boruto's collar and allow some space between the two of them. She lowers her voice as she finishes what she was saying. "That is because if you become defined by killing, then I may lose you".

Boruto gasps as a million images and stories of the past rush into his head at once. Stories that his father told him about his relationship with Sasuke, stories from his master about his regret in betraying the Hidden Leaf Village and lastly, images of his history with Sarada, of all they have been through together.

"These are mistakes that my father made in the past and he was nearly lost to the world" Sarada explains tearfully, "Now you're the only one I have left, I can't afford to lose you too".

Finally, as if all the energy has left her body in a single moment, Sarada slumps to her knees. Her dishevelled appearance reflects the physical and emotional hell she has been through over the last few days, finding out about her father's true fate, about Boruto's priorities and battling against a mighty invasion force.

Boruto takes a deep breath of air and sits down next to Sarada. He wraps a single arm around her shoulder and pulls her towards him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. "I understand now" he says with a forced smile, "I can't promise to put my hatred behind me but I can promise that I will put you first, Sarada".

A long moment of silence persists between the pair.

"Can we stay like this?" Sarada asks.

"Yeah" her shadow Hokage replies, "For as long as you need".

 **The Land of Thunder**

"Sir, are you alright?" Dred asks as he sprints over to the injured Clyde.

Dred has worked hard to bring the captains here as quickly as possible, to reunite with their commanders. It has been an emotional experience for him and the other captains. Never before has Dred seen any of them lose to a local, it is something he never believed he would have to experience. At the beginning the invaders were brimming with confidence yet at the end it was replaced with fear, fear for their superior's lives. No matter how many obstacles were placed in front of Naruto, he had overcome all of them. Despite that, despite everything, they had survived, all of the Colonels and the General have survived.

Clyde gives a nod to Sisto who has been supporting him until this moment. The water user acknowledges the gesture before taking his shoulder's out from under his commander's arm, leaving the General to stand on his own two feet.

Clyde approaches Dred under his own esteem and smiles to him. "I'm doing better, thank you for your concern, Dred".

"Thank god you're alright" Dred sighs as he places his hands on his knees. It is not the physical activity that has forced him into this state of breathlessness, instead it is the genuine concern he feels for a commanding officer who has shown him nothing but love and respect throughout his tenure.

"I don't know if we will be in such good condition when Martin return" Clyde smiles awkwardly as if resigning himself to the fate that is second worst.

"If he brings his sister with him, we're finished" Peterson nods in agreement.

Grace stamps her foot, "Damn, are we really going to die after all this".

"Calm down" Clyde harrumphs at his two youngest Colonels, "Martin won't return for a while yet, if there is one thing I know about that family, it's that they are cowards. He won't return without backup".

Dred chuckles and shakes his head, "That's not very comforting sir".

"You misunderstand". Clyde walks over to Dred and places a hand on his shoulder, "They will want backup on the General level, do you see what I am saying?".

"I see" Sheer is the first of the Colonel's to fathom the thoughts of their leader. The wind-user has always been the most intellectually gifted of the group and when that is combined with her extensive experience, it is only natural she would understand. "She won't be able to come back for several years".

The General nods, "She will have to wait for a General to finish their invasion. Plus, we're not the only ones who dislike her, she will have to wait for a General she is friends with to help her".

"She has powerful friends" Peterson notes, "Even if we all work together we wouldn't be able to beat two General's".

"Perhaps not" Clyde admits with a shrug of his shoulders, "But Uzumaki Naruto can".

A wave of disbelief floods over the invading forces. After all the dispute between the two groups, it seems that Clyde is going to depend on Uzumaki Naruto to get them out of this tough situation. This is unthinkable when one considers how much pain and suffering the shinobi have had to endure at the hands of the invaders. Furthermore, to them, it is a strategy that makes very little sense.

"Sir" Grace groans, "He can barely beat you".

"Grace, how old are you?" Clyde asks in reply.

"About 800".

"Indeed, Peterson, you are the youngest amongst us, how old are you?".

"Just under 500 years old sir".

"Naruto was able to defeat me and do you know how old he is" Clyde asks rhetorically but with a grin on his face.

"He is not yet 20 years old" he declares, answering his own question, "In the time it will likely take for Martin to return, he can win".

"Why" Dred asks, his expression a demonstration of his awe, "Why is he able to train so fast. I've trained for 1000 years and I'm only just about to breakthrough to the Colonel level".

"I don't know" Clyde answers honestly, "But I intend to find out".


	61. Questioning Past Choices

**Author Note:**

Hi All.

It seems I have managed to get a chapter out today but as mentioned previously, I can make no guarantees of having the chance each day.

It is because of my potentially sporadic schedule over the upcoming few weeks that I have uploaded this on the weekend rather than on a weekday like usual.

Anyway, no promises but I will continue to do my best to update each day.

Thanks for reading,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – QUESTIONING PAST CHOICES**

 **Later That Night, The Hidden Leaf Camp, Naruto's Hut**

Hinata approaches the outside of the wooden shack nervously. These temporary accommodations were created by Senju Hashirama to house the villagers while the anticipated Captained Six challenge approached. That seems like so long ago to Hinata now as she looks over the fine wood. It seems to have aged very little and it has endured incredibly well, yet despite that, it feels old.

The shack that she approaches is the hut that has been assigned to Naruto, her lifelong friend and the man who was destined to become her husband in the future. Whether their journey to the future has changed this destiny, neither one knows, that is the source of Hinata's concerns. Coming to the future may have changed this fate that she had dreamed of for many years.

Swallowing her nerves, she knocks on the door and enters. "Naruto" she calls to her children's father as she walks towards him, "Aren't you coming to the party".

The party in question is the party to celebrate the village's survival, the survival of the people the invaders refer to as 'locals'. This celebration is only possible because of the hard work and strength of the seven people who fought in the Captained Six contest. More so than anyone, Naruto was instrumental in winning that contest. Many people pointed this out to Hinata, prompting her to visit Naruto and enquire about his absence.

"That, I have something more important to be doing, don't you remember". The grinning shinobi points to a guest visiting his hut.

Hinata is quick to recognise the guest despite the age difference since the last time they saw one another, this is Teuchi's daughter, Ayame. Upon recognising the guest, the next thing the Hyuuga clanswomen recognises is the smell. A familiar smell that she has not experienced since coming to the future, it's the smell of Naruto's favourite ramen.

Finally, Hinata remembers why she is here, what Naruto's important arrangement is. They had agreed to eat ramen together.

Ayame raises two bowls of ramen into the air as if to confirm this interpretation, bringing a smile to the face of Hinata. To her it is touching that Naruto remembered this arrangement. The 7th Hokage has had many issues to consider, his son's contrasting philosophical opinions, his disciple's near death during the contest, winning the contest against a General, even Himawari's Birthday should be higher up Naruto's concerns list than this dinner. Despite that, he has remembered it.

Ayame places the two bowls on the table. The chef offers her cheerful wishes before departing, "Enjoy your first date".

"Thanks" Naruto waves to his friend as she leaves.

His gave hovers on Hinata for a moment before he stands up and walks around to the other side of his small table. It is not an impressive peace of furniture, designed for functionality and nothing else but it is all that is required for this occasion. He pulls Hinata's chair back to offer her the seat.

"Thank you" Hinata mouths as she sits down in front of her bowl.

Naruto returns to his own seat before excitedly raising his chopsticks into the air. "Thanks for the head" he cheers as he digs into his favourite dish.

Hinata smiles to herself as she watches Naruto's enthusiastic mannerisms manifest themselves. It has been too long since he could freely act without thinking. Ever since arriving in the future, each of his actions have required careful consideration, each of his decisions have had the weight of thousands of lives behind them. This pressure is more than a 17-year-old should have to experience but he has thrown himself into it anyway. To Hinata, this smile, this behaviour is incredibly precious, especially after everything they have been through.

As the conversation between the couple comes to a halt, they notice the loud music that has become a backdrop to their meal. The villagers are singing songs loudly and joyfully, praising their shinobi and lady luck for saving them from a terrible ending to their life. The music has no rhyme or rhythm to it, instead it is merely the delirious chants of a village intoxicated by the miracle of their own survival.

"Sorry about the choice of music" Naruto sweatdrops as he looks towards the door.

"I really like it".

This isn't a lie. The situation has changed the meaning of the music, it is no longer about the rhythm or the melody, instead it is about the emotion behind it. The emotion is, in this moment, at an all-time high for the villagers of the Hidden Leaf.

Naruto flashes a smile, understanding and sharing the sentiment, "I see, I'm really glad".

The villagers stop singing, as if to ruin the moment but then another voice raises above the crowd. The voice announces that a special guest will be singing for them today, giving them, a wonderful performance inspired by a professional musician. That is promising, up until the genre is announced. The special guest is going to rap for the villagers.

" _Don't tell me it's…"._ Naruto begins shouting to Kurama.

" _There is only one person it could be"_ the nine-tails replies with an amused look on his face.

The song finally begins and as both Naruto and Kurama had expected, the lyrics were truly dreadful and uninspired. The situation is comparable to a fan kicking a professional from the stage and performing her music really poorly. This tells Naruto all he needs to confirm his suspicions, Boruto is singing.

Upon the start of the song, Hinata turns around on her chair, looking towards the wall between herself and the performer. She clearly recognises the voice and upon identifying it looks to her Hokage with a questioning look.

"Apparently Old Man Bee taught him how to rap" Naruto says as he points in Boruto's direction.

The Hyuuga clanswomen begins to laugh hysterically. As if she didn't know, there is nobody other than Killer Bee who could inspire rap this poor.

"You wouldn't believe it but Himawari actually likes this music". Her father shows little sympathy with her tastes as he rants about the change in culture the future has experienced, "It looks like it actually caught on".

The mother of the family takes a moment to reflect on the accomplishments of her children. "They are incredible, aren't they?".

"Himawari looks just like you and I've started to see a lot of your habits in Boruto as time has gone on".

"I've noticed the same thing. They share your drive Naruto, your desire to succeed, no matter what their platform".

A smile adorns the face of the blonde shinobi, "I guess they are our children after all".

"Yeah…". The pause in Hinata's speech drags on as her smile turns into a frown. She looks Naruto dead in the eyes and asks him a question. "Will he be OK?".

Naruto starts at the change of tone.

"Boruto, earlier he seemed really angry at you" Hinata explains as she fidgets with her fingers, "The way he was, it reminded me… well, it reminded me of Sasuke at the end of the war".

Naruto smiles as he comes to a quick answer. "He will be OK".

"How can you be so sure?".

A quick scratch of his chin helps the 7th Hokage to explain himself, to formulate a reply that will convey everything Hinata needs to know.

"Because I'm his father".

For the first time since raising the subject, Hinata's mood improves, her lips curl slightly as she considers Naruto's point. He is right. If Naruto refused to let Sasuke lose himself for so many years because they were friends, then there is no way he would allow Boruto, his own son, to lose himself either.

"Naruto" she whispers.

"Yeah?".

"Ramen tastes much better with you".

"I feel exactly the same way, Hinata".

 **A Forest Clearing**

The calls of birds and insects fill the air and the surroundings are lit by the full moon hovering in the middle of the sky. The second sun is the perfect medium to illuminate a meeting of shinobi. A crisis meeting in a time of peace.

Tsunade looks to her left, her eyes resting on the son of her teammate, on Orochimaru's son, on Mitsuki. Behind the scenes, Mitsuki has played a vital role in the Captained Six challenge. It is Mitsuki's hard work that facilitated the transfusion of power from Obito to Kakashi, a power that would prove vital in the final match.

Then she looks to her right with irritation. "I told you, you don't need to come with me, Dan".

Dan shakes his head with a smile on his face, dismissing this ridiculous suggestion even quicker than Tsunade has attempted to dismiss him. "And I told you that I'm with you all the way. No matter what, I'll stand by you, Tsunade".

The 5th Hokage comes to realise that there is nothing she could say to dissuade her partner, such is his determination to support her through this difficult time. "Thank you" she sighs.

"So" Mitsuki asks with an intrigued, wide-eyed smile, "What did you want to see me about?".

"Mitsuki, was I really the Hokage?".

Dan knows this is an issue that Tsunade has been struggling with, due to her lack of participation in the contest. All the other Hokage had been involved with fighting at one point or another. The 1st and 2nd competed, it was agreed that the 3rd would fight only for him to pass the duty on to his granddaughter who he trained. The 4th would have fought if not for his poisonous injuries, he too passed the duty on to a grandchild. The 6th had competed and been vital in the contest. The 7th had been the most instrumental of all, the man who made the breakthrough thought to be impossible. Lastly, the 9th, she had fought and won.

All the Hokage had been directly involved, but her.

"You were the 5th Hokage" Mitsuki confirms.

"I did nothing" Tsunade notes as she screws her fist into a tight ball, "While the other Hokage were fighting or training, I did nothing".

"You know that's not true" Dan snaps as he walks up to Tsunade, coming eye-to-eye with her he places his hands on her shoulders, "You were the one who brought Naruto back to full strength, you played a vital role in our survival".

"But it wasn't enough was it" Tsunade shouts as she pushes Dan back from her, "Even with my help it wasn't enough, he had to understand the enemy's power before he was able to win".

She collects herself, cooling her rage for a moment before looking to Mitsuki, "I want to fight".

"And you want my help" Mitsuki seeks to confirm.

"Mitsuki, you were the one who helped Kakashi with his training". The 5th Hokage reaffirms Mitsuki's role as a trainer, the transformation he created in Kakashi's capabilities was arguably the most dramatic of the entire contest, "Please, help me to be strong too".

"Tsunade, it's over" Dan smiles as he places a hand back on Tsunade's shoulder, praying that this time she won't push him away. "The invasion is over".

"And what if they change their mind" she swings her arm out to the side, knocking her partner's hand from her shoulder once again, "Or what if their deception doesn't work. Surely, even if nothing comes of it, they still pose a threat to us".

"Quite right" a masculine voice comes from over her shoulder. She turns around to see the source of this voice, a man who is very familiar to her, who has shared these thoughts she is having many times.

It's Hashirama.

"Grandfather…".

"You feel it don't you, Naruto made the wrong choice" Hashirama declares as he joins the group, increasing their numbers from a trio to a quartet, "We should have killed Clyde and his men".

Tsunade cradles her head in her hand, she had not wanted a philosophical debate when she had come here, she only wants to help, to fight, not to talk. "I don't know what to think" she admits, "But I want to be able to fight back should the worst happen".

"Don't you believe that Clyde and his men are honourable" Dan asks as he holds his arms out to his sides.

Kato Dan shares similar feelings to Naruto on many and most subjects. Each of the carries on the will of fire that Hashirama first instilled in the Hidden Leaf Village, each of them does not believe in killing where it is not necessary and neither of them believes in giving up. In his mind, it is important to remember that Clyde asked Naruto not to spare himself, but to spare his men before quitting. These are not the actions of a villainous man, these are the actions of someone who walks the path of righteousness.

"Then let me ask you a question" Hashirama turns his shoulders to face Dan, "If they are able to deceive the other generals to protect us, if they are truly honourable, why didn't they do that in the first place?".

Dan closes his eyes and lowers his head, after three seconds he gives his reluctant reply. "I cannot answer that".

"What about you Mitsuki, do you trust the invaders" Hashirama questions, "Do you trust the general and his men?".

"No" Mitsuki smiles, "I trust Sarada".

Everyone has said their piece, everyone has made their opinion known and there is nothing left to discuss among them. Mitsuki quickly agrees to help Tsunade with her training, so that she can be ready if any other trouble arises. Each of the foursome head their separate ways, each with a new understanding of the opinions of their counterparts, each of them with a newfound respect for the viewpoint that differs from their own.

 **The Same Place, Later that Night**

Hashirama chooses the same place to meet his pupil. Amongst the trees swaying in the wind he reunites with Uzumaki Boruto, alone together for the first time since Naruto made the decision to let Clyde and his men live. Since Hashirama gave advice to Boruto on how to overcome his obstacles, Boruto has reached a new level of power. By following the 1st Hokage's advice, by giving into his rage, he unlocked the Tenseigan and won his match in the contest. Following Boruto's increase in power, he requested Hashirama take him on as a pupil, they were united by their common ideology that they should carry out the wishes of the dead, that they should exterminate the invaders.

"You still doubt my father's decision?" Boruto questions his master with a raised eyebrow. It's not that he doesn't agree, it is simply that any agreement reached on this subject would be of little use to them at this moment.

"Of course" Hashirama replies without even looking at Boruto, "They could still change their mind and decide to kill us. Naruto is just like me, he will drop his guard around someone he considers a good person and then the leaf would die".

"I suppose so" the shadow Hokage admits.

The wood-release user turns to face Boruto and raises a clenched fist in front of his face, waving it once before dropping it to his side, "We need to prepare Boruto, we need to be ready for their next attack".

Boruto simply nods. Preparing for another attack is absolutely the most sensible thing to do, not even Naruto and Sarada would argue with that.

A shake comes from the nearby bushes.

A surprise arrival emerges to the shock of both Boruto and Hashirama.

It is a captain!

The captain has a crazed look in his eye as he leaps towards Boruto, his hands both stretched out in front of him as he thirsts for the blood of the man who just yesterday was a sworn enemy. Again and again he calls his enemies name, "Uzumaki Boruto! Uzumaki Boruto! Uzumaki Boruto!".

For whatever reason this captain is attacking him, Boruto isn't going to stand still while he is attacked. With a thought, his eyes flicker, switching from their normal shade of blue to a pattern of blue and white. His Tenseigan activated, Naruto's son raises his hand until it is parallel with the enemy, he prepares to use the Tenseigan's power of repulsion to throw his enemy away.

Before Boruto can activate his powers, a familiar looking captain leaps from another bush and tackles his crazed counterpart to the ground. "Are you insane!" the newly arriving captain shouts. The voice and face come together and Hashirama finally realises who this man is. It is the man who accompanied the shinobi to their hill, it is Captain Dred.

"Let go of me!" the crazed captain screams as he claws towards Boruto, "Let go of me, Dred!". No matter how much he stretches and claws, it is hopeless, Dred is the captain closest to reaching the Colonel level, there is no way he would be overcome by a fellow captain.

"Sorry, this attack hasn't been approved by our superiors" Dred shouts as he drags the crazed captain away from Boruto and Hashirama, two people who firmly believe he should die, "This guy is acting by himself, he's acting against our orders".

"It's because of him" the captain yells hysterically as he points at Boruto, "It's because of that guy".

"Why" Boruto asks curiously, not knowing any reason this captain should have a personal grudge against him, "What have I personally done to you?".

"I've met you before, Uzumaki Boruto. I've killed you before, Uzumaki Boruto" the captain once more tries to break free of Dred's grip and lunge towards Boruto but he is unable to, no matter what he tries, he cannot attack. "You're a damn ghost, you should be dead, you should die!".

A series of images from Boruto's past come flooding back to him, to one of the most emotional moments of his life, the moment when he woke up surrounded by a collection of his allies corpses. That day he had lead them into battle against a group of captains and only he had survived.

"I remember you" Boruto gulps as he runs his Tenseigan's gaze over the captain's face, "It was that day, you were the one who killed all of my subordinates".

Hysterical laughter, as if he doesn't value his own life, the crazed captain laughs in Boruto's face about the deaths of his subordinates. "That's fight, you lead the fight for the locals, and I lead the fight against you".

"But you died" the captain laughs to himself, "You died, you all died, I killed you myself. You're a ghost!".

"I never died" Boruto explains, "I was the sole survivor".

Dred finally manages to start dragging his comraded away, but that doesn't stop him from kicking and screaming. "No, you were dead, dead. You definitely died, Uzumaki Boruto!".

"You are a ghost, Uzumaki Boruto!".

As the sound of voices finally leaves Boruto's ear, a hand claps him on the shoulder, turning around he sees the calming expression of his master. "Are you OK?" Hashirama asks genuinely, "That guy did kill your friends after all".

Boruto cradles his forehead with his hand. "Yeah".

' _Still, it makes no sense'_.

' _It never made sense that I survived that day, there is no way the enemy would let me live'_.

' _He must have been right, he must have checked. That day, I must have died'_.

' _But if that's the case… how am I here now?'_.


	62. Return to the Village

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – RETURN TO THE VILLAGE**

 **The Hidden Leaf Village**

To the left is rubble. To the right is debris. This place has become unrecognisable to its once inhabitants.

The majority of villagers partied and celebrated into the early hours of the morning. That didn't hold back their excitement about returning home, they were woken early in the morning by the excited cries of the children who have been waiting far too long to return home. After that, they had little intention to wait around, lead by the 9th Hokage they started to walk South towards their home.

Sarada has eyes that grant her outstanding visual prowess, the ability to read things that nobody else can, the capability to see something very small from miles away. Such wonderful eyesight is not required to take in the sight before her and the other villagers. Their village is a shell of its former self, it has been razed to the ground by a single explosion. Not a single building is left standing, not a single facility that can be used, not a single house that is liveable.

Despite these conditions, the villagers smile widely.

This is home.

"I hadn't returned since that day" Sarada sighs, taking in the sight of the village she swore to protect. The structures may have been destroyed but structures do not make a village. The landscape may have been dashed, but scenery does not make a village. Sarada has done what she swore to do, she protected the village because the villagers are still here.

"That bomb really made a mess" she notes as her thoughts drift to the men who sacrificed themselves for this.

Sarutobi Konohamaru, her sensei and her predecessor, the 8th Hokage. From the time he was a child, he had dreamed of becoming Hokage, of escaping his identity as the 3rd's grandson. His dream has come true, for now he is not known as the grandson of Sarutobi Hiruzen. Instead, Hiruzen is known as the grandfather of Sarutobi Konohamaru.

The other, Yamanaka Sai, a family friend of hers. The man who joined team 7, who protected the village throughout his entire life, first as part of Root and then as a shinobi who fought in the war.

"Rubble can be cleared, houses can be rebuilt". The 3rd Hokage recites information that is known very well be all Hokage but is always worth being reminded of. "But the village has survived, because you're all still here".

A nod in response, from the 9th to the 3rd. Two words of appreciation are passed, "Thank you" Sarada sincerely offers as she looks around at all the surviving villagers.

"Well then" Boruto steps forward to the front of the group, "I guess we had better start clearing all of the rubble away". With a smile on his face the shadow Hokage crosses his fingers, an action succeeded by the sound of twenty small explosions, succeeded by the sight of twenty poofs of smoke. Twenty clones are formed, clearly clearing the village will be quicker if the shinobi are to use clones to help.

Himawari approves of the action, a small smile coming to her face as she knows where this is all going. Crossing her own fingers, she emulates her brother's intention by creating a total of four shadow clones. "I still can't make as many as you, brother". Of course, Boruto's younger sister is at a disadvantage, she has not accomplished what Boruto has accomplished, she has not awoken the Tenseigan.

"Do you know what would be really helpful" Boruto asks rhetorically.

His younger sister smiles, "Someone who could create a lot more clones than the two of us, they could clear the village really quickly couldn't they".

While it is clear this sideways remark is not aimed at him, Minato decides to add his contribution of clones. Crossing his fingers, he strains himself to his utmost, drawing on the abundance of chakra that has been stored within him. More smoke results than for anyone else before him, he manages to create a whole fifty clones. "Even with the nine… even with Kurama's help, I can only create fifty clones".

Currently there are three full copies of the nine-tails in this world, all three summoned from the past. All three of these Kurama's came here being hosted by an Uzumaki. The first, hosted by Kushina, was passed from her to Minato in order to save his life. The second, hosted by Mito, was passed from her to her brother in law, Senju Tobirama when she died. He is able to create the same number of clones using Kurama's chakra. "Yeah, me too".

Naruto understands what they are waiting for, he wields a smile and gently shakes his head from side-to-side, their smiles are all of anticipation, waiting for him to act. He is about to speak when he feels a gentle push in his back. He stumbles two steps forward before looking over his shoulder with wide eyes towards the one who pushed him. "Hinata…".

"Go on" Hinata cheerfully urges him, "It's your job, Lord 7th".

Lord 7th. This is the first time since arriving in the future that he has truly been able to relax when he has been referred to by this title. Although rebuilding the village will require work, the stress, the strain, they are nothing compared to before. It is his dream come true, he has worked for this title, he has fought for this title, against Sasuke, Madara, Kaguya and Clyde. It seems now he has truly earnt it and to fulfil the obligations that come with this title, for him that is a pleasure.

Naruto steps forward and nods before crossing his fingers.

Clones. Many clones. Tens become hundreds. Hundreds become thousands.

Two thousand!

Naruto is able to create two thousand clones.

Naruto looks towards his two children with a grin on his face. "You guys better not use this as an excuse to sit back watch me do all of the work".

Regardless of how hard Boruto and Himawari are to work, the results will surely be insignificant to what Naruto achieves under these conditions. Still, Boruto is the shadow Hokage, someone with a position of responsibility himself, "Of course I won't, Himawari's birthday party is tonight, it would be nice if we had somewhere to sleep by then".

Hinata joins her fellow shinobi in creating clones. Though she is only able to create two.

"Mom?" Himawari turns in surprise.

"We haven't been able to get you anything for your birthday" Hinata points out with a hint of regret, despite the extraordinary circumstances surrounding her daughter's birthday. "So, we'll make you a new home, as a gift to you".

Himawari had never expected anything at all as a gift for her birthday. She knew going into the contest against the invaders that it would be a miracle if the shinobi were to survive the encounter, but they did. To have her family celebrate her birthday with her is already more than she could have hoped for. A new home as well, is a dream come true. "That's the greatest gift I could ever receive" she gratefully declares as she looks towards her three closest relatives.

"OK then" Naruto shouts as he punches his right fist into his left palm. He yells to his own clones. "I don't want to see a single one of you slacking off".

"Right" the clones all shout in reply.

With that the many clones begin the arduous undertaking before them. They begin to clear the debris. They take the first step towards creating a new home.

 **A Few Hours Later**

Hashirama has been contemplating the ongoing process of rebuilding the village. During his contemplations, he came to a realisation about the progress that must be made, how the reconstruction must go ahead. To that end he summoned the most prominent shinobi of the current era, the golden shinobi so to speak. Amongst this group are the individuals who have been the most influential in recent history.

Naturally, the single two most influential shinobi of this era are Boruto and Sarada. The Hokage and her shadow Hokage, the duo who have made the most decisions regarding the village over the last few years. Sarada has remained in this village, providing people with food and water, comfort and protection. Boruto has followed the example of his first master, Sasuke, he has toured the world, seeking out threats and injustices, crushing them before they can affect the leaf or any of its allies.

He also pulls aside Mitsuki and Mirai. These two have also been greatly influential in determining the destiny of the village. Mitsuki is a talented shinobi, the son of Orochimaru, as the teammate of the Hokage and shadow Hokage, as well as the student of the previous Hokage, he has been a key advisor in many of their decisions. Mirai has been one of the key leaders for the military, often leading attacks, she has had significant input on the training regimes and missions the leaf's shinobi have been on. As well as this, Sarada assigned her to be Boruto's partner on his last mission before the Hokage of the past arrived.

Additionally, the three members of the latest Ino-Shika-Cho formation have been summoned. A trio of shinobi who the village relies on for their most difficult of missions. Along with them is Metal, the leaf's leading taijutsu expert. Several times when the shinobi of the village had been in mortal danger, they had only been saved at the last minute by Metal's incredible powers.

There is one last person amongst this group. The birthday girl. It's Uzumaki Himawari. Many would mistakenly think that Himawari's influence is sourced from being the 7th Hokage's daughter. Himawari is actually a genius in her own right. Having awoken the Byakugan at a young age, she went on to complete many successful missions each of vital importance.

"You wanted to speak to us, Lord 1st" Mirai asks, opening the discussion.

"Yeah" he replies with a smile on his face, "You guys are going to be responsible for building the new hidden leaf village".

"Aren't we all responsible for that?" Sarada questions. For a moment, she is unsure what Hashirama means. Surely Naruto isn't going to stand aside and let them do it all, that would be a terrible waste of his ability to create shadow clones, a jutsu he is far more proficient at than any of those who have gathered.

Hashirama concedes that he misspoke. "Perhaps, it would be better to say that you guys will design it".

"Design it" Himawari asks.

"We are all relics from the past, summoned to the future" Hashirama looks at the nearby clones of the various summoned Hokage and their spouses. Tobirama, Hiruzen, Biwako, Minato, Kushina, Tsunade, Dan, Kakashi, even Naruto and Hinata, all of them are indeed from another age. An age without the technology and architecture enjoyed by the youths of today, even if Kakashi was the one to usher it in. "We are here to protect your world, not to advance it, how we move forward should be up to you, not up to us".

"So, you want us to start designing a new village". Boruto is surprised by this development, he attempts to confirm Hashirama's sudden intention. "Just like that?".

"Just like that" his master nods, "I know you may not have much to work with but let me provide you with what I can".

Suddenly, his hands take off. He weaves signs in quick succession, with the present group thinking just one thing. _'Fast'_. Even for the likes of Boruto and Sarada who were thought to be close to Hashirama in power, this is surprising. This sort of incredible prowess is why Hashirama's name has been passed down through generations, this prowess is why he was able to defeat Uchiha Madara and why he, other than Naruto and Clyde, was the strongest to compete in the contest.

Behind him, piles of wooden planks appear, enormous piles the height of an average house. After the invasion of Pain, Yamato did something similar, to provide the villagers with building materials. The scale then and now is different though, Yamato only had power over the wood release because of having Hashirama's cells. The 1st Hokage, is the origin of those cells, this is reflected in the extent of their power, the volume of materials they produce.

Out of the entire group, most look on in awe, however, there is one person who looks on in bitterness. That person is Shikadai. _'This is the sort of power you need to fight against the enemies. When… when will any of us wield that sort of power?'_. This is the curse of intelligence, of wisdom, you question things so deeply, that sometimes you are forced to realise your own uselessness.

Hashirama places his hands in his pockets. "Looking around, it seems you created buildings out of metal in the future. I'm sorry, but I cannot provide you with metal, for now this is all I can do, I'll leave the rest to you".

Having given this enormous responsibility to the shinobi of today, he leaves.

Being the Hokage, Sarada takes the initiative. She starts to organise the group. "Well, it's in our hands now, what do you want to do?" she asks with a smile.

Shikadai makes a swift decision to stop dragging everyone else down. He is the first to offer his unique services, "I know about the villager's practical needs from my time as the Hokage's assistant, I can help with planning the village in that sense". His time in his job qualifies him for this even more than Sarada. While Sarada must weigh up various bits of information to come to a decision, it is different for Shikadai, he must remember all this information, he has to play devil's advocate to every one of Sarada's thoughts, to guide her to the optimum solution.

"OK" Sarada nods gratefully, understanding Shikadai's qualifications better than anyone, "Anybody else have anything to offer?".

"I can help aesthetically, if that is required" Inojin offers. His artistic capabilities are well recognised and are the basis for many of his jutsu.

"It would be just as well to make the village nice looking" Boruto nods approvingly before he gives his sister a gentle push in the back. As Himawari stumbles forward he speaks for her, "Himawari can help with that".

"Brother…".

"You're an artist" he smiles to her, recalling the conversation they shared with their father. He also recalls that annoying picture of him that she drew, despite that, he will always give his best to help her pursue her artistic dreams. "Have confidence in yourself".

"I can help with constructing defences, I think with Clyde and his men here, defences are more important than ever". This offer comes from the chakra anomaly amongst them, the military expert Mirai. One of the strongest amongst them, to have her work on something so important will be of great comfort, not just to them, but to every resident of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Metal works something out and exclaims, drawing everyone's attention. "I know about training facilities, I've spent so much time in them after all. I can help create training areas for all sorts of shinobi". Most of them nod at this suggestion. With the risk of another attack ever present, developing and training shinobi is more important than it has ever been before.

"I know about important food sources and outlets" ChouChou shouts with her hands on her hip.

A bead of sweat trickles down the head of all the others in the group. _'Don't you just'_.

Mitsuki is the next to think of how not only he, but he and Boruto can be useful. "Boruto and I got in trouble once and had to help the waterworks, we can obtain a suitable water source for the village".

"Oh, that time" Boruto frowns as he thinks back to it. He had been trying his best to help, to fix as may problems as possible. All of his ideas were stupid, but Mitsuki just grinned and went along with them. "I don't remember us being very good at it though" he admits. He doesn't argue though, realising that despite that, he and Mitsuki are still probably the most suited to this job amongst those gathered.

"You guys got me in trouble too" Sarada says waving her fist at her teammates. "Unlike you two, I went to an ironworks. I guess I'll put my experience to use too. I'll melt down all the scrap metal from the debris, I'll get you guys some materials to work with".

"Shikadai" she continues, "Can you oversee the process, make sure everyone's plans fit together".

"I'll do my best, Lord 9th".

"OK. Thank you. We all know our jobs" Sarada calls out to the group, who have now all offered their services to designing vital sections of the village. "Shikadai, the villagers and the other shinobi will probably want to help too, send them our way when you can".

"Roger".

"Everyone" she smiles, "Let's rebuild our village".

 **A Few Hours Later**

Himawari and Inojin are gathered around a makeshift desk, one of the tables Hashirama constructed using his jutsu previously. Of course, what the 1st Hokage creates using his ninjutsu could never compare to what they would produce using sophisticated techniques and delicate craftsmanship, otherwise he could create a new village entirely off his own back. Everyone is determined not to live in huts anymore, new houses will be constructed, proper houses, houses in which they will start their new lives.

Inojin takes a deep breath and wipes the sweat off his brow. "OK, so we are going with this design?".

Himawari nods. "I think it meets the practical and aesthetic requirements that we have agreed upon".

"Yeah, I agree". Inojin turns his head to the sky. It is burning orange, burning like the fires he used enjoy as a child. Often, he would sit by around a fire with his mother and father, listening to their stories of the past. Some exciting stories, some educational stories, some frightening stories but one thing was common to all of them, they created memories for Inojin. His father may have died detonating a bomb, his mother may do in the future as well, but his memories of them will live on with him, forever.

"The sun is already setting" he says with a nostalgic smile, "I'm going to retire for tonight". He departs, heading for one of the many temporary residences that Shikadai arranged for the construction of on the first night. They are not the most luxurious of houses, but they are a step-up on the huts they have been living in as of late.

"Thank you for your hard work" Himawari calls to him as he leaves.

She tidies up a few of the most important documents before leaving herself. It only takes a few steps before a trio step into her path. The most familiar trio in the world. Her father, her mother and her brother.

"Hey sis" Boruto raises a hand to acknowledge her presence.

"Mom, dad, bro, what are you doing here?".

"Hey" Naruto calls to his daughter, "Don't tell me you have forgotten already".

"It's your birthday party tonight" Hinata smiles.

"Of course, of course it is" Himawari smiles, having almost forgotten that today is her birthday. It's been a busy day, a hard day, a day where she has had to work had. Still, given what the previous few months have been like, it's been the most enjoyable day she has experienced in what feels like forever.

Naruto pushes Hinata towards Himawari, the mother approaching her daughter with both hands behind her back. It is clear she is hiding something. "I know it's not much" Hinata smiles awkwardly. She brings a small wrapped gift from behind her back, it's wrapped in some old dirty newspaper tied with a few pieces of frayed string.

"Happy Birthday, Himawari".

Himawari unwraps the gift with a smile on her face but is shocked by what she finds. A photograph frame.

"One of dad's clones managed to find it amongst the rubble" Boruto explains with his own smile, the photo is just as important to him as it is his sister, "We hope you like it".

A tear drops from the corner of Himawari's eye as she looks at it.

It's a photo of the four of them together, a photo from when Himawari was only ten years old.

She opens her arms and embraces her three closest family members. "I love you guys" she declares, "I love all of you".

"We love you too, Himawari" Boruto smiles as he hugs his sister. "Now, come on, the others are waiting, let's celebrate your birthday".

The four of them leave, heading to a temporary residence where the other members of Himawari's family are waiting. In the worst possible circumstances, Himawari finally gets what she had always wanted for her birthday. A celebration with all of her family.

Boruto, Hinata and Naruto. Kushina, Minato and Hanabi. They celebrate with Himawari and talk about old times.

An education for those from the past. A recollection for those from the present. The best birthday ever, for Uzumaki Himawari.


	63. The Hokage's Summit

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – THE HOKAGE'S SUMMIT**

 **The Hidden Leaf Village, One Week Later**

A week has passed since the day the citizens of the hidden leaf returned to the devastated landscape that was once their home. Slowly but surely, the village is being rebuilt in the image of the current generation. With the visual design dictated by Inojin and Himawari, the organisation done by Shikadai and the defences innovated by Mirai. Ironically, the destruction of the village has created an opportunity to improve upon it's former faults. Many decisions were made in the days of the 1st Hokage that would become inconvenient for developing the village in the days of the 3rd Hokage. This is a chance to create a perfect village and everyone is trying to make the most of it.

Quick progress is being made in the rebuild. A task like this is very complex but the villagers are enthusiastic about completing it. The greatest contributing factor towards this speed is the shinobi of the past though. Naruto by himself could create two thousand clones to contribute towards the rebuilding effort. In addition to this, Tobirama and Minato, the other two Jinchuriki, could create fifty clones each. Shinobi have an enormous physical advantage over the other villagers, with so many of them to help, it is no wonder how such great speed is achieved.

In the evening, Naruto walks along the street alongside his elderly friend, Nara Shikamaru. It's a difficult thing for them to get used to, the age gap between them. Despite being born at a similar time one of them is a teenager but one of them is an old man. Still, their friendship persists regardless of their age group. For Shikamaru, most things are still a drag. For Naruto, ramen is still the most delicious food in the world. It's not just the little things though, it's the important things as well, their beliefs, their determination, their loyalties, these things will never change.

Shikamaru had sought out Naruto's real body a few minutes ago, telling him that there is a place he must take him. It was a convenient time for Naruto who was just coming to a halt for the day's work. The elder shinobi began to lead his old friend through the streets, adopting a leisurely pace that he claimed was necessary due to his old age but was just an excuse to enjoy a conversation with a dear friend from the past.

"Ah, this building" Naruto exclaims. Shikamaru had informed him that he had been asked to bring him to a building near the centre of the village but he hadn't been specific about which one. "Man, you should have just told me which building you meant. I helped to build this you know".

"Sorry" Shikamaru offers with a shrug of his shoulders. He knew Naruto would know this building, he just was enjoying a walk. "Anyway, I was just told to bring you here. That's all that is required from me". Having said his piece, Shikamaru turns his back to Naruto and raises his hand in a simple farewell gesture.

"H… hey". Stammering, Naruto turns around and reaches after Shikamaru, "Where are you going?".

The Nara clansmen smirks as he continues to walk away. "You can't expect me to work into the night. I'm an old man. Go get them Lord Hokage". Shikamaru disappears around a nearby corner, a smirk still fixed on his face. He knows that the teenage Naruto he has just left has wanted for all his life to become the Hokage, to finally present him with a challenge relevant to that title is a true pleasure. _'Good luck, Naruto'_.

The 7th Hokage shakes his head. _'Shikamaru is still the same as he always has been'_. His friend had taken the greatest responsibility of anyone when it came to Naruto's training. The strenuous exercise and practise program that Shikamaru put Naruto through facilitated little time to spend together as friends. Now that they have been able to speak in a relaxed environment, the Hokage is truly happy. This situation has turned out better than he could have hoped when he came to the future.

Naruto opens the door to the building and walks inside.

The building was designed for communal purposes. There are three rooms in total, two bathrooms and one very large hall with a tall ceiling. At the centre of the room is a large round table. The circular table has a hollow centre, allowing something to be placed there on the ground.

Shikadai is stood in the centre of that table, surrounded by a table that is bare, with the exception of a few seats and one person. Sarada is sat on one of the many seats.

"Welcome Lord 7th" Shikadai smiles as he welcomes one of the many Hokage alive at present. "Please, have a seat".

Sarada points to a seat that has been previously designated for Naruto. He walks around and looks at the rear of that seat, it has a number on it. The number 7. Naruto contemplates the number for a moment before pulling the chair back from the circular desk and sitting on it. "What am I doing here?" he asks.

"It was Shikadai's idea" Sarada smiles.

"Now that we have several Hokage, the hierarchy in this village isn't so clear" he explains. Currently there are multiple Hokage, from the present and the past. In order, Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen, Minato, Tsunade, Kakashi, Naruto and Sarada. As a matter of fact, every Hokage is alive and well except for the 8th, Sarutobi Konohamaru. "This is an attempt to sort a hierarchy out".

With a flash of gold, Minato arrives next to Naruto as Shikamaru had requested he do not so long ago. "I am here" he declares as he looks between the various occupants of the room.

"Lord 4th, your chair is the one that says four on it". Sarada explains this as she points a finger towards the chair three spaces to the right of Naruto's.

Minato takes a glance at the back of Naruto's chair. It has the number 7 written on it, corresponding to his position as the 7th Hokage. He then looks clockwise to the back of Sarada's chair which is decorated with the number 9 on it. Naturally, this number also corresponds to her position as the 9th Hokage. "I see" Minato smiles as he heads to his position at the table.

The 4th Hokage sits at his chair and looks towards the only non-Hokage in the room, to Shikadai at it's centre. Likely, he is the mastermind behind this room. "This is a decision-making facility, isn't it?".

"That's right. I am here because of my position as Sarada's assistant. I am here to make sure that all eight of you have a fair chance to speak. I am going to direct the conversation between you". Shikadai is the perfect choice for this. While he has not had the decision-making duty of the Hokage, he has been responsible previously for memorising all the facts that must be taken into account when making a decision. A role which requires good organisational skills is ideal for him. "I will remain impartial and organise a fair debate and decision-making process".

"So, with eight Hokage, each decision would have to be approved by at least five of us, assuming we are all present".

"Correct".

"It's a good system" a man compliments Shikadai as he enters. It's the 3rd Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Walking in the door, he judges from the positions of the other Hokage that he should be sat at the chair marked with the number 3, next to Minato.

Soon afterwards, Hashirama, Tobirama, Tsunade and Kakashi all enter before moving to their respective seats.

"Alright everyone" Shikadai calls, ending any conversations between those gathered. "You need to decide how we will move forward from here".

"After all. You are the Hokage".

Naruto raises his hand, interrupting Shikadai just a few seconds after the meeting begins. "Can I ask something?". Despite being revered as the greatest Hokage by many of the villagers alive today, it is important to understand that Naruto is the youngest active Hokage ever. Currently he is just seventeen years old, thus his understanding of etiquette in these situations is limited compared to his counterparts.

"Of course, go ahead Lord 7th".

"There is a vacant chair to my left". He places his hand on it as he looks to the centre of the circle, "Is this in honour of Konohamaru".

An awkward silence descends on the room. Only four of the nine people present ever met Konohamaru. He was a senior shinobi to Shikadai. A talented young shinobi to Kakashi. To Sarada he was a sensei. To Naruto he is a friend that he helped greatly during their youth. Despite so few having met him, the earie silence speaks to the respect that is held for him. Every Hokage understands the determination they have, the will of fire. To sacrifice oneself for the village is the ultimate showing of the will of fire. It is regretful then, that despite fulfilling his role as the Hokage, Konohamaru is the only one who cannot be present.

"I never knew my grandson" Hiruzen breaks the silence, "But from what I have heard of what he did that day, he deserves to be honoured".

"A funeral?" Tsunade asks.

"Konohamaru sensei was never given the proper funeral that he deserves so much" Sarada explains. Konohamaru died shortly before the other Hokage arrived. He had helped her to summon that hope, something from the past. "Sai also deserves a funeral, he also sacrificed himself to detonate the bomb".

Naruto nods.

Minato reflects on their values as the Hokage. "It's important to remember what was sacrificed so that we could make it this far. Konohamaru and Sai gave their lives to protect the village. It is only because of what they did that we made it here, they should be honoured for that".

"In that case, Mito should have a funeral too" Tobirama declares as he turns his head to look at his brother. As he says nothing in reply, the younger Senju brother continues, "She also gave her life so that we could make it this far. Without her, I would have never been able to defeat Peterson".

Shikadai nods. "Lord 1st, as Mito's closest relative, would you like for Mito to have a public funeral?".

"I don't know if Mito would have been proud of what happened after the contest. Personally, I think in her last moments she would have wanted for the invader's threat to disappear forever" Hashirama speculates as he thinks back to the death of his wife, how it had affected him. The longer he considered it the more sense it made, against such an overwhelming, vile threat, there is little chance Mito would be hoping for their survival in her last moments. "But, she gave her life so that we could make it that far, she deserves a public funeral".

"I will arrange for a funeral" Sarada nods, of course, she knows who is responsible for funeral care, unlike the Hokage of the past. "But Lord 7th, there is a misunderstanding here, this chair is not for Konohamaru sensei".

"It's not?".

"No, it's not". Sarada spins the chair around to face her recently adopted master, revealing the number on the back, it is not 8 but instead it is 9. "This chair is the for the 9th".

"What do you mean?" Shikadai asks, he had also believed the chair was for Konohamaru and had not realised until just now the number on the back is 9.

As Shikadai asks this, the door to the building opens and a man steps in from the darkness. A man with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Naruto is stunned by the arrival, "Boruto…".

Boruto bows, "Greetings Lord Hokage". After offering his polite greetings, he rises to his full height once again and approaches the chair next to Sarada. Sitting in it, it quickly becomes clear to the others, the seat has been set aside for the son of Naruto.

"Sarada?" Shikadai raises an eyebrow.

"Boruto is the shadow Hokage, I have no right to ignore his opinion". Sarada asserts this given her past disagreements with Boruto. While she may have disagreed with his opinion on those occasions, she has recently come to understand just how important it is to listen to those who disagree with you. "Thus, if we debate any issues here, he and I will operate as a single voice, the vote of the 9th Hokage will be decided by the joint consensus of Uchiha Sarada and Uzumaki Boruto".

This brings a smile to Naruto's face. In the past Naruto had attained an enormous amount of power. Power that put him higher than almost anyone in the history of the shinobi world. It was also power that put him on a level playing field with Uchiha Sasuke, a man who disagreed with him on a great many subjects. It is only when the two of them put their differences in ideology aside and worked together that they were able to save the world by sealing Kaguya away. For him, it is a wonderful surprise to see his and Sasuke's children doing the same.

"Does anyone object to this" Shikadai asks as he looks around. His concern is that this cuts Sarada's power in half, for if she and Boruto ever disagree on an issue, it would mean that the 9th Hokage's vote would be recorded as an abstention. To get only a single vote between them could cause problems further down the line.

"No" Minato firmly denies having any objections, "The more differing opinions we consider the better off we will be". Having said this, he gives a gentle nod to Boruto and the grandfather, grandson pair share a smile. It is this very thing he said to Boruto after his grandson requested Hashirama stop tending to Minato. It is an opinion that many disagreed with but it was important to consider for the optimal solution to be reached.

"I agree with Lord 4th" Hashirama smiles as he also nods to his student. To have someone who agrees with him fundamentally on a lot of issues is, naturally, in his best interests.

"As do I" Tsunade declares.

After Shikadai checks each person for their opinion, it is unanimous, Boruto should be here, as part of this process. "OK, let's pose the first question for debate then. How does the hidden leaf move forward from here?".

"Don't we just return to being a village?" Minato asks with a smile as he looks between his fellow summit members, "Carry on as if there is nothing wrong?".

Hashirama refutes this, "There is something wrong though, isn't there?".

"Is there?" Tobirama snaps at his brother, "General Clyde promised to deceive his fellow generals, so does it matter?".

Upon this being said, Boruto and Naruto turn to face each other and share a knowing glance. It is when Boruto spoke with Naruto alone that he first told someone else about the existence of a portal, of an even stronger foe on the other side. Currently, the two of them are the only ones who know just how terrifying the threat the face is, that there is someone out there who even Clyde is weaker than.

"What if he lied?" Tsunade asks. Ever since the contest, the 5th Hokage has questioned her lack of contribution to it and whether the correct decision was made in sparing the most dangerous enemy the village has ever faced.

"Fighting against the colonels made me realise that they are people of honour, I don't believe they would lie to us". This is the opinion of Uchiha Sarada. More than anyone else during the contest, Sarada changed the opinion of her rival. She made Sheer's philosophy change. If a task is impossible, don't give up and just do it anyway.

"I know" Tsunade winces, "But what IF they lied?".

This is a manner of thought that Boruto happily entertains. "I think we should go on the assumption that they have lied to us".

Shikadai takes this opportunity to redirect the conversation to the Hokage who currently has the most experience of any of them. "Lord 3rd, would you agree with Boruto on that".

Hiruzen scratches his chin as he thinks over the issue for a few seconds. "The safest choice would be to hope for the best but to assume the worst-case scenario".

Shikadai asks if the other Hokage agree with this, going around each of them in turn. While there are a few words of protest about doubting Clyde or even trusting him at all from Naruto and Hashirama, there is a rough agreement with Lord 3rd's suggestion. They decide to do as he says and hope for the best but expect the worst.

"What does this mean we should do as a village, Lord 6th?".

"If we are assuming that the lied, then another threat will come. They only sent one general this time, presumably next time they will send several, that would be a more terrifying threat even than this one". The masked shinobi has never been one for holding back and his opinion here is a reflection of that. When Shikadai asks the other Hokage, this is also an opinion they generally approve of.

Boruto is not thinking along the same lines as the rest of them though. He remembers his eyes meeting an enemy general, a woman who was speaking down even to Clyde, who's demeanour alone was enough to make Boruto feel like he was suffocating. The threat they have to worry about, in his opinion, isn't multiple generals, instead it is her. After all, Clyde himself said that the darkness element made him stronger than normal generals, yet this woman is stronger than even he is.

"You've seen more of this threat than anyone, how should we deal with it Lord uh…" Shikadai stumbles over what to refer to Boruto as, given that they have been using formal titles up until this point. "Lord Shadow 9th" he says, making a title up on the spot.

Boruto continues to stare into the space in front of him, ignorant of Shikadai's call to him.

Sarada nudges Boruto in the side, "How should we deal with any potential threat from generals?".

"Sorry" Boruto offers as she shakes his head to wake himself up, "I think we should look into how they get their reinforcements, after all, in this world's history, this threat has never appeared to us before".

"I think we all heard them talking at some point in the contest, about their world, about us 'locals'" Hashirama notes before looking at Boruto, "I don't know whether they were being literal or metaphorical but there is a chance they travel between worlds".

"I see" Tobirama nods his approval at this strategy, "If we cut off their reinforcements supply, that would solve all our problem".

Naruto places a hand on the shoulder of his son. "It's OK" he says, "You can tell them".

"Tell us what?" the 1st Hokage looks questioningly towards his pupil.

Boruto sighs. "I never told you about this before, given our situation it would have been wrong to tell you something so terrifying, but I guess I should tell you now, what I saw on the other side". Boruto goes back through his story of how he and Mirai were scouting out the enemy when they came across the portal. About how he distracted Mirai and went through himself. And, about the terrifying attack he saw on the other side.

"So, if we destroy this portal, that would cut off their reinforcements" Tsunade smiles as she punches her open palm. Excitingly for her, this is a chance to eliminate the doubt she feels, a chance to save the hidden leaf, once and for all.

"Potentially". Boruto is cautious about if this is their only reinforcements source, whether it is possible to destroy or whether that would be the end of things.

Minato spots a flaw in this plan. "If we go around looking for it though, wouldn't that appear slightly underhanded to Clyde and his followers?".

"We could claim to be looking for survivors" Kakashi offers.

Shikadai polls the opinions of the Hokage present and this is a popular suggestion. A way to end this conflict that he invaders couldn't possibly debate. If they were to ever find the portal has been destroyed, the worst they could do is attack again, which wouldn't benefit them at all. It is even possible they may not win, Naruto is already stronger than Clyde despite being much younger.

"This may not be the end of it, even if we do destroy the portal".

"We have to keep getting stronger so that we can protect ourselves" Boruto resolves.

"We have to keep getting stronger, until we can kill them".

* * *

 **Author Note:**

I want to address an issue before anyone (quite rightly) complains.

Don't worry, this is **NOT** going to become a political drama. I have watched the phantom menace, it doesn't work. This gathering is only present to justify plot developments in the future. It will appear only a few times in part 4 and will appear very rarely, if at all, in part 5 and beyond.

Thanks for reading,

Cbehrills


	64. A Day of Discovery

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – A DAY OF DISCOVERY**

 **One Week Later, Another Hokage Summit**

The Hokage are all in attendance of the summit once again. These meetings have been taking place daily since the village rebuild began. It is not the long-term intention for every Hokage to attend every day, that is simply a temporary measure during this dark period of the villages history. According to the decisions they have already made at the summit, they are operating on an assumption that an attack is imminent. Once they have a fully prepared village, one that can quickly leap to its own defence in the event of an attack, then, they will have days when not every Hokage will attend.

Today is not such a day. Today all the Hokage there have ever been, except for the deceased Konohamaru, are in attendance. From the position number 1 where Hashirama is positioned they increase in number as you look clockwise. Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen, Minato, Tsunade, Kakashi, Naruto and Boruto and Sarada, with the last two operating as a single individual. Only one of the usual suspects is absent. The middle of the circular table is vacant, the spot where Shikadai usually stands. Shikadai is normally the first to arrive at these summits and is often the last to leave, taking his administrative duties very seriously.

Boruto has noticed a change in Shikadai's attitude ever since his return. Previously, he had always worked hard, despite the lazy impression he gave people who were first meeting him. Lately this has changed, he still gives off that lazy impression but the work ethic behind it has morphed. Previously he always knew when to stop, but ever since their return he seems to have been working harder than ever before. Many dismissed it as giving into the demands of the situation, but Boruto, one of Shikadai's closest friends, can't help but worry that something more is going on.

The door opens and a man with black hair enters. A member of the Nara clan enters. It is not Shikadai though, instead it is his father, Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru" Naruto mutters the name questioningly. As a shinobi, Shikamaru has naturally been active in the rebuilding of the village and in its defence, however, his duties have been minimal compared to Shikadai's. Shikamaru is old now, especially compared to when Naruto knew him, he has already given most of his life to the village and has had little expected of him in the crisis that ensued after his son took his job.

"Hi" Shikamaru says waving to the previous Hokage. He is one of the few people to have met each Hokage before they were summoned to the future, having met the 1st and 2nd previously during the 4th great shinobi war and living a portion of his life in the reign of each other. "I'm going to be hosting your meeting today". He walks to the centre of the table as if nothing is unusual.

Kakashi looks to his side, only to see his pupil looking at him with an inquisitive look. "It's Shikadai's turn to search for the portal" he explains.

Ever since Boruto decided to inform the Hokage summit of his discovery shinobi have taken turns looking for the portal which the invaders are using to arrive in this world. The search has been slow and methodical, with groups of familiar shinobi searching different areas each day. As Kakashi explained, today is Shikadai's turn to search for the portal.

"I've taken over his duties while he's gone" Shikamaru shrugs his shoulders as he holds up the large wad of paper left to him by his son. As a former Hokage's assistant, he is familiar with having large volumes of paper to sort through but this is far more than he is used to. Shikadai's method of working is excessive even compared to his. "The village construction is nearly done, so things aren't that bad now".

"We're sorry to trouble you" Sarada offers politely. While Sarada tries her best to be polite to everyone, she is especially so to Shikamaru. The Nara clansmen was the Hokage's assistant throughout her youth and through much of her adulthood, she is used to conversing with him about a great range of subjects, including missions and village security.

"It's fine" Shikamaru waves his hand dismissively.

Minato leans forward clasping his hands together. "So, what's on the agenda for today".

Shikamaru holds the paper up before him, slightly closer to his face than is natural, something Minato assumes to be necessitated by his deteriorating sight in his old age. "A reminder" the black-haired shinobi reads aloud, "Next week we will be accepting debate topics from the villagers at these meetings".

This is something essential for all forms of government. To debate the topics of interest to their citizens.

Minato nods his approval. "I see, it's important that we discuss the things that are important to them".

"I hope they focus on important issues" Tobirama harrumphs as he leans back and crosses his arms.

"Tobirama?" the elder of the Senju brothers looks questioningly towards his sibling.

"What we need to discuss now is defence, water and food supplies, shelter and technology" Tobirama reminds them. These issues largely cover what they have discussed at the summits until this point. "It would be a waste of our time if we instead discussed leisure facilities".

Tobirama's concern is not unfounded. While it is easy for them to maintain their focus as veterans of war, for the other citizens of the Hidden Leaf it is not so easy. Many of them do not understand combat, in their eyes, the Hokage of the past returned and managed to defeat the mightiest of their opponents. The Hokage know that things are not that simple and that if the two sides were to fight once again, the Hidden Leaf village may not be able to defeat the invaders. Compared to this danger, restaurants and playgrounds are of little concern.

Shikamaru writes this down in a small notebook he has been keeping in his jacket pocket. "I'll try and get them to focus their questions Lord 2nd" he says as he notes it down.

"Please see that you do" Tobirama nods.

Shikamaru tucks the notebook back into his jacket pocket and holds the agenda up to his face. "OK, the next thing we have to discuss is a name".

"A name?" Naruto prompts for more information.

"For this gathering. Something like 'The Hokage Centre', something that describes what this place is".

"I see" Sarada scratches her chin, "So, it's a name for our government".

It is an unprecedented situation for this sort of gathering to be required. Typically, the position of Hokage is handed to someone younger before the previous Hokage retires, or, someone else is chosen after a previous Hokage's death. This has mostly been the case apart from the transitions between the 3rd, 4th and 5th. With the 5th Hokage being older than the 4th Hokage was when he died and the title of incumbent Hokage being passed back from the 4th to the 3rd upon his unexpected death.

"How about 'The Circle'" Hiruzen offers with a smile.

"Lord 3rd, please elaborate on this choice" Shikamaru requests as he gestures back towards the Hokage from his youth.

"Well, besides the obvious reason that we are all sat in a circle" he begins, "The name is symbolic of something else. There is nobody at the head of this table, everyone has a say here. No one opinion is worth less than another".

"Lord 5th" Shikamaru gestures towards Tsunade, switching the conversation to her, "Would you agree with this choice".

Tsunade smiles with a nod. "It's a good choice". Her agreement is somewhat natural, her philosophy as a shinobi and as a Hokage are heavily influenced by the man two places to her right. Her teacher and mentor, Sarutobi Hiruzen, not only her sensei but the Hokage throughout most of her life.

Shikamaru checks with each attendee of the summit and they unanimously agree with this choice of the name.

"Very well, then, from today forward, this gathering shall be known as The Circle".

 **Later that Night, Tsunade's House**

Tsunade returns late at night. This has been a trend with her lately. Ever since she started attending the gathering now known as The Circle, she has had little time to spend at home. She has been going to sleep late and waking up early. She has never complained once though, it is not a job she wanted in her youth but she is a Hokage nevertheless. Tsunade throws herself into her duties headfirst, just like a Hokage should.

"I'm home" she calls out as she shuts the door behind her.

Turning she walks into the living room where two people are waiting. Two chairs facing an open woodfire. One is her partner, Kato Dan, who she had expected to see waiting here for her. The other is unexpected though. The man she requested help train her, Mitsuki is also waiting for her here.

"Mitsuki" she starts, "What are you doing here".

Orochimaru's son slips his finger to his mouth. He places it vertically across his lips as a gesture requesting silence. He then removes it from his mouth and points it towards the other occupant of the room, towards Dan.

Tsunade looks questioningly at Dan who seems not to have even noticed that she has entered the room. Her partner is instead staring at the open fire, as if he is in a trance. Judging from Mitsuki's gesture though, Dan is concentrating to the utmost, thus Tsunade does her best to remain silent.

Suddenly, Dan's eyes widen to their utmost as he concentrates on the fire. The fire increases enormously in heat and in size.

The fire is out of control!

Mitsuki is quick to react. He is a master of many jutsu and a fire is easy for him to control. His hands quickly weave through a series of intricate signs as he gathers water in the pit of his stomach before spitting it over the raging inferno.

It doesn't work though.

Mitsuki's water jutsu, doesn't put out the fire.

As steam fills the room, the situation starts to become worse. Tsunade looks left and right assessing how the fire will potentially spread through her new house. She considers the worst-case scenario, that it could spread through the village, that she would have to use her medical ninjutsu on hundreds of people.

Dan is the calmest man in the room. Without flinching he stretches out his hand towards the fire, placing his open palm parallel to it and extending his arm to its full length. He hesitates for a moment, acting like he's waiting for something. Then, he stops waiting. He throws his hand down as if gesturing for a dog to sit. Miraculously, this is all it takes.

Dan puts the fire out.

 **Naruto and Hinata's House**

"Thanks for the food" Naruto shouts as he begins to tuck into the meal Hinata has prepared for him.

It is unusual to eat this late at night but more than anybody, Naruto is working hard during the day. He works the hardest of anyone on the construction of the village, doing more physical labour than anyone else and after that is done, he goes to The Circle to offer his opinions on how the village should move forward. He has to deal with all of this at the age of 17. He is not yet an adult.

As Hinata tucks in as well, Naruto grins to her. "I didn't know you were so good at cooking".

"Neither did I" Hinata confesses, "Himawari convinced me that my cooking was good, it gave me a confidence boost".

Naruto contemplates this for a moment, it makes sense. Himawari has been eating food made by Hinata for more years than Hinata has been alive. That's a situation that is unlike to repeat ever again.

Naruto and Hinata made the decision to move in together after the village reconstruction began. It has been slightly awkward for both, it was not until after Kakashi became Hokage that they became a couple. It was many years later still when they got married and had children. Despite this, it is for those children that they decided to become closer to one another. The unusual circumstances have meant they share children long before they would have done. Those circumstances mean they will be together often, even if they didn't live together and when they were together, Boruto and Himawari would refer to them as mother and father.

"I see" Naruto smiles, "How is Himawari doing…".

In the middle of his own sentence, Naruto leaps to his feet. He quickly turns on the spot and looks at the wall before him with wide eyes. His mouth agape, Naruto tries to think of something to say a few times but doesn't manage to get anything out. The power that he is sensing in this moment is clearly of great surprise to him.

"Naruto" Hinata looks wide-eyed up towards her children's father, "What's wrong?".

"The invaders' power" he mutters, "Someone else is using it!".

 **Tsunade's House**

A pleased smile comes to the face of Kato Dan. Clearly these happenings are in line with his wishes. He opens his mouth and three perfect sounding words come out. "I've done it".

"What happened?" Mitsuki leans forward as he asks.

"A stone tablet appeared in my subconscious" comes the response.

"Just like with Lord 7th" Mitsuki smiles.

"Yeah. The stone tablet was covered in dust, but underneath there was clearly a word. It said fire and then…" Dan holds his hand up. With a thought and very little effort, flames engulf his hand, flames which share the heat of the fire he created a few moments ago, "I felt an overwhelming power from the stone tablet, my body channelled the power, from my subconscious to reality".

Mitsuki takes this opportunity to find out as much as possible about this strange power. A power that so far, they know very little about yet in the future they could be very depend upon. "So, understanding the true nature of fire is what helped you to make a breakthrough".

Dan nods.

"The first one following Lord 7th" Mitsuki smiles, "You beat Boruto and all of the other Hokage to that achievement. Very impressive".

"Further and further" Tsunade mutters as she clenches her fist.

Her partner looks at her. "Tsunade…" he whispers.

"I keep falling further behind you all, dammit, I'm the Hokage, it's my duty to protect the village" she says as she squeezes her fist so tightly that her entire hand begins to change colours.

Mitsuki is the one Tsunade asked to train her to overcome this issue. He had one initial suggestion about how to do this. One especially relevant to Tsunade seeing as she was part of the legendary sannin.

"Have you considered my suggestion?" he asks, "Shall we go to that place".

Tsunade pauses for a long while, considering how well she would be fulfilling her duties if she stays and how much better she could fulfil them if she goes.

"Tomorrow, I'll give notice to The Circle and leave the village" she declares, "I'm heading to Shikkotsu Forest".

"I'm going to learn sage mode".

Tsunade does try to persuade Dan and Mitsuki not to come with her, that they have important duties in the village and that they would be best served by staying. Neither of them listen to her. Mitsuki feels a great duty to the village and to Tsunade as her trainer, he argues that he can help the village more by going with her. Dan, as Tsunade's partner, makes a different argument. He argues that even before his duty as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf he has a duty to Tsunade as her partner, something she is very grateful for.

This is the day that Kato Dan becomes the second local to comprehend the invaders' power.

This is not the only major discovery made this day.

 **The Land of Wind**

In the Land of Wind, three shinobi are searching for the portal. These three shinobi are arguably the most well-oiled team in the Hidden Leaf, not just today but in history. These three are the Ino-Shika-Cho formation of the current generation. Nara Shikadai. Akimichi ChouChou and Yamanaka Inojin.

"This is tedious" Shikadai moans as he surveys the sandy landscape.

Inojin turns and smiles at his teammate, "You always say that".

"Well, that may be true" Shikadai confesses as he rests his head in his hands, "But honestly, searching the Land of Wind is a real drag".

"You helped to decide who would be searching where" Inojin retorts.

ChouChou agrees, "That's right, if this is anybody's fault, it's your fault".

Shikadai was present in what is now known as The Circle when the decision was made to search for the portal. The search will increase greatly in speed when Naruto finishes his work on constructing the village and is able to use his thousands of clones to search for the portal instead. They have come with a pre-prepared excuse if they are found by invaders. They are to claim that they are searching for survivors. Following these decisions, Shikadai drew up a rota, specifying when different groups of shinobi would search for the portal.

"I didn't decide where I would be searching. I only decided when I would be searching" Shikadai explains as he sighs. "I left where I would be searching up to Boruto and Mirai, after all, they know best where we should be looking".

"They sure did give you a boring place to search" ChouChou whines, "Nothing but sand".

"Perhaps they thought I would be familiar with this place".

"That's right" Inojin starts as he recalls stories from Shikadai's past, "Your mother is from the Hidden Sand Village, right?".

"Yeah, that's right". Shikadai thinks back to his memories of the Hidden Sand Village. It is a long time ago since he last went there with his mother and father. He and his father had often complained, when they finally managed to pull themselves away from the Hokage, they instead spent their holiday visiting the Kazekage. The Nara family cannot seem to escape walking side-by-side with the Kage.

"Ah" Inojin exclaims as he points past Shikadai and ChouChou, "There is a cave over there".

"Go on then" Shikadai closes his eyes as he returns to his thoughts, "It's your turn to check it".

"Yeah, yeah" Inojin sighs as he approaches what must be the hundredth cave they have seen today.

Shikadai returns to his thoughts. It is not only the Hokage of the past and present that make him feel like dwarves. Now that he thinks about it, his mother comes from the Kazekage Clan, the most revered clan in the Hidden Sand Village. His Uncle had been just like those Hokage of the past, his power had made him seem like he could do anything. When the invasion came to the Hidden Sand Village, they surely won't have been given an easy time of it.

"Still, what's wrong with you lately" ChouChou asks her teammate with a serious tone.

"Wrong with me?".

"Lately you've been acting all down" she explains. ChouChou has been Shikadai's teammate for years. With the exception of Inojin and possibly Boruto, she knows him better than anyone in their generation. "Is something wrong?".

Shikadai sighs. "Hosting these meetings with the Hokage, it made me realise just how small I am".

"Small?".

"For years we have fought against this enemy. No matter what strategy I created, no matter what crazy plan my mind concocted, it was useless against the foes we faced" he begins. "It felt like I was doing nothing while the enemy advanced on us. Then, suddenly, these people came from the past. It was like everything was different for them, it was like they were giants".

"It irritates me" Shikadai continues, "I want to be able to make a difference, just like they can. Know what I mean?".

"Shikadai…".

Shikadai's mind doesn't work like other peoples. Behind his laid-back exterior, he is always thinking. His observations are right. Before the Hokage from the past came forward in time, everything was different. In the Captained Six contest, four of the seven competitors were Hokage of the past, Hashirama, Tobirama, Kakashi and Naruto. Three competitors were from the present, Sarada, Boruto and Mirai. All three of those from the present were only able to realise their true power after the Hokage of the past came forward. It truly is as if those from the present day can do nothing, while those from the past can do everything.

"Guys come here quick!" Inojin's voice booms out of the cave.

Shikadai and ChouChou look at one another for a moment before dashing towards the source of the voice. Whether Inojin has found the portal or run into a terrifying enemy, something has clearly caught the Yamanaka clansmen off guard.

When they arrive in the cave, they are looking down from a vantage point. A rock overhangs the cave below like a balcony over a beautiful view. The view is more beautiful than any sunset though.

It's people.

About 100 people.

Someone rises up at the front of the group, riding on a cloud of fine grey particles.  
Riding on iron sand.

When that man reaches the height of the vantage point he sends out a warning. "Whoever you are, you better back off, or I'll…". He stops. Stunned as his eyes come to rest on the foreheads of the three shinobi before him. "Hidden leaf he mutters".

He forces himself to take a deep breath, to make sure this isn't an illusion. As he looks into Shikadai's eyes his heart is thumping in his chest as he asks the fateful question.

"Cousin, is that you?".

Shikadai smiles emotionally. "Shinki" he mutters, "It's me, it's Shikadai".

"You're still alive, I can't believe it".

Shinki steps onto the vantage point and hugs Shikadai tightly. He had never expected to see his cousin again after the Hidden Sand fell and now he finally is doing just that. The people below, evidently survivors from the Hidden Sand, cheer in delight as they finally see another shinobi. This has been a long time coming for them and now that it has they couldn't be happier.

The Kazekage reunites with his cousin after so long.

It's cause for celebration by both the Leaf and the Sand.

The Hidden Sand Village, has also survived!

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi All.

Firstly, as has surely become clear so far in part 4, this part will be largely dedicated to 'minor' characters. It will also feature survivors from other villages.

This was not originally going to be the case but two reviews inspired me to create this part as an addition.

So I would like to give thanks to Link0011 for that. If you want me to remove this acknowledgement just let me know.

The other thing I would like to address is Tsunade training in sage mode at Shikkotsu Forest. I'm not sure this is possible as I don't have any recollection of sage mode training happening at Shikkotsu Forest. I also don't recall anything in the anime or manga that would make this impossible either. I am sorry if you do, it's too late now, I've already written it and I'm not going to change it now.

As always, thanks for reading,

Cbehrills


	65. Voices in his Head

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – VOICES IN HIS HEAD**

 **The Hidden Leaf Village**

A group of just over one hundred approaches the outskirts of the new hidden leaf village. This is the group who have recently been found by the hidden leaf's Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Around one hundred survivors from the Hidden Sand village, led by the only shinobi in their midst, Shikadai's cousin and the 6th Kazekage, Shinki of the Kazekage clan.

The group has had a tough time during the extended period of conflict. In the desolate regions of the Land of Wind, there is very little water to drink and next to no sources to obtain food from. It is only because of the hard work and dedication of the 6th Kazekage that they have been able to survive throughout this time. For these people, who have had to endure so much more than any of their predecessors, it was perhaps the greatest relief they had ever felt when they reunited with the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf.

As the citizens of the Hidden Sand approach the edge of the Hidden Leaf, they find a crowd waiting for them, a result of Inojin alerting the village ahead of their arrival. Following the 4th great shinobi war, freedom of movement between the various villages increased, many people left the Cloud to live in the Rock for example. Many of the Leaf villagers gathered had relatives in the Sand, they are all eager to see if their family is amongst the small group of survivors. One such person rushes to the front of the crowd. Temari.

Temari runs ahead of the crowd and throws her arms around Shinki, her nephew. "Shinki" she whispers as a tear rolls down her cheek.

It has been years since Temari last had any contact with the village of her birth, the village where she was raised. Rasa's only daughter left the village despite being a member of the Kazekage clan, instead deciding to raise Shikadai in the hidden leaf, alongside Shikamaru. Temari, more than any migrant, had many connections in her home village after leaving. For years she had been a pillar of the village that many people had relied on, someone who had helped many people and supported Gaara during the transitional period in which he became the Kazekage. To see survivors, even just one hundred of them, is a joyous surprise, especially for her.

Reciprocating the hug, Shinki tries his best not to be overcome with emotion. "It's good to see you too, Aunt Temari".

As the nephew-aunt duo step away from one another, Temari asks a question out of hope alone. "Your father and your uncle".

Shinki's smile leaves his face and is replaced by a more sombre expression, as he shakes his head it confirms Temari's fears. "We fought a furious battle against the invaders, but we couldn't win" he begins, "Dad told me to take the few surviving villagers and to run".

Gaara and Konkuro had died during the invaders' attack.

It is what Temari had expected, there were even the occasional rumours that Gaara had fought against a Colonel and almost won but it is still painful to hear about her brothers' death. There is always the small consolation for her, that they died as shinobi worthy of the Hidden Sand Village, that they died so that the villagers may live. No matter how few it is, no matter how insignificant the results may have seemed at the time, some villagers have survived. Just like Konohamaru in his role as Hokage, Gaara will be remembered for his act of self-sacrifice as Kazekage, as will Konkuro.

During his last moments, unbeknownst to any of his fellow shinobi, Gaara had prayed. He had prayed for an end to the threat the invaders posed. When he prayed, in his mind he had a scenario he had hoped would play out. He had hoped that the world's strongest duo, Naruto and Sasuke would fight together once again, for he believed that only together would the two of them be able to win against this enemy.

As it happened, even together, an elderly Naruto and Sasuke had not been able to defeat General Clyde. It took a miraculous technique from Uchiha Sarada to do that. A miraculous technique that would summon Naruto from the past, a youthful Naruto at his full strength. Only when Naruto got even stronger still was he able to beat Clyde by the skin of his teeth. Regardless, in his last moments, Naruto was the one that Gaara pinned his hopes upon, and the loud blonde shinobi had come good.

"It's my disgrace as Kazekage, but I am the only surviving shinobi of the Hidden Sand" Shinki explains.

"I see" Temari smiles awkwardly, finally hearing the confirmation that her siblings have died, "Still, I'm lucky just to be able to see you again Shinki, it is more than I could have ever asked for".

"And I you, my aunt".

Nodding, Temari turns from her nephew to her son, "Shikadai, the Hokage Summit… The Circle, they're waiting for the two of you".

"OK" Shikadai smiles as he takes on board the new name for the Hokage's gathering. He left his father with a list of things to go over with the Hokage and it seems that once again, Nara Shikamaru has not let the village down.

"The Circle?" Shinki repeats the name in a questioning manner.

Shikadai told Shinki a basic series of recent events on the way back to the Hidden Leaf but had no time to go into details. "The Circle is a new name, it's a government system that we have created, it was necessitated by the Hokage of the past coming to the future".

Shinki shakes his head as a small smile creeps onto his face. "I still can't get used to that idea". The Hokage of the past are legendary figures, prominent in the minds of many, even those who don't reside within the leaf. The Hokage had returned during the 4th great shinobi war to save the world. Since then, the Hokage of the present have continued to build upon the excellent reputation they have established. There is not a single shinobi who doesn't know the tales of their strength.

"Come on, Lord 6th Kazekage" Shikadai grins, switching to the use of a formal title, "You have a right to attend this meeting too".

Before turning to his aunt, "Aunt, will you look after the villagers".

"Of course, we have already begun to set up some temporary accommodation" she declares as she hands a key to Shinki, "Yours is the one at the end, you can use this key to get in after you finish your meeting".

Shinki offers his gratitude to Temari before departing with Shikadai, moving towards the centre of the newly established village, moving towards The Circle.

ChouChou approaches her teammates mother and pats her on the back to perk her up. She had been expecting her siblings to be dead but it is never easy to have it confirmed. "At least we have some good news, right, Lady Temari?".

"Yeah" Temari smiles.

' _Gaara, Konkuro, you sacrificed your life for these villagers. I promise that I will do my best to look after them'_.

 **The Circle**

Entering, Shinki falls all the eyes in the room rest on him. A group of people each of whom don't seem real to him, a group of people that he grew up hearing stories about. Still, there are three people in the room who he is definitely comfortable with. Two more to add to the list that so far only features Shikadai, his own cousin. These two are, of course, Sarada and Boruto. Not only two people that he has worked with several times in the past, but two people that he considers to be his friends, familiar and welcome faces.

"We're here" Shikadai declares their arrival as he walks to the centre of the table, the position which he uses to dictate the flow of conversation.

"Welcome Shinki" Sarada smiles to her old acquaintance.

Shikadai is quick to realise that Shinki is an unknown to the majority of the Hokage, he sets about introducing him. "Everyone, this is Shinki of the Kazekage clan, he is the 6th Kazekage".

"We have set aside a chair for you" Sarada says as she gestures to the chair on her left. It has only been added recently, when they received word that Shinki would be arriving. The Kazekage's position is to the left of Sarada and the right of Hashirama, a figure whose story he is quite familiar with.

"Thank you, Sarada". Smiling warmly, Shinki takes the seat to her right and sits on it in a comfortable position.

Shinki's head drifts to the right, looking at the blonde-haired man two positions to the right of Sarada. Just past Boruto is a man who looks just like him, easily the youngest person sat at the table. _'I couldn't believe it before but it really is that man'_ he says in his head, _'My father always spoke about how he saved him, how he was the greatest shinobi that he knew. It's the man who ended the 4_ _th_ _great war. Uzumaki Naruto'_.

Hashirama stares vacantly at Shikadai in the centre of the table but mentally he is taking notes on Shinki, his strength, his aura, his character and his demeanour. _'This is the latest Kazekage, the 6_ _th_ _Kazekage. He's impressive, his chakra is something to behold'_.

Shikadai picks up a set of notes from a compartment on the inside of the table. The notes have his name marked on them so he makes the logical assumption that they are notes from his father to him, notes about how The Circle's meetings should proceed from here.

"First thing is first, we have an absence note from the 5th Hokage" Shikadai says as he lifts the paper just high enough that he can read it will maintaining an appropriate speaking position. "Lord 5th has gone to the Shikkotsu Forest, alongside Dan and Mitsuki". With this absence note, Lady Tsunade has become the first absentee from any of these meetings, something that was untenable initially but is now perfectly acceptable.

"I feel that because this meeting is unusual, we should first bring Lord Kazekage up to speed on what is happening", Shikadai gestures to Boruto as he finishes, "Lord Shadow 9th, if you would please detail your experiences to Lord Kazekage, we would be grateful".

That is exactly what Boruto does. Once more he recounts his experience of finding a portal, of distracting Mirai while he went through to have a look and of the terrifying thing he saw on the inside. On the other side of the portal, he saw a General, who obliterated soldiers upon seeing him just to intimidate him. Boruto explains how this experience of his has inspired the Hidden Leaf to adopt their current plan of action before stopping to see if Shinki has taken it all in.

"I see" Shinki nods while scratching his chin, "So they really aren't of this world".

"It's to that end that we are searching for the portal so that we can destroy it" Boruto reiterates as he looks at Shinki around Sarada, "If we can destroy it, it should prevent the General and his followers asking for reinforcements".

The Kazekage is stunned for a moment, "Asking for reinforcements?".

"Yeah" Naruto nods, "The last thing we want is to fight again".

THUD!

Shinki slams both his palms into the table as he gets to his feet, pushing the chair he was sat on back along the floor a short distance. Fury is clear on his face as he yells at the Hokage of The Circle, "I thought you said that you defeated them!".

"We did" Shikadai declares as he looks cautiously at his cousin.

"And you let them live!". In his rage, Shinki has brought up an issue that has been debated before between the members of The Circle. Just like him, Hashirama and Boruto have adopted this approach to the problem, believing that instead of forgiving the invaders, they should instead kill them as a precaution.

"Of course, we let them live" Naruto smiles as if Shinki isn't shouting, "Clyde is a good man at heart".

"A good man" Shinki goes quiet for a moment as he contemplates what Naruto has just said. It's as if he cannot believe the words he is hearing. A good man, after all he has done? "Almost my entire village has been slaughtered by him. That's unforgiveable".

"I'm the only one amongst us who is capable of killing him" Naruto reminds Shinki of their predicament, "I have decided to forgive him".

"Lord 7th…" Shinki breathes out as he clenches his fist and grinds his teeth. "Who left the decision to you anyway, how was it your place to decide if they are forgiven or not. Surely it is up to the shinobi of today, those of us who suffered under their assault, to decide whether they are forgiven or not".

An awkward silence descends upon The Circle. Shinki has brought up the first constitutional issue of this governmental system. If you look at who has suffered most at the hands of the General, it would be the people who want them dead. Shinki who has lost his entire family. Boruto who lost the men and women that he was leading into battle. Hashirama who lost his wife to an unstoppable poison. It is arguable, that those who suffer are being overruled by those who haven't, is this acceptable?

' _This guy sure likes to talk'_ Kakashi notes as he glances leftwards at his student, _'So, what do you think about that, Naruto?'_.

Sarada is the one to break the silence. "As it happens, I am the Hokage of today and I agree with Lord 7th".

"Everyone, please calm down, we have The Circle so we can make these decisions with a collective opinion" Shikadai reminds the others. Seeing that a fight was about to break out, he highlights the very purpose of The Circle, to poll the opinion of the various leaders gathered, "Lord Kazekage suggests that we kill the invaders. Please raise your hand if you agree".

Boruto looks sideways at Sarada with a knowing look. Sarada nods in reply. It's a silent message between the two of them that they are to abstain from this vote as their opinions differ on the subject. Boruto wants to kill. Sarada wants to spare. These differing opinions are the reflected wisdom inspired by the system of having a Hokage and a shadow Hokage.

In conclusion, two people vote to kill.

Hashirama and Shinki.

Five people vote not to kill.

Tobirama, Hiruzen, Minato, Kakashi and Naruto.

"The decision is clear" Shikadai announces, "We will not kill the invaders unless there is a change in circumstances that calls for another vote".

For the remainder of the meeting, Shinki adopts a more silent, depressed attitude. Naturally, the result has put him in a poor position. He has only just arrived and already he has a fundamental disagreement with the Leaf.

' _This man, he is consumed by his own desire for vengeance'_ Hashirama notes as he looks sideways at Shinki, _'Unlike Boruto and I, his thoughts are not for the deceased but instead are for himself. Still, he may prove useful'_.

 **Outside the Circle**

Following Shinki's first attendance of The Circle, he meets with his cousin Shikadai. Outside the building that houses the village's government, the two of them gather just out of earshot from the other Kage.

"Is that the system of government you created Shikadai" he asks.

"Yeah".

"I'm disappointed" Shinki admits as he avoids eye contact, "It seems that today, those who have suffered have been outvoted by those who haven't". If Shikadai was unsure before, he is now certain that his cousin is holding a grudge. It's understandable, after what Shinki has had to endure, losing his father, his uncle and nearly his entire village, a thirst for payback is inevitable. "I won't soon forget what I have seen here today" he finishes as he begins to walk away.

The distance between the two increases, their backs face each other as Shikadai calls out with one more thing to say. "I think you are forgetting something, Shinki".

Neither turn around but at a distance of ten meters they can hear one another. Eye contact isn't necessary, their words alone are enough.

"Those who suffered weren't outvoted by those who haven't today".

"They were outvoted by the heroes who saved them".

Shinki resumes his walk away, heading in the direction of the temporary residences his aunt informed him about earlier. "Maybe" he mutters.

One fact remains present in Shikadai's mind. It has done ever since The Circle first gathered. Each member of that gathering is a giant. Each Hokage has made great contributions towards their survival. Whether it's training, fighting, healing or even offering a much-needed word of encouragement, each of them has done something that he has never succeeded in. Each one of them has had a hand in saving the village.

They are the giants he admires. The giants he aspires to be. The giants who saved them.

They are not those who have not suffered. They are the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village.

 **Also Outside the Circle**

From a nearby vantage point, two eagle-eyed shinobi watch the departing Shinki with fascination. These are of course, the Hidden Leaf's most gifted shinobi of today, Sarada and Boruto. Using the Rinnegan and Tenseigan respectively, they are able to discern the mood of Shinki as he leaves. Neither eye makes him seem forgiving, both eyes make him seem like a problem.

"Well, what do you think" Sarada asks.

"I may want the invaders killed but my desire is different from Shinki's" Boruto suggests, "I want to carry on the will of my deceased subordinates, he only thirsts for his own revenge".

"I agree".

Boruto's subordinates of many battles died fighting the unprecedented threat posed by General Clyde and his Colonels. Once he even woke up surrounded by their corpses, one of the most damaging moments of his life. During that fight, his fellow shinobi ceased to think, instead the acted-on instinct and attacked their opponents like their life depended on it. When you lose your ability to think and instead act on instinct, perhaps it is then that your true desires manifest. If that is the case, Boruto's subordinates all truly wished-for Clyde's death.

"Sarada" Boruto whispers, such that it is barely audible.

"What is it?".

"Don't let me become like that" he begs with a wavering voice, "Don't let me lose myself in my own thirst for vengeance".

"I won't" Sarada replies as she places a hand on Boruto's shoulder, "I promise".

 **Shinki's Temporary Residence**

Shinki walks in and closes the door behind him. A quick look around tells him that there is nobody else there with him. He falls to his knees and his neck twitches a few times.

"I knew it!" he shouts into the vacant space before him, "I knew it! I knew it! I knew they wouldn't understand!".

" _I told you as much, didn't I Shinki?"._ Shinki flinches for a moment before accepting its presence. It is not the first time he has heard this voice, a deep masculine voice that echoes twice or thrice every time it speaks.

A voice in his head.

"Those damn fools from the past" he curses as he punches the wall, just gently enough that it doesn't leave a dent, "They are trying to stop my justice, they are trying to stop my father's revenge".

" _Then we will have to do it ourselves"._

"I'll go back to that place. Yes. That place" Shinki repeats the saying several times as if it makes it more likely to come true, "Then not even he can stop me. We'll kill the invaders. We'll kill them all".

" _That's the way Shinki, don't let anybody stand in your way"_ the voice encourages him, _"Being ruthless is the key to your survival"._

"The Hidden Leaf Village… Lord 7th..." he lists the names with disdain laced in his voice, "They will pay for trying to stop me".

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hello Again.

I would like to address a few things.

I understand that the decision for Gaara to have died may be unpopular. I also understand that the decision for Shinki to have these antagonistic qualities may also be unpopular. However, I feel both decisions are necessary for the story I want to tell in part 4. Additionally, seeing as this part 4 has been added to my plan for the whole story after completing the plan for what is now part 5, I can't make any radical changes that would alter the overall plot significantly.

Sorry if you were hoping to see Gaara and Konkuro again. I'm afraid that would interfere with the overall plot too much.

As always, thanks for reading,

Cbehrills


	66. An Amulet for an Apology

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – AN AMULET FOR AN APOLOGY**

 **The Circle, One Week Later**

It has been one long week since Shinki first attended the summit now known as The Circle. During the first meeting and following it, he instigated a heated debate about the proposed future of Clyde and his followers. Since then he has not attended another of meeting. This is not because of his argument though, instead it is because he has had other priorities. During this week, before becoming a permanent fixture of The Circle, his focus has been on seeing to the health and wellbeing of his fellow villagers. Even more so than the Leaf, the Sand has suffered a torturous fate at the hands of the enemy.

Shinki has also had other matters that have drawn his attention.

Shikadai takes his position at the centre of the table. Looking around, he is pleased to see that Shinki has returned, clearly the immediate needs of the villagers have been seen to. Even with an unoccupied seat, the gathering is impressive. Debatably the greatest gathering of warriors this world has ever seen. The one absence brings Shikadai to the opening of the meeting.

"OK, first thing on the agenda, I have to remind you that Lord 5th cannot attend the meeting today" he declares as he looks towards the empty seat marked with the number 5. "She has gone to the Shikkotsu forest for training".

Shikadai ponders the reason behind Tsunade's choice. She had never, to him, revealed any displeasure at her own level of strength. Thinking about it though, it would be understandable. During the contest, she, the 5th Hokage was completely healthy and was at the peak of her powers. Despite all of that, she performed an operation on Naruto and that was the sum of her contribution.

Shikadai knows the difference between his and Tsunade's situations. He is the Hokage's assistant, the Leaf's strategist and while his strategies had not worked, he had not been expected to contribute anything in raw power. No matter how much he wanted to contribute, it wasn't to be expected of him. Tsunade though, she is at her peak strength and is the 5th Hokage. She is in a position where it is expected of her to defend the village using her raw power and she had been unable to do so.

"Grandma Tsunade must be taking her training seriously if she is still gone" Naruto notes.

"She always has had a strong will, let's embrace it, it's good that she wants to get stronger" Kakashi offers.

This is high praise coming from Hatake Kakashi, the leader of team 7. A group containing Naruto, someone so determined he trained using a thousand clones, someone so determined that while everyone else did, he never gave up on Sasuke. A group containing Sasuke who stormed into the 5 Kage summit in pursuit of revenge, who was prepared to kill Naruto to take, what he assumed to be, the perfect Hokage role. A group containing Sakura, who for years watched as the Leaf's most promising two shinobi pulled further and further away from her, who chased them no matter how hard it was.

Shikadai looks to his list, on it now are questions and subjects put forward by the villagers, as had been agreed some time ago. He reads the first of these out. "We have had a request for an update on the construction works, Lord 7th, would you oblige us".

Of course, Naruto has been doing the bulk of the work in constructing a new village. It has been a quick learning curve for the young shinobi as his knowledge of housebuilding has increased. "I have finished building permanent homes for the people of the Hidden Sand" he explains, "So, my clones have left the village and begun to search for the portal".

"Thank you, Lord 7th" Shikadai begins before being interrupted.

He is interrupted by Shinki. The Kazekage leaps to his feet as he asks Shikadai a question. "Would it be OK if I said a few words".

Shikadai wavers for a moment as he considers what Shinki said last time he was here. If he said that again and another argument arose it would be a problem. In the end, he concludes that no matter what, he has no right to silence Shinki. He assents to the speech, "Go ahead".

"I would like to apologise for my behaviour last week" Shinki declares much to the surprised of his cousin. "You have been nothing but welcoming to the Hidden Sand since we got here. For that you have my sincere gratitude".

Shinki bows politely to the other members of The Circle. In this moment, it seems he truly understands how much he should be thankful to them for.

"It's alright Shinki" Sarada smiles to her old acquaintance. "We're allies, right?".

Events of the past run through the minds of those from the present. The friendship of Uzumaki Naruto and the Kazekage Clan's Gaara was the dawn of a new era in relations between the Leaf and the Sand. Since then the two villages have been the closest of allies, sticking together even when the other villages have disagreed with them. First it was Naruto and Gaara. Then it was Konohamaru and Gaara. Next came Konohamaru and Shinki. Finally, it moved onto the present combination, Sarada and Shinki. Throughout the tenure of each pair's rule, the two villages have been the closest of allies.

Shinki smiles as he returns to his chair, "Indeed, you have my thanks, Lord 9th".

"I think it's important that we respect our differing opinions on this subject" Hiruzen says, referring to the fate of Clyde and his followers that caused the initial argument. "After all, there will be many differing opinions amongst the citizens that we each represent".

Minato nods, agreeing with his predecessor's assertion. "There is something to that, I've spoken to quite a few people who feel that we should have killed the General". What Minato is highlighting is not just the differing opinions of the shinobi present in The Circle but also the opinions of the villagers. The villagers have mostly avoided fighting for their entire lives, it is the shinobi who have suffered on their behalf. That is not to say that their opinion doesn't count, it's simply that it must be appreciated, a shinobi's viewpoint can differ a lot from everyone else.

"I understand" that Naruto reluctantly admits. "But, if I had killed Sasuke, none of us would be here today".

A silence descends as everyone contemplates Naruto's point. This is especially true for those from the present. Shikadai had far more access to information than most, as the Hokage's assistant, he understands just how much Sasuke has done to defend the hidden leaf. Boruto understands this even better. He, more than anyone else, has seen Sasuke do great deeds as the shadow Hokage, as his predecessor. As for Sarada, if Sasuke had died, naturally, she would have never been born.

"This issue has been voted on, shall we proceed to the next topic?" Shikadai asks in the hope of ending this awkward silence.

"Please do" Tobirama nods.

Shikadai looks to his list of topics before moving on to the next point. "The next subject is the creation of a new academy".

"This is an important issue" Kakashi notes as he springs to attention. The academy is important to him, three young shinobi from the Hidden Leaf's academy changed his life. "If we are to fight any more invaders we will need to train younger shinobi and we will need to train them harder than ever before".

"Lord Kazekage, what are your thoughts on this". Shikadai redirects the conversation.

"It would be good if we could open a joint academy" Shinki notes. Of course, everyone understands that the Leaf and the Sand are not strong enough to separate from each other now and will likely be merged for the foreseeable future. "However, I feel that our former teachings will not be enough".

Shinki turns his head towards Naruto and smiles. "I think we need to better understand the invaders' power".

"Lord 7th" Shikadai also looks to Naruto, him being the foremost expert on this subject, "Would you agree with this?".

"This power, it's incredible, it's unlike chakra or anything else we have ever felt. I truly feel that by combining our traditional teachings together with this power, we will be able to fight off all comers" he says before sighing. "I don't really know much about it other than what I have already told you, however, something interesting has happened".

This piques Hashirama's interest. "You have understood something else?".

"No" Naruto shakes his head, "I felt it again. Somebody else understood their power, right here in the Hidden Leaf".

"Who" Boruto asks.

"I don't know" Naruto admits. "But, if they understood an element simpler than life, they may be more suited to teaching than I am. I think we should try to find this person".

Shikadai checks with the members of the Circle. This is something that everyone agrees to. Further to that, the members all agree that they should set about finding this individual, to see if they would be interested in helping with teaching at a new academy.

What none of them realise at this point, is that this man is Kato Dan. Right now, Dan isn't in the village, he is in Shikkotsu Forest, alongside Lady Tsunade.

 **Shikkotsu Forest**

While these debates are taking place in the Circle. Tsunade is training, working her hardest to achieve what very few people have done before. Each person who has undergone this training has become a legendary figure in this world. Of course, Tsunade has already become a legendary figure in this world, however, she takes no pride in it, for her most famous accomplishments are things that she has never accomplished at this stage of her life.

Tsunade sits down with her eyes closed and her legs crossed. She remains perfectly still as dictated to her in her training regime. Despite knowing that she could feel an enormous amount of pain at any second, her concentration does not waver.

Stood behind Tsunade is Mitsuki, watching her like a hawk. He is not alone, resting on his shoulder is a small incarnation of Lady Katsuyu. Together, the two of them are also unwaveringly focused, Mitsuki on Katsuyu's orders and Katsuyu on the chakra surrounding and flowing through Tsunade.

"Now!" Katsuyu shouts in Mitsuki's ear.

Mitsuki doesn't hesitate. He raises a stick above his head before slamming it down into Tsunade's head.

Wincing in pain, Tsunade rubs her head as she shoots daggers back at Mitsuki. She had asked him to train her following the end of the Captained Six contest but she had never imagined that it would be so painful as this. Mitsuki is strong enough without any weapons, for him to hit her like this is obviously very painful.

"Are you alright?" Mitsuki asks, unperturbed by Tsunade's intimidating gaze.

"I keep getting hit in the head with a big stick" she growls, "How am I supposed to feel?".

"It's part of your sage mode training" he reminds her with a smile fixed on his face. It is very unusual for Mitsuki not to smile, if he stops you know the situation has taken a turn for the worst.

Tsunade sits in a comfortable position and sighs. "My Grandfather and Naruto can do this as easily as breathing. Just what sort of monsters are they".

In her heart, Tsunade knows that this complaint isn't fair. Naruto had worked harder than anyone else to prepare for the invasion of Pain. Hashirama also had to work hard to use sage mode. Only recently, he pioneered a new way of absorbing nature chakra, a technique that put him close to, if not at, Naruto's level. Hashirama had tried to use that technique during the contest, only to collapse as it put too much strain on him. To say that it has been easy for these two is untrue.

"They are the two strongest Kage in history. They are two legendary figures who changed what it means to be a shinobi" Mitsuki endeavours to remind Tsunade. Hashirama and Naruto are both Asura's transmigrants. "They didn't get where they are today overnight, they put a lot of work in".

"I know" Tsunade nods. "But I don't have time to wait around. They could come back and attack at any time".

Nearby fists fly through the air. Fists coated in flame. These are the fists of Tsunade's partner, Kato Dan. From the tips of his fingers down his arm all the way to his elbow, a blazing fire burns. Shadow boxing. He is fighting against an imaginary opponent using his fists.

Tsunade takes a pause from her own training to watch this. Her eyes fix on his flying fists before resting on his face. Much like her a moment ago, he is a picture of perfect focus. His attention does not waver as he thinks of only one thing. Improvement.

"Is something wrong?" Mitsuki asks.

"It seems unjustifiable" the 5th Hokage replies. "He is so incredible. He is so determined and he has so much talent. Yet I became Hokage and he died. Where is the justice in that? I feel like he should have become the 5th Hokage, not me".

"The 4th great shinobi war. It was the most difficult war in the history of our village. It was a threat on a level we have never seen before. Looking back on it, it was almost certain the village would be wiped out" Mitsuki recalls the information he read and heard about the 4th great war. The war that made their parents generation into legends. "Despite everything, the village survived, the village lived on".

"The Hokage who took us through the most difficult period in history was not Lord 1st nor was it Lord 7th" Mitsuki continues, "It was you".

With a sigh, Tsunade nods. "I guess so".

"You were a great Hokage. You are a great Hokage and you will continue to be a great Hokage". Orochimaru's son encourages one of his father's teammates. "But, you can't give up here if you want that to be true".

Tsunade smiles. Hearing the influence of her Grandfather and Naruto once again. "Never give up, right?".

"Never give up" Mitsuki nods.

Tsunade returns to her training position and closes her eyes. "Once more" she demands as they continue her training. To become a sage is a long and arduous path but she has no intention of giving up at the first hurdle.

 **Shinki's House**

In the Hidden Leaf Village Shinki has set up a gathering with his two closest friends from the Leaf. Naturally, this is the duo who he has worked with the most, with the exception of his cousin, Boruto and Sarada. Sarada is the Hokage and was always Shinki's closest ally during times of crisis for either the Leaf or the Sand. The crisis that would eventually envelop both villages though, no matter how much they worked together, there is no way they could have averted that disaster. As for Boruto, he often had contact with the other Kage. Boruto, as the shadow Hokage, roamed the world searching for threats to peace and stability, often finding threats to other villages. Due to his time roaming the world, Boruto is a hero to the other villages, he saved them from disaster many times and established a good relationship with their leaders in doing so.

Shinki cuts up the last of the vegetables he has gathered and places them into a pot before re-joining Sarada and Boruto in the other room. "I'm sorry for my absence" he says as he joins them in sitting at the table.

"No, that's fine" Sarada says as she dismisses his apology.

"I never knew you cooked Shinki" Boruto says with a smile.

"Entertaining people with food is important for the Kazekage. Here in the Leaf you have such beautiful scenery" he says as he gestures out of the window at the luscious green landscape, "While in the Sand we lived in the bleakest region of all the hidden villages. We had to find other ways to impress people".

"I remember eating at the last five Kage summit you hosted" Sarada smiles as she reminisces about easier times, "The food was just as good as you say".

"Thank you" Shinki nods.

Sarada sweatdrops as old memories continue to return. "Especially when you compare it to Yurui's attempt".

' _I remember that'_ Boruto thinks back to a call he received from Shikadai, requesting his immediate return to the village, _'I had to come back and help run the village until Sarada got better again'._

"He never was a good cook" Shinki notes. He was also ill after eating the Raikage's food. He had to ask his father to take over his duties while he was unwell.

"Yeah, telling him that you cooked the food yourself was probably a mistake" the 9th Hokage notes while chuckling.

"Yurui never liked being shown up. It's hard to believe he is gone".

In the distant past, Boruto competed in a Chunnin exam against Yurui, that is when he first met him as a young shinobi from the Cloud. Yurui had been a promising shinobi, an admirer of Killer Bee and the focal point for the Hidden Cloud's academy. He eventually lived up to the expectations placed on him, he succeeded Darui to become the 6th Raikage. As Boruto says, he never liked being shown up. When the shadow Hokage beat him in the Chunnin exams it had not been the most endearing move, especially considering the circumstances in which the match took place. Nobody else made Boruto feel so guilty about cheating through his life. Not even his own father.

Suddenly, Boruto starts clutching at his chest as a familiar feeling returns. "Sarada I… it's coming back…".

Realising what is happening, Sarada wastes no time. She grabs Shinki by the back of the neck and leaps into the kitchen with him. She cares not about her destination but she understands how dangerous Boruto is when he is like this.

Just as Sarada and Shinki get out of range, it returns. A grey wispy substance pours from Boruto's very skin and leaks into the air.

A few moments pass before he is certain that he is safe. "You can… come back… now" he says as he gasps for air and returns to his seat.

Sarada and Shinki return and the Kazekage is very inquisitive about what he just saw. "What was that stuff?" he asks.

"I don't know" Boruto admits as he clutches at his chest, "It's been happening for a while now but I have no idea why".

Having said that, Boruto recalls a recent experience. How a crazed captain approached him and his new master and raved about their past together. That captain claimed that he killed Boruto himself, that he is certain that Boruto died that day. Boruto is also the only one to have passed through the portal. There have been a lot of unique experiences for the shadow Hokage, it is hard to explain just why this affliction has struck him.

"We think it has something to do with the invaders" Sarada says as she looks at her friend's pained expression, "But that's all we know".

Shinki frowns internally at this development. _'I don't know what that stuff was but it was deadly'_. Although he doesn't realise it, this is an understatement. When she was hit by the substance during the contest, only Naruto was capable of saving Sarada from the substance that intimidated even Clyde with its potency.

"I've been hit by that stuff before and I almost died" Sarada explains as a pang of guilt hits Boruto. Back then he had truly dropped all his defences, he was going to relax and leave the rest to his father, his master and to Mirai. "It's best to keep away from it".

Shinki nods his agreement, lost in thought for a few minutes before he startles. "AH" he yells before running into the kitchen to confirm his suspicions, "I've burnt the food". In a moment, his reputation for being a good cook dissipates before his eyes.

"Sorry" Boruto offers, "This is my fault".

"It's fine" Shinki waves off Boruto's apology, a gesture of their friendship. "We can always go and get ramen instead".

' _There wasn't supposed to be a ramen shop yet'_ Sarada notes as Boruto and Shinki discuss their favourite food types. _'It's a good thing that Naruto insisted it would be essential to morale'_.

Many took Naruto's insistence to be a joke. To some degree it was but who was going to argue with him. The 7th Hokage had, together with his team, defeated Clyde and his subordinates. When you combine this with the fact that he has done most of the construction required for the new village, it is difficult to turn down a request from him.

"Before that, I have something to show you" Shinki declares.

He reaches into his pocket and hands a pair of amulets to Sarada and Boruto.

Sarada looks over the amulet. It is well crafted but is made from cheap wooden materials. The string that it hangs from is clearly second hand and is frayed at several points along its length. It is decorated with little but a simplistic symbol. Each amulet is painted a slightly different colour, something Boruto assumes is done so they can be distinguished from one another.

"This is?" Sarada asks questioningly.

"Well, it looks like an amulet but I crafted it using the same methods my uncle used to make puppets" Shinki reveals. While in hiding, he went about creating these devices using Konkuro's teachings as his basis. "If you put your chakra into this amulet, I will be able to use it to tell if you are alive or dead".

"Amazing" Sarada re-examines the amulet with wide eyes, "If we ever go missing, you will know if we are alive or dead".

Shinki nods. "That's right".

In their current predicament where a fight may break out at any moment, this is a huge advantage to the Leaf and Sand. Scouts are often sent into dangerous zones and if that scout does not return it provides no information. It does not speak to whether they are alive or dead, however, Shinki's method is perfect for scouting in dangerous situations. It is also useful for foreseeing surprise attacks.

Both Boruto and Sarada place their chakra into the amulets Shinki has given to them before handing them back to the Kazekage.

Shinki smiles as he tucks the amulets away. "Now, shall we go".


	67. A First Heart Broken

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – A FIRST HEART BROKEN**

 **One Week Later, Temari and Shikamaru's House**

Normally Shikamaru and Temari enjoy a quiet lifestyle. That is rather, they enjoyed a quiet lifestyle before Clyde and his invaders came. Ever since then, life has been hellish not only for them but for all of the villagers in the hidden leaf. Since the reconstruction of the village entered its final stages, they have started to return to that lifestyle. That's not to say they don't have friends and that they don't go out, but there is only so much going out you can do when you reach your later years.

Instead of going out, they are often visited by the younger generation. Occasionally people would come to ask Shikamaru for advice on tactics, or for stories about the difficulties he has overcome on the battlefield. Sometimes people would come to ask Temari about her life around the Kazekages of the Hidden Sand and what it was like to grow up in that village. Once in a while though, they get a visit from Shikadai or from Mirai. These visits are unfortunately seldom however, both Shikadai and Mirai retain important responsibilities in the village.

Today is unique though. They have an even rarer visitor. A Kage from the Hidden Sand. Today Shinki is visiting them.

"It seems like you guys haven't had it easy either" Shinki says, hoping to get some new information from his aunt and uncle, information that could be important when it comes to casting his vote in The Circle.

Temari nods, "You can say that again".

"Training Naruto was a drag" Shikamaru remarks, to the slight annoyance of his wife, "It's hard to nurture a power you don't even understand".

Shinki shakes his head upon hearing this, "But you won, you're still here, that's all that matters". Truthfully, Shinki finds it slightly ridiculous how Shikamaru can be so laid back about the training he offered Naruto. Shikamaru, while an excellent strategist, had never been world-renowned for his individual strength, yet, despite that, he had managed to train the world's strongest shinobi to an even greater level.

"A lot of people sacrificed themselves so that we could make it this far". Temari thinks back to her friends who have died, her family from the Hidden Sand, to this time's Naruto, Sasuke, Sai and Konohamaru. "I'm glad you weren't one of them Shinki".

After a few more minutes of conversation, Shikamaru rises to his feet and lifts a jacket from a nearby hook. Putting it on he looks at Temari, "I'm going to meet Naruto and Hinata about now, so I have to leave. Thank you for the puppet, amulet, thing Shinki".

As Shikamaru leaves, Shinki quietly assures him that it is no problem. Temari momentarily believes she saw a look of relief in Shinki's eye as her husband departs but quickly puts it down to her imagination. The two of them continue to talk about issues big and small, about Temari's health and the wellbeing of the Hidden Sand villagers, to the short-term plans for the integration of the Sand villagers into the Leaf.

It takes about 20 minutes though, 20 minutes before the recurring issue returns.

"Still, Aunt Temari, I have to ask, are you really satisfied with this outcome" Shinki questions.

"Of course" his aunt answers with a smile, "We are still alive".

Shinki is still unwilling to accept this answer, he presses for more. "Don't you want revenge, for my father, for uncle Konkuro".

Temari bows her head slightly, the shadows cast over her eyes give Shinki a menacing feeling.

"Listen well Shinki, you don't get revenge for somebody else, you get justice for them". Her explanation implies to Shinki that justice has already been obtained, that justice is the non-lethal option. "Revenge is for yourself, it's a selfish thing to desire and all those who pursue it lose themselves as a result".

This is a lesson taught to shinobi, not just in the Hidden Leaf but all over the world. However, a certain generation of shinobi tell this story particularly well, Temari's generation. She has seen it in Gaara. Her husband has seen an even more extreme case in Sasuke but both narratives have something in common, they both regretted getting lost in vengeance.

Shinki contemplates this then his head feels like it's burning for a moment. The deep, manly voice returns.

" _She is calling you bitter and twisted, Shinki"_ says the voice, _"She is calling your father bitter and twisted"._

Shinki momentarily hesitates before acknowledging the voice. He replies to it in his head, silent but very clear to the voice's owner. _"I know, but… she's my aunt, I can't do anything… not to her… not to her…"._

" _Revenge Shinki, give up everything for revenge… you know what you must do"._

Shinki's eyes widen slightly and he breathes in sharply as he realises what this voice is goading him into, what it's gesturing towards.

He reaches into his pocket.

He raps his hand around an amulet.

" _That's it Shinki, revenge is but a squeeze away"._

Once again, the Kazekage hesitates as he considers what he is about to do. Once he does this there may truly be no way back for him.

" _Do it!"._

So he does it.

He squeezes.

He squeezes until he feels a crack form.

He squeezes the amulet until it is broken.

 **The Hidden Leaf Streets, Half an Hour Later**

Walking through the streets of the Leaf is a rare privilege for the shinobi of today but it is one they are happy to take when it is afforded to them. In this moment, that honour goes to the Hidden Leaf's latest Ino-Shika-Cho formation. The subject of their conversation is just as important as always though, it's Shikadai's cousin, Shinki and their concerns about his attitude that day at The Circle.

"It's like he's a completely different person" Shikadai smiles as he finishes recounting all the apologies that Shinki has offered as of late. Despite the Kazekage's initial outrage, he has since taken the decision gracefully and respectfully.

"Is that so?" Inojin asks.

"Are you sure you're not looking too much into his problems?" ChouChou questions.

"What do you mean?".

"His village has been destroyed by these people" she points out, "His father died at their hands".

"I've endured that as well" Inojin recalls. It is Inojin's father, Sai who stayed behind to detonate the bomb hidden under the village. In his last moments, Sai showed bravery to rival the greatest of shinobi, showed honour to rival even the greatest of the Kage.

"I know" ChouChou says with a pang of sympathy, "But we are still here to tell the tale. Most of the civilians from the Hidden Leaf survived this disaster. The Hidden Sand, on the other hand, only a very small group survived".

"I can understand why he would be angry" Shikadai admits, "I can even understand why he would want to kill them but it was the way he was acting. He was acting like it was everybody else's fault, like we were deliberately preventing justice from being carried out".

Inojin nods. "That is strange".

"But it's like you said, it's as if he is a completely different person now" ChouChou smiles as she reassuringly pats her teammate on the back, "Does it matter, as long as he is different now?".

With a sigh, the Nara clansmen drops the subject. "I suppose not".

"I hear he has been cooking again".

"Yeah, he always was a good cook" Shikadai grins nostalgically as he thinks back to life before the invasion, "He always used to cook for us when we would visit family in the Hidden Sand Village".

ChouChou jumps with excitement, "I want to try some of his food".

"I hear he's been cooking for various members of the Circle" Inojin smiles.

"I guess he must be doing it as some sort of apology". Shikadai scratches his chin as he considers this. Something strikes him as strange, Shinki hasn't cooked for Hashirama since then. The dark-haired shinobi comes to a realisation, Hashirama is the only one who voted with Shinki, due to Boruto's exclusion, perhaps his cousin felt an apology wasn't necessary.

"When he cooks for you let me know so I can try some" ChouChou asks as she shakes Shikadai by the shoulder.

Shikadai sweatdrops. "He's a pretty busy man you know".

A familiar house comes into view on the right side of the street.

"Do you mind if we stop for a moment so I can see how my mother is doing?" Shikadai asks.

"That's fine" Inojin nods, "We will wait out here for you".

"Wish her well from us Shikadai".

He nods before heading into the house.

 **A Field, Outside the Hidden Leaf Village**

Together, Hashirama and Boruto activate their most devastating powers for their training. While Boruto activates his Tenseigan, Hashirama begins to absorb nature chakra at a terrifying rate. It wouldn't intimidate normal people but Boruto has had some training in sage mode so he can sense his teacher's incredible power. It is just that, incredible, even the Shadow Hokage cannot help but feel a little intimidated.

"Don't hold back, I'll make sure the fight doesn't get out of hand" Hashirama declares.

Boruto does just that, he uses the attraction powers of the Tenseigan to pull his new master towards him. As the 1st Hokage hurtles towards him he pulls back a fist and throws it towards his face as hard as he can. A punch that would kill a normal man.

Hashirama casually lets himself fly towards Boruto until the very last second. At the perfect moment, he taps the floor with his food, dodging the incoming punch by a whisker. One definite advantage he has over Boruto is his speed, enhanced by this revolutionary use of sage mode's power. He stretches out a finger and painfully pokes Boruto in the head.

"Opening" he declares as he does so.

Boruto notes Hashirama is to his right, he creates a rasengan in his left hand and swings it across his body towards his teacher.

Again, the attack proves easy to dodge. The 1st Hokage steps backwards slightly before catching the outside of Boruto's wrist. Both of them know in this moment that he has come out of this exchange on top once again. This is a position it is hard to recover from.

A tap on the back of Boruto's head.

"Opening".

The shadow Hokage pulls his wrist free from the elder Senju brother's grasp. He leaps forwards, away from his teacher as he begins to spin his body to face the other way. He reaches down towards his belt where one of his custom kunai is stored. The second he manages to take hold of it, he throws it towards his stationary opponent.

The attack is not effective, the moment Boruto throws the kunai his adversary is no longer where he was. With a gasp, he realises that Hashirama has moved somewhere else entirely, he is behind him.

A gentle push in the back.

Boruto falls flat on his face.

Hashirama lands.

"Opening".

Boruto takes in a quick breath of air before groaning. This has happened every time he has fought against his teacher. Getting back to his feet he hears the voice call to him.

"For someone who has no blind spots, you have a lot of openings" Hashirama critically remarks.

"I know".

"If you can find a way to remove all of these openings, you will soon reach the highest level you can as a shinobi. Just like your father and I have done".

Boruto shakes his head gently. The highest level one can reach as a shinobi, so few people have done it throughout history. Naruto and Sasuke. Hashirama and Madara. So far only the transmigrants have managed it, does that mean that he will never be able to do so?

"You're faster and stronger than I am" Boruto points out.

"It doesn't matter" the 1st Hokage asserts, "If you develop a better method of blocking than my method for attacking, the power of my attack won't matter, it won't reach you".

"I suppose you're right".

"Don't ever forget, you are a shinobi" Hashirama says as he looks unwaveringly into Boruto's eyes, "The invaders may fight using their strength alone but we do not. We use tricks and techniques, we overcome our obstacles in any way we can. That is the reason that my brother and Kakashi were able to win despite their relatively lower power".

Boruto nods. "It's because they used the flying thunder god and kamui perfectly". Thinking about it, Boruto realises how unlikely the success of Kakashi and Tobirama was. In terms of raw power, the two of them were weak, perhaps the weakest members on the entire team. They did not have the power to beat any Colonel one on one without using little tricks. Peterson was the strongest Colonel on the opposing team yet Tobirama was able to beat him despite their gulf in power, perhaps that is the greatest fighting strength of the shinobi.

Hashirama taps Boruto's forehead as he smiles. "These eyes grant you many incredible powers, you just need to learn to use them, to overcome the enemy".

"Can we try again" Boruto request, "I want to get rid of these openings".

Hashirama nods to Boruto and watches his student walk to an appropriate distance to start their next bout from.

' _One day, Boruto'_.

' _One day, I will understand your power'_.

' _One day, I will help you unlock your true power'_.

' _Until that day, this is all I can do'_.

Boruto launches at Hashirama, drawing a last second block from the wood-release user.

' _Don't worry Mito'._

' _We'll carry out your dying will soon, Boruto and I'_.

 **Temari and Shikamaru's House**

Shikadai enters his mother's house to find something he hadn't expected when he decided to visit her. She already has a visitor, her nephew, Shikadai's cousin, Shinki, is paying a visit.

"Shinki, I didn't expect to see you here" Shikadai starts before smiling.

"Sorry to disappoint you".

Shikadai joins the two of them, sitting at the dining table. "Not at all, it's good for her to have company other than dad for a change".

"Shinki's a good cook" Temari smiles as she gestures to the empty bowl on the table. Her face quickly turns sour though, "Why are you no good at domestic work Shikadai?".

"Now, now" Shikadai waves his hands in front of him defensively. There is one person he has never been able to handle when she is angry and that is his mother.

"Shikadai works hard to keep The Circle functioning" Shinki declares in defence of his cousin. "Aunt Temari, you shouldn't be so hard on him". This is a loose excuse but it is the best Shinki can make. Shikadai is indeed responsible for running The Circle, however, his duties should not occupy him to the same extent as those of the Kazekage.

"You can be grateful we have a guest here" Temari declares as she crosses her arms, "Otherwise you wouldn't be getting off lightly".

"Cousin, you're a fully-grown man" Shinki chuckles, "Surely you must be able to cook some things".

The Nara clansmen scratches his head as he reminisces about the pre-invasion life once again. "Sarada and I always used to eat from the diner at work, so I never really learnt how to cook anything".

"Honestly" Shinki sighs, "You haven't changed Shikadai".

A pleasant silence takes hold of the room. Each of them have many happy memories of their lives before the war. They used to gather in the Hidden Sand each year. Shikamaru would take time off from his busy schedule at work and the members of the Kazekage clan would gather for a family reunion. For a while it was discussed that Shikadai may have to move to the Sand and become the Kazekage, so the laid-back shinobi was especially glad when his cousin was officially allowed to become a member of the family.

"Have you given Shikadai one of your puppet amulets?" Temari asks.

"No I haven't" Shinki comments before throwing an amulet to Shikadai, "Here you go".

"This is a puppet?" Shikadai asks as he inspects the amulet shaped creation before him. It is much like the jewellery from a book he read as a child, like a medallion you would see a wizard wearing in a film.

"It's made using the same techniques that Uncle Konkuro taught me" Shinki explains, "Of course, I picked up a few things myself and used them to help me make it".

Shikadai nods, "The craftsmanship is amazing".

"Being able to control iron sand certainly helps".

Temari grasps at Shikadai's arm as she eagerly explains the function of the puppet. "If you put your chakra into it, Shinki can use it to check whether you are alive or not".

"Amazing" Shikadai gasps, astonished by the revolutionary function of this device, "That's a pretty useful ability".

He hesitates as he lays his eyes on something he had not noticed previously. A distinguishing mark on the rear of the amulet. It's a unique design that somewhat represents a symbol that someone would use as a unique form of identification. For some reason though, he is drawn to it.

"What's this symbol on the back for?".

"An old teacher of mine used that symbol as his marker" Shinki shrugs as he continues, "I guess I couldn't let it go after he died, so I decided instead to continue his good work".

"That's funny" Temari remarks as she leans over to inspect the amulet once again, "I don't remember seeing a symbol on it".

Shikadai scratches his chin as he contemplates the drawing, it doesn't quite feel right to him. "I feel like I've seen it before, it must have been when I visited the Hidden Sand in the past… but…".

Shinki looks on as his cousin loses himself in a trance, the amulet seems to have mesmerised him.

Shikadai shakes his head and takes hold of the amulet. "I must be looking too much into it" he says as he prepares to put his chakra into it. Just before he can do so, he is interrupted, the door is opened.

"Shikadai, it's your dad" Inojin shouts as he runs inside.

"My dad?" Shikadai repeats the words as he gets to his feet.

"What happened?" Temari asks, concerned for her husband's welfare.

"He's been taken into hospital" ChouChou says as calmly as she can.

"They think he has had a heart attack".

* * *

 **Author Note**

Hi All,

I would like to apologize for not updating in a while. Given what I have said in the past, it is unacceptable to be updating at the slower rate I have been lately. You have my sincerest of apologies.

Excluding exceptional circumstances, my update schedule should be returning to normal as of now. A chapter every weekday.

Thanks for your patience,

Cbehrills


	68. A Puzzle to Solve

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – A PUZZLE TO SOLVE**

 **The Hospital, Outside Shikamaru's room**

Naruto and Hinata are nervous as they look through the glass window into Shikamaru's room. The Nara clansmen is a close friend to both of them and has been ever since their youth. The three of them were not only friends but were also three separate members of the Hidden Leaf Village's most legendary generation of shinobi. In the future, Naruto would spend much time working with Shikamaru who was to be his assistant during his tenure as Hokage. Hinata would enjoy many conversations with him after he would bring home a sleeping Naruto who had been working too hard.

While this couple is nervous, another pair of shinobi are even more on edge. Temari and Shikadai arrive, along with Shinki, to check on Shikamaru. They run along the corridor and look in through the window to see Biwako tending to the unwell father.

Temari takes a moment to look at her husband, a moment she struggles to not break down in. She had never expected to see him in this condition. After surviving the 4th great shinobi war and the invasion from Clyde and his men, she had believed Shikamaru to be invincible. He is far from invincible but to see him die at the hands of a heart attack is something she couldn't ever be ready for.

"What happened" Temari asks as she turns to look at Naruto and Hinata, remembering that Shikamaru had said he was going to visit his two old friends.

"I don't know, we were just talking, everything was fine and then he collapsed" Naruto explains as calmly as he can. In his short life, Naruto has been exposed to too much to death and destruction, he is accustomed to remaining calm in these situations, regardless of how difficult it is. "He was clutching at his chest so it was obvious that he was in pain".

"We got him here as quickly as we could" Hinata assures Temari as she places a hand on her friend's shoulder.

While everyone's eyes are on Hinata, the door opens behind them, forcing their heads to quickly snap around and look at the woman exiting. It is Biwako. In Tsunade's absence, Biwako has taken up the leading medical job at the hospital and was the first to respond when Shikamaru was rushed in.

"Lady Biwako, what happened" Shikadai asks.

Biwako looks Shikadai in the eye like any other patient's relative and slowly explains the situation. "He was rushed in and his condition was not good. Our first impression was that he had a heart attack and so far, that still appears to be the case".

Shikadai shakes his head. To have survived through so much and die like this, he cannot believe that is his dad's destiny. "How could this have happened?" he asks through a shaky voice, "Were there any strange circumstances, could this have been the result of a jutsu, or could it have been an attack by the invaders?".

Temari is noticeably saddened by these questions, it's clear to her that her son is angry, angry at the world. While Shikadai questions how this is possible, she sheds a few tears, only wiping them from her eyes when Hinata thoughtfully offers a handkerchief.

Shinki stirs up more emotions when he presses the subject further. "Shikadai, are you suggesting this was murder".

As Temari sobs once again, Biwako defuses the tension around the situation.

"Please calm down" she says, "Shikamaru isn't dead".

" _WHAT!"_ Shinki screams in his head.

He is sure that he killed Shikamaru.

He stealthily casts an eye towards his pocket to confirm what he had suspected. Shikamaru's amulet is cracked. In his mind, this means Shikamaru should be dead, so what could have happened. His attempt at revenge, the payback he was trying to get for himself and his father, had it failed. Have the amulets let him down.

"You mean he's going to be OK?" Temari asks through her tears.

"His condition is pretty severe, so you should prepare for the worst" Biwako begins, not wanting to give false hope to Shikamaru's family, "However, thanks to Naruto, he should be OK".

Temari is stunned by Naruto's name. "What do you mean?". Could it be that Naruto rushed him to hospital faster than anybody else could have?

Hinata explains what happened. She sets the scene for Temari, explaining that they met and then went for a walk for something to do. "When Shikamaru collapsed, I soon realised that he was having a heart attack" Hinata recounts the horrifying events, "I thought he would die for sure".

"But, then Naruto used his power of 'life' to save Shikamaru".

"It was a close-run thing even then. Naruto and Hinata rushed him here to hospital" Biwako explains, "I'll put it as simply as I can, Naruto saved your husband's life, Temari".

"Thank you, Lord 7th" Shikadai bows politely to the Circle member. "If there is any way I can repay you…".

"Don't worry about it" Naruto interrupts Shikadai before he can offer any repayment for his actions, "Shikamaru is my friend, it's my duty to look after him".

Shikamaru's admiration for Naruto grows even more. Not only had he saved Shikamaru, and everyone's lives twice but now he had saved Shikamaru again. Not only does this inspire admiration, it also inspires a slight depression in Shikadai. For just a moment, he remembers the feelings he has been experiencing lately, feelings of powerlessness. Once again, he couldn't save anyone, he had to rely on the 7th Hokage to do it. Once again, he is left to feel that his power as a shinobi is worthless, that he cannot do anything.

"Thank you" Temari whispers, "Naruto, Hinata, thank you".

"We're happy to help" Hinata smiles as she comforts the elderly Temari, "Hey, everything will be OK, he's still alive Temari".

Temari nods and lets Hinata continue to comfort her.

"Can we go in and see him?" Shikadai asks Biwako.

The wife of the 3rd nods in reply, "It may be a while before he wakes up but I'm sure he would feel comforted by your presence".

Shikadai walks up to the door and pushes it open. He keeps it open with his fingers as he stretches his other hand out towards Temari. "After you, mother". He politely holds the door open as she walks into the room, quickly following after her himself, leaving Naruto, Hinata and Shinki in the corridor as Biwako leaves to see to her other patients.

Then, the voice in Shinki's head returns!

" _He's still alive, Shinki"._

Shinki shakes slightly as he replies to the voice in his head. _"How… how is this possible…"._

" _You know how"._

Shinki continues to shake as he looks at the couple next to him.

" _The 7_ _th_ _Hokage…"_ he whispers to the voice, _"Uzumaki Naruto"._

" _Yes"_ the voice replies, equally as quietly, _"You realise don't you. He's the one. He's the piece you need to solve the puzzle"._

The voice continues, _"If you have him, nobody will be able to stand in your way"._

" _Uzumaki Naruto"_ Shinki's gaze firms as he focuses on his uncle's saviour, _"He is the last piece of the puzzle"._

" _You know what you must do, don't you, Shinki?"._

" _Yeah… I know…"._

 **Two Days Later, A Training Field**

Much like Boruto had been training with Hashirama previously, Sarada is also determined to train with her new master, with Naruto. They naturally share the same duties as Hashirama and Boruto, they are, all four of them, members of The Circle. Each of them has an important voice in deciding how the Hidden Leaf Village is to operate.

However, The Circle has been called off as a result of recent events. Shikadai is not in the right state of mind to administer the decision-making process. Up until now the best substitute there has been is Shikamaru, who is unavailable due to having a heart attack. They have yet to find a suitable replacement for either and each member agreed it would be best to put the meetings on hold until one of them returned to The Circle and another substitute administrator could be decided upon.

Sarada has been training in the meantime. She throws several punches at Naruto, giving each one her all in an attempt to outwit her teacher.

Naruto dodges each punch though. He combines the sensory prowess of six path sage mode with the boost in his raw abilities granted by his understanding of life. Every punch is seamless to dodge for him but he notices as time goes on, each and every one of them is getting closer and closer to their mark.

Sarada activates her Rinnegan to improve her ability to keep track of Naruto. Despite having visual abilities that rival her father, Sasuke, her ancestor, Madara and her friend, Boruto, she still cannot fully track where Naruto is going. Each punch is doomed to come close but only to come close. Each of them fails to hit.

"Keep going" Naruto encourages as he dodges, "You need to improve your use of the Rinnegan".

Taking this to heart, Sarada switches up her taijutsu. By throwing a few feints into the mix, she begins to understand how Naruto will react to each type of attack. Using her Rinnegan she begins to feel that she may actually be able to see Naruto's future movements.

Finally, a feint causes an opening, an opening that she doesn't hesitate in taking. She avoids her usual habit of stepping one foot forward before throwing a powerful attack. Sarada instead keeps her feet bolted in position as she uses her hips to throw a powerful attack towards Naruto's face.

SLAP!

Naruto brings his hand around to catch Sarada's punch. "Good" he nods, "There is no way I could have dodged that one".

Shaking her head, the 9th Hokage takes a deep breath. "Was my father really able to keep up with you like this?".

"He was".

"How?" Sarada asks in disbelief, "He was younger than I was when he fought you".

Sarada is a legendary shinobi, one of the strongest to have walked the on this world. Despite that, she is not able to keep up with Naruto. This is using a power she used to defeat an elderly Sasuke, that was used to defeat Sheer and was used to survive against two Colonels until Boruto arrived. Despite having the ability to do all of that, she is not able to keep up with Naruto.

"I'm sure you know this, being his daughter. Sasuke had a tough life full of difficulties. He was constantly presented with obstacles and rose to the challenge using only his talent" Naruto explains before chuckling, for a moment his explanation brings back his old feelings of jealousy towards his friend. "You and I are the type to build on our power with the help of others. Sasuke wasn't like that, his talent was incredible".

Nodding, Sasuke's daughter contemplates this. Perhaps she doesn't share her father's talent, however, she has already reached an incredible level using the same method as Naruto, a man who Sasuke admitted defeat to.

"I would like to try again".

"OK" the 7th Hokage smiles to his pupil, "See if you can hit me quicker this time".

Sarada begins to attack Naruto but this time decides to start a conversation as she does so. "Has Shikamaru woken up yet?".

"No" Naruto answers as he dodges the incoming flurry of attacks, "Not when I visited this morning".

"Shikadai and Temari must be feeling the pressure right now". Sarada is right of course, the situation is still dangerous for everyone but it is refreshing for the village's defence to not be such high priority for once. Just when the shinobi feel they can relax, Shikamaru and his family go through this.

Naruto nods his agreement. His mind drifts back to the moment Shikamaru had a heart attack. Back then he had felt something unusual, something that caused him to be slightly confused.

Sarada seeing an opening throws a fist towards Naruto's fist. She doesn't connect though, she instead stops just short when she realises he is not reacting. He only reacts after the fist has stopped, jumping backwards in surprise as if he has just woken from a dream.

"Are you alright?" Sarada asks, "You clearly lost focus there".

"I'm just thinking about the heart attack" Naruto admits as a sadness comes to his face. "I felt something unusual when it happened".

"Something unusual?".

"It was a dark ominous chakra" Naruto explains loosely. Naturally, a particular feeling he has about chakra is very difficult to describe.

Sarada struggles to believe what she is hearing but doesn't dare to disagree with Naruto given his experience. "Are you saying that someone deliberately hurt Shikamaru?".

"No, it could be a coincidence" the 7th Hokage confesses as he waves his hands defensively before his face, "Or perhaps I am feeling it because I have the power of life now… but something…".

"Something felt slightly familiar to me".

"You've felt it before?". The last Uchiha asks this with less scepticism than before. History has been one long conspiracy according to her parents and the ones who have witnessed the most of it are the students of team 7. Of all those students, only one lives to this day.

"I've felt it before" Naruto confirms, "I just can't remember where".

As Naruto thinks about his life experiences, a voice interrupts his thoughts.

"Lord 7th" the voice calls.

Turning to face it, the aforementioned Lord 7th smiles, "Oh, hello Shinki".

"Could we meet up for dinner tonight?" the last Sand shinobi asks cheerfully, "I would like to thank you for saving my uncle's life".

This is just what is needed to save Naruto's mood. He has been plagued by sadness ever since the incident and is unlikely to be truly happy until Shikamaru wakes up but this is a welcome distraction.

"OK" he nods, "I'll meet you at your place, would you like me to bring anything?".

Shinki smiles, "You will be enough by yourself Lord 7th".

' _Yes, your power'_ he continues in his head, _'Your power will be enough, Lord 7_ _th_ _'_.

 **That Night, The Hospital**

Temari and Shikadai are sat beside Shikamaru's bed as the stars in the sky start to become visible. Depressingly little has happened since Shikamaru was brought in two days ago, something that has done little to improve the tired conditions of Temari and her son.

Standing up, the Sand shinobi speaks to her only child. "I'm going to go home now and get some sleep".

Shikadai nods, mouthing the words OK before turning back to his father.

"You should come too" Temari says.

"I want to be here when he wakes up". Shikadai's stubbornness comes in spite of his apparent laid-back attitude. The men of the Nara clan are stubborn despite their appearances, that has always been one of their most endearing features in Temari's eyes.

"I know you do" Temari's eyes lower nervously, "But you still need your sleep, your father would say the same thing".

"I'll sleep in this chair" Shikadai harrumphs, refusing to move even if his mother insists he does. "If you were in his place, my father would say the same thing".

Temari hesitates, knowing that she cannot refute her son's argument. After a moment, she looks at him and says one last thing before leaving. "Don't push yourself too hard, OK".

Shutting the door after her, Temari leaves. Recently she has lost many friends to this war, including Sai and Konohamaru. She had been one of the first to realise the 8th Hokage's true potential as he attacked her when he was a lot younger. Further to this, she has recently had the deaths of her siblings in the Sand confirmed to her. If this were to be supplemented with the death of her husband, it is hard for her to imagine how she would cope.

After a few minutes, the door opens again. Shikadai turns around, initially expecting his mother to say she had forgotten something but he is surprised when it is someone entirely different stood in the door frame.

"It's you".

"Yeah" the newcomer whispers, "It's me".

Entering into the room and sitting in the chair that Temari vacated, the newcomer takes the hood off from her jacket.

It is Mirai.

"How's he doing" Mirai asks as she looks over Shikamaru's motionless body.

Besides Shikamaru's immediate family, this has also been a difficult time for Mirai. Mirai is not technically related to Shikamaru and therefore couldn't afford to take any time away from the security of the village. Growing up, Mirai didn't have a father, many of Asuma's techniques as a shinobi were incorporated into her arsenal but not by her mother, instead it was by Shikamaru. Shikamaru has been a godfather to her in all but name and during her youth he is the closest thing she had to a father.

"He's not woken up yet" Shikadai glumly declares, "Your grandmother said that he would but…".

"You don't think he will?".

"It's not that. I'm sure he will wake up" the raven-haired shinobi says unwaveringly. His mind is on other things at the moment, on things he said when he first arrived to the hospital, "There is something else".

"What is it?" Mirai asks as she rests her elbows on her knees and looks into her friend's eyes.

"I've got the sense that something is wrong here. I feel like the heart attack bight not have been an accident".

"What makes you think that?".

"My father is a shinobi with very few health problems" Shikadai explains. "He may be an old man but he is in good physical shape. He has always had a healthy diet and has seldom come into hospital before".

"There has been so much going on lately. The invasion has been hard" Mirai explains gently. As one of the central figures of the invasion defence, she is an authority on its stresses, "It must have been taking its toll on him. After all, he tried to nurture Naruto's power alone".

"But why now" Shikadai asks as he turns to Mirai. "He is semi-retired, he has very few major duties to perform. He is living a stress-free lifestyle with my mother. They are relaxed and they are happy, happier than I have seen them in years".

"That isn't proof though" the fusion shinobi argues, "This could just be a coincidence".

"As you say, I don't have any proof, you have no reason to listen to me at all" Shikadai admits as he rotates his fingers around one another, "However, if I said that I have a hunch, would you believe in me?".

"Shikadai, you're like a little brother to me and I know better than to doubt a Nara's hunch" Mirai smiles as she places a hand on Shikadai's, "If you say something is out of place, I will believe you".

 **Shinki's House**

The Kazekage stands at the window and looks down the street. It does not require enhanced vision to see the village's most unsubtle shinobi heading this way.

Shinki watches as Naruto approaches with a smile on his face.

" _Tonight, tonight is the fateful night"_ he says in his own head.

" _Yes"_ the strange voice replies to him with a hiss.

" _Father, Uncle Konkuro, I will get revenge for you"_ Shinki swears.

" _And you will help me to do that… Uzumaki Naruto"._

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Something exceptional has happened meaning there will be a delay of at least one day. It should only be one day but I have no way of knowing I'm afraid.

I appreciate your patience.

Thanks,

Cbehrills


	69. The Truth Revealed

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – THE TRUTH REVEALED**

 **That Night, Shinki's House**

Shinki awaits his guest, standing next to the front door, eagerly anticipating his imminent arrival. He has waited for this, he has waited a long time for this, the final piece of his puzzle, the last thing he needs to succeed. A dark plan, formed in the shadows yet Uzumaki Naruto, supposedly the strongest shinobi that has ever lived, is walking into it without a clue in the world. One word crosses Shinki's mind. _'Naïve'_.

Thinking back to what he has lost makes this plan all the more worth it. He has lost his father, the Kazekage clan's Gaara, the man who raised him without any obligations, who loved him despite them not being connected by blood. He has lost his uncle, the Kazekage clan's Konkuro, the man who taught him everything he knows about puppets and their manipulation. He has also lost all the others, all his friends and all his subordinates from the Hidden Sand Village.

Two quick successive knocks come on the door, followed by the loud voice of the teenage Uzumaki clansmen. "Yo, Shinki!" he calls, his voice reverberating through the door.

Shinki smiles and shakes his head for a moment. He quickly reprimands himself though, he is not here to be drawn in by Naruto's charisma, he is here for his father, his uncle and all the others.

He opens the door with a practiced smile, much like the one Sai wore when he first met Naruto. "Welcome Lord 7th, please come in".

Naruto smiles at the warm welcome, it is clearly different from Shinki's attitude back when they first met. Back then, Shinki had been aggressive, he had been unwilling to listen, his resolve to kill Clyde and the other invaders was unwavering. Now he is completely different, or so it would seem.

Naruto smiles as he enters. "You can just call me Naruto".

Shinki leads Naruto through his largely open-plan home, taking him straight to the dining table. He notes, as they travel, Naruto's inquisitive looks around the sparsely populated rooms. Of course, something that everyone forgets about Naruto, is that he is still young. Blinded by the overwhelming power of the 7th Hokage, most people forget that he is only 17 years old.

Shinki pulls a chair back from the table before gesturing to it with his open hand. "Please have a seat at the table".

Doing just that, Naruto's nose begins to wrinkle as he looks towards the nearby cooking implements. "Something smells good" he compliments the Kazekage.

"Thank you. I've always been proud of my cooking skills" Shinki reveals. Thinking back to his youth, he recalls that he cooked once or twice on behalf of his father. It was during one 5 Kage summit that Naruto was particularly enthusiastic about his food. To be praised by one of the world's saviours, that was one of the happiest moments in Shinki's young life. "I know your favourite is ramen" Shinki recalls, "I hope you don't mind me trying my own recipe".

Ramen is never a bad thing in the mind of the young Hokage. "I can't wait to try it".

"I'll do my best not to disappoint you".

Naruto leans back in the chair and relaxes as he tries to think of an appropriate conversation. "So, you're Gaara's son" he questions with a chuckle. "I can't imagine Gaara having kids". Despite saying this, Naruto always believed that Gaara would be an excellent father. He believed that to be a good father meant not only knowing the light, but also knowing the darkness, two sides of life's golden coin that Gaara knew very well.

"Actually, Gaara is my foster father" Shinki confesses. There was a lot of debate, when he was first adopted, about whether Shinki could succeed Gaara as Kazekage. The only other possible successor was Nara Shikadai and having a Hidden Leaf shinobi as the Kazekage was deemed embarrassing, thus it was decided that Shinki could officially join the Kazekage clan.

"He was also my inspiration" Shinki continues as he raises his hand. It is at this moment that Naruto's eyes are first drawn to a nearby gourd, just like Gaara had used during the war. Out of this gourd lifts a grey-sandy substance. In the same vein that Gaara can control the movement of sand, Shinki can control the movement of iron sand.

"Amazing". The wide-eyed Hokage looks on with astonishment, every time he witnesses this ability, or anything similar, he marvels over how difficult and how complex it is, as well as how convenient and powerful it is for the user.

"I've done my best to copy his defensive style" Shinki explains as the iron sand thinly dances around his hand in a spherical shape. "Unfortunately, I have to concentrate in order to use it". This is the greatest difference between the abilities of Shinki and his father. Gaara's defence is automatic, allowing him to maintain concentration even when being attacked, however, Shinki has to concentrate in order to defend using his iron sand. Shinki can form a spherical defence with a radius of one meter, this cannot be used while he is attacking though, as that requires focus.

Shinki cannot use his perfect defence while he is attacking. That is its greatest flaw.

"This gourd is filled with the perfect amount of iron sand. By making use of all of it, I'm convinced that nobody can get within one meter of me" Shinki proudly boasts. "Well, nobody except some rare exceptions, much like you, Naruto".

This is the other flaw of Shinki's defence. It can still be breached by someone with overwhelming power like Naruto or the others who competed against the invaders in the captained six contest.

"It's still impressive" Naruto asserts, "I know Gaara would be really proud of your abilities and the way you've led the Hidden Sand Village".

"Thank you. Although, my most proud achievement revolves around my ability to create puppets". The Kazekage explains this with a hint of a smile on his face.

"Puppets" Naruto scratches his chin, "Ah, that's just like Konkuro".

"That's right" Shinki declares with a nod, "I'm sure you have heard of my greatest ability". An ability that has been witnessed by Minato, by Boruto and by Sarada, three of the closest people to Naruto.

"I can create a puppet which will let me know if you are alive or dead".

Naruto thinks back through recent events. Since Shikamaru's heart attack The Circle has been called off, so he has been trying his hardest to spend time with his family, like Boruto and Himawari as well as with his student, Sarada. "Now that you mention it, I think Boruto said something about that to me".

"Boruto has a puppet. If I were to use it, I could confirm that he is alive" Shinki explains.

"Amazing, that's a really useful ability given our current circumstances". Naruto is correct. Imagine, for example, that Clyde were to go back on his agreement to halt hostilities. He could invite the forgiving Naruto to the invaders' camp to talk with him. When Naruto arrives at the camp, Clyde could use a surprise attack to kill him. Normally, the result of the encounter would be unknown to the shinobi who stayed behind, however, using Shinki's puppet, the result would be known and a decision could be made from a safe distance.

Undetectable to the young blonde shinobi, Shinki's plan finally starts to come to fruition.

"Would you like to make a puppet for you, Naruto?".

"Of course, that would be great".

From his pocket, the dark-haired shinobi pulls a puppet in the shape of an amulet. The same type of amulet that he has given the others. "If you will put your chakra into this, it will be done".

Both Kage stretch out their hands and exchange the amulet. Then, the last piece falls into place.

Naruto puts his chakra into the amulet!

He marvels at the sensation as he feels a synchronicity develop between his life force and the amulet. As he senses the chakra flowing from his very blood to and from this small trinket. It is this sensation which confirms to him that this amulet really can be used to determine whether he is alive or dead. However, his positive emotions are insignificant when compared to Shinki's.

A menacing smile creeps onto Shinki's face and he does his best to prevent himself from laughing.

" _I've done it. It's all in my hands now"._

" _Father, Uncle, I can finally take revenge for you"._

 **Outside the Hidden Leaf Village**

Laying with his back on a branch, the 1st Hokage gazes at the tree before him. He is in a position of responsibility. Following the captained six contest, it became clear that he was the village's second strongest shinobi. If one took away Naruto's ability to control the invaders' power, Hashirama may actually be on par or stronger than Naruto. However, to get stronger he must also understand the invaders' power.

It is for this reason that he is gazing at the tree.

He is trying to understand the element of 'wood'.

' _I'm convinced I fully understand the element that is wood'_ he tells himself as he looks up and down the length of the tree. He has been sat here for hours and has been doing this for a couple of weeks now. Not only that but he has been using the wood-release for years as the central pillar of his power. _'To think that Naruto understands 'life' even more than I understand 'wood', just how thorough does your understanding need to be'_.

Realising that he is making no progress, he allows his attention to wander away from the tree to the open field nearby. Normally, that open field is vacant at this time of night. Right now, however, there is a single occupant in the field.

Most people wouldn't be able to spot this single occupant. Hashirama is no ordinary man though, while he does not boast any visual dojutsu, his eyesight does exceed that of a normal human. His vision is something he attempted to train ever since Madara first reluctantly proclaimed himself to have better vision than Hashirama. Naturally, Hashirama's vision never bested Madara's but it is still something he is proud of.

It is something that allows him to identify the fields occupant.

Uchiha Sarada.

' _Sarada huh…'_.

In the centre of the field, Sarada has not noticed Hashirama watching her. This is despite her vastly superior vision and is because of her nervousness in this moment.

Running her hands through her hair she does her best to separate strands that have become entangled with one another. She continues this for several minutes before finally stopping, questioning what she is doing.

"What am I doing. Tidying my hair" she says as she drops her hands down to her sides, "Who cares about that sort of thing anyway".

"I think it looks quite nice" a voice calls from behind her.

Sarada turns upon hearing the familiar voice, the voice of her shadow Hokage. "Boruto…".

"Your hair that is" Boruto explains as he approaches his teammate and Hokage. "I think your hair looks quite nice".

Sarada blushes lightly at the compliment. "Yeah… thank you, Boruto".

Seeing Sarada blush amuses Boruto. He has witnessed first-hand her actions as the Hokage. She has always been fair to all her allies and has put the alliance ahead of the Leaf on many occasions. She has never been afraid to voice her opinion though and she has always been unintimidated by threats to the alliance and to her village. To see her unflustered by all the things she has had to endure in her role, only to be flustered by a small compliment is not something he had expected to see.

"You wanted to see me?" Boruto smiles.

"That's right".

"Is the village in danger or something?". Boruto has been called by Sarada on many occasions to discuss something critical that is to be kept secret between the two of them. Holding the two most important positions in the village, they have also been the two people with the most responsibility for the villagers' safety. It has been important that they keep secrets to prevent the spread of panic.

"No, it's not about the village" Sarada breathes out, "It's personal".

The shadow Hokage smiles and relaxes slightly upon hearing there is no imminent danger. "Then I'm all ears, Sarada".

"You remember when your dad saved me" the 9th Hokage asks, referring to the captained six contest and the substance that leaked from Boruto's body. "When I woke up again and you embraced me".

Just as soon as Boruto has relaxed he tenses again. "Oh" he mutters, averting his eyes, "That".

"Yeah, that. After I was saved, I was still worried that we were going to die" Sarada admits. Back then, it had still been unclear if Naruto was capable of defeating General Clyde or not. "I told you that there was something I had to say to you".

Boruto recalls this. Unfortunately, back then Tobirama had used the flying thunder god technique to appear before them and take them away. Whatever private words Sarada had wanted to say, she couldn't say, she instead joined in with Boruto and the others in praying that Naruto would win.

He looks at Sarada with a curious expression as she continues.

"And I've decided that I am going to tell you tonight".

 **Shikamaru's Room, The Hospital**

Shikadai racks his brain as he tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"I just feel like I'm missing one vital piece of information" he explains as he holds his hands together in a triangular shape, "I feel like I'm one fact away from understanding what's going on here".

"Is there anything I can do to help?". From the moment Shikadai informed Mirai that he had a hunch, she truly believed that something unusual had happened here. It is not simply a case of her considering the Nara's like family, it is a judgement she has come to after years of working with Shikadai. After Shikadai took the job as Konohamaru's assistant, he looked over lots of paperwork and missions. Nobody, not even Shikamaru, has had as much success and been as effective in strategic planning as Shikadai.

"I don't know" Shikadai admits, "Have you noticed anything strange lately?".

"No. Nothing".

A voice interrupts them.

"T… Temari…".

Shikadai's head snaps around towards the source of the weak sounding voice.

"Dad!".

"Sh… Shikadai, is that you?". Shikamaru's voice is weak but he manages to speak coherently through his pain. A result of years of enduring pain as a shinobi.

"Yes dad, it's me. Mirai and I are here for you".

Shikamaru shifts his head to the side, looking through his slightly blurry vision at the concerned faces of his and Asuma's children. He manages a weak smile as he notices they are both alright, "I see… what happened".

"You had a heart attack, dad" Shikadai explains this as he considers whether he should call a doctor or nurse now that his father has awoken. Overstressing him would be a bad idea in his current condition, even given his past as a shinobi.

"You would have died if Lord 7th hadn't saved you" Mirai continues.

"A heart attack?" Shikamaru asks as he reaches his hand out towards his son.

Shikadai takes his hand and places it back on the bed. "That's right, you had a heart attack".

The elder Nara shakes his head side-to-side and the rate of his breathing noticeably increases. "That… that can't be right" he says as he tries to look into Shikadai's eyes, "As I was dying… I felt an… another chakra… I felt something clawing… at my vitality".

Shikadai starts as his suspicions are confirmed. There is something else behind the heart attack of his father, there are unusual circumstances surrounding his heart attack. "There must be a way we can find out more about this".

Mirai clicks her fingers as she thinks of a way. "What about Shinki's puppet, perhaps that could help us find out more".

"That thing?" Shikadai asks as he reaches into his pocket. "That thing with the weird symbol on it. I still have mine in my pocket".

 **Outside the Hidden Leaf Village**

Sarada tries to explain to Boruto what she was going to say that day.

"It's not easy for me to say this".

"Hey" Boruto says as he places a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, "You can tell me anything, we've been through hell and back together".

Sarada nods. Of course, he would say that, despite their differences, they've witnessed the hell of the village being destroyed. They've worked together to overcome a duo with supposedly perfect teamwork. They grew up together, understanding the motivations and feelings of one another better than anybody else could.

"It's just that I don't know where this will leave us" Sarada admits.

"Sarada, it doesn't matter what you say, I'm with you for the long run, understand?".

Nodding, Sarada readies herself. "Boruto, I called you here to tell you what I was going to say on that day".

"What were you going to say Sarada?".

"Uzumaki Boruto… I'm in love with you".

 **Shikamaru's Room, The Hospital**

As Shikadai pulls the amulet from his pocket, a funny expression comes to the face of Mirai. While Shinki had been cooking for her grandparents, he had been kind enough to invite her along, so she had an amulet corresponding to her too. That makes sense, after all, her life is of great importance to the village and her power exceeds many of those in The Circle.

"What do you mean?" she asks as she thinks to what Shikadai said, "What funny symbol?".

"This puppet that Shinki uses to monitor your vitality" Shikadai says while waving the blank side at Mirai, "It has an unusual symbol on the back".

An unusual atmosphere grasps the room and it does not escape Shikadai's notice. Both Mirai and Shikamaru are looking at him with complicated expressions. Their gaze tells him that he has said something beyond their expectations, perhaps something that they consider to be impossible. Their gaze tells him that they think he is talking nonsense.

"Shikadai" his father calls his name, "The amulet Shinki showed your mother and I… it was blank, not just on one side, it was blank on both sides".

Shikadai shakes his head, now it is his turn to pull an unusual expression and claim the others are talking nonsense.

"No, it definitely has a funny symbol on the back. Here let me show you".

 **Shinki's House**

Shinki returns from the kitchen having put the last ingredient into his masterful dish. Naruto looks cheerfully towards his friend's son. He never would have imagined that the future Kazekage would be such a gifted chef. They exchange a few pleasantries and Naruto guesses at the secret ingredients that Shinki is using.

Shinki sits down before looking towards the amulet before Naruto.

"I will just put this amulet in my gourd with all the others" he says as he reaches across the table and picks it up by the string.

He's got it!

He has the amulet. The last piece of his puzzle, it's finally his!

Then something beyond his expectations happens.

Naruto grabs his retreating wrist!

Shinki starts before raising his eyes to look at the 7th Hokage. His expression is different from before, it is not calm nor pleasant. It is the look of a 7th Hokage who has realised something that nobody else has.

"You should know that your genjutsu won't work on me, I'm a jinchuriki".

Shinki frowns as he realises this. He has been foolish.

"But why are you even trying" Naruto asks, "We're allies, aren't we?".

 **Outside the Village**

Boruto is stunned for a moment as he tries to look Sarada in the eyes. He cannot, Sarada's eyes are drilling into the ground at his feet, like a child who does not dare to look at a scolding adult.

"Do you mean that?" he asks.

"Yeah" Sarada admits after a moment's hesitation. "I promise, it's completely true".

"I see… I also have something that I have to tell you, Sarada".

 **Shinki's House**

Slowly, Naruto's eyes drift from Shinki down to the amulet, the item that had been the focal point of Shinki's genjutsu.

The Kazekage has a hold on the string but not on the body of the amulet itself.

The amulet slowly turns.

The symbol edges closer to Naruto's view.

 **Shikamaru's Room, The Hospital**

Shikadai flips the amulet around, showing the symbol to both his father and Mirai. A moment that would shape him for the rest of his life.

"Oh my god" Mirai mutters as he breathing quickens.

"This symbol" Shikamaru starts as he recalls his experience with it.

Shikadai looks between the two-distressed shinobi, clearly, they know something he does not. "What is it? What the hell is going on?".

 **Shinki's House**

Visions of the past start to return to Naruto. Visions of a terrifying man. Of horrors that he, to this day, refuses to repeat to anyone.

"Shinki… you're…".

 **Shikamaru's Room, The Hospital**

Shikadai leans over his father's bed and holds the amulet close to give him a good view.

"Dad, what is it? What is this symbol?".

"It's the symbol of something truly terrifying" Mirai says, causing Shikadai's head to momentarily turn in her direction.

"That symbol… it's been a long time since I've seen it" Shikamaru's shaky voice draws his son's attention back.

"This symbol…".

"… it's Jashin!".

Elsewhere a maniacal smile starts to dawn on Shinki's face.

To Naruto. To Shikamaru. To Shikadai. To Mirai. Everything starts to become clear.

The amulets are marked with the symbol of Jashin.

That must be the familiar chakra that harmed Shikamaru. It was the same chakra used by Hidan.

But then something far more terrifying dawns on them.

Shinki has given one of these amulets to the majority of the most of the powerful shinobi in the village.

Their lives are in his hands now!

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi Everyone.

I apologize for not writing yesterday. I had an emergency that meant I could not write, you have my sincerest apologies for that. I know I have reiterated my schedule several times and have broken it just as many.

I appreciate that my schedule as of late has been unacceptable and I will make every effort to rectify that.

Additionally, that is a horrible cliff-hanger to give you for the weekend isn't it? I may write another chapter over the weekend but I make no promises.

As always thanks for reading,

Cbehrills


	70. The Last Hope

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – THE LAST HOPE**

 **Shinki's House**

Naruto has never been the most quick-witted of shinobi, nor has he been the most intelligent Kage. Slowly but surely, he sorts out the information in his mind, everything becomes clear. The mystery behind Shikamaru's heart unravels.

"It was you" Naruto gasps as he staggers backwards. He realises in this moment that he has been betrayed, not just by an ally but by the son of one of his closest friends. "You were the one who attacked Shikamaru".

Shinki does not answer Naruto with words, instead opting to answer with a mere facial expression. There is no regret in that expression, not one ounce of concern for the life of his uncle. Instead, that expression is a smile. A smile. He laughs in the face all those who have fallen into his trap. With the people of this world on the brink of extinction, one local pulls off a perfect plan and laughs while his victims fall into it. Unlike usual, it is not one of the celebrated Nara clan targeting the enemy. It is the last Kazekage, targeting his own friends.

"That familiar chakra" Naruto stammers as he recalls where he last felt it. He had believed the chakra to be that of the Akatsuki's Hidan but now it is obvious that is not the case. "That familiar chakra was from Jashin!".

"It seems you have pieced of everything together, Uzumaki Naruto". The Kazekage refuses to show any remorse. Even with the way he speaks it is clear that he is looking down on his opponent. In this world, only one person can fight Naruto on a level-playing field, that is General Clyde. However, despite the enormous gulf in raw-power between the 7th Hokage and 6th Kazekage, the latter shows no fear, as if he is talking to a child.

"Indeed, this is Shikamaru's puppet" Shinki declares. As he says this, his iron sand lifts an object out of his gourd. It is lifting one of the amulets by the string. Like the hand of a professional sportsman, the iron sand whips forward, launching the amulet towards Naruto at full speed.

Any object moving at this speed is enough to kill a normal human. Naruto is not a normal human though, he is the 7th Hokage. Despite his lack of visual prowess his senses are far beyond what others could hope to achieve. Without even looking he stretches his hand out and catches the high-velocity jewellery.

Naruto looks over the amulet. Several cracks meet in the metal of the central piece. The damage is not extreme but anyone would describe its condition as 'broken'.

"How…".

"These amulets don't merely monitor your life, they resonate with your blood" Shinki explains. This brings back sour memories for Naruto, memories of Kakazu and Hidan. While Naruto hadn't battled Hidan directly, he has seen the effect he left on the battlefield, he has heard the stories of his power. A power that was based upon blood, that seems to be the mark of Jashin. "When Aunt Temari insulted my father and my uncle, when she insulted their desire for revenge, I taught her a lesson, I crushed the amulet".

Naruto still struggles to regain his composure, pushing out just the few words required to keep Shinki going. "Then Shikamaru…".

"Yeah, he had a heart attack, he was destined to die but you got in my way".

Hearing Shinki say this Naruto realises the source of this resentment, resentment not towards the invaders but resentment towards him. It is because the 7th Hokage is interfering with his plans, repeatedly. It is as Shinki says, from the moment he crushed Shikamaru's amulet, the head of the Nara clan was destined to die, no shinobi should be able to save him. No person should be able to save him. However, Naruto had used the power of life to reverse Shikamaru's fate, a power unseen not only in this world but in Clyde's as well.

"Again, and again and again" Shinki snaps, "You keep doing it. You saved the invaders. You saved Shikamaru but you are not going to stop me this time".

Naruto shakes his head, his eyes meet those of the 6th Kazekage and send a powerful message, not one of bitterness or hatred, instead one of disappointment, as if looking at his own child. "Why Shinki? Why would you go this far? Your father would never have approved of this".

These words reverberate through the Sand shinobi's head. They make a lot of sense at first, many of Gaara's teachings were based off the beliefs of Uzumaki Naruto. When Gaara was raising Shinki, the man he praised the most highly was Uzumaki Naruto. Even in the Sand, his name was known for being the saviour of the shinobi world, Uzumaki Naruto. For an instant, despite being the elder of the duo, Shinki looks at Naruto, a child looking at a man with a hundred years-experience. Could such a man really be wrong.

"I… I…"

" _Don't lose your nerve Shinki"_ the voice in his head encourages him, a voice that is truly the oldest amongst them. _"We're so close now. We can kill them. We can take revenge for your father"._

" _We can take your revenge"._

Shinki's doubt vanishes to be replaced with resolve, all it takes is a few well-placed words. "Revenge" he mutters through his smile, "My revenge… it's so close now…".

Suddenly, groups of strands begin to lift from Shinki's gourd. Iron sand lifts up an impressive display of jewellery. A whole collection of amulets, one for each person who has stood in Shinki's way. With a cross of his arms, the amulets begin to spin around Shinki, aided by his iron sand until the settle into a formation.

"An amulet for each person who has dared to defy me" Shinki explains maliciously, "I hold each of their lives in my hand now".

Naruto's mind switches, no longer is he dealing with a misbehaved child, now he is dealing with an enemy.

He holds out a single hand and an energy unfamiliar to Shinki begins to gather on it.

While Shinki cannot sense it, he does know that this is Naruto's life energy. Additionally, there is one thing he can sense, through instinct alone, this power is truly terrifyingly strong.

"I won't let you hurt them" Naruto resolutely declares.

Jashin's servant grins. "There is nobody left who can stop me".

He sends a small burst of chakra through his network of iron sand, into each and every amulet.

Lord 7th collapses!

 **Outside the Village**

"Do you mean that?" Boruto asks Sarada. It is something he had never expected to hear her say, that she loves him. For so long he has ignored his own emotions and then on the day he almost killed her, they all came flooding out but he couldn't tell her. To hear her say this means the world to him.

"Yeah" Sarada admits nervously, "It's completely true".

"I see" he smiles, "There is also something I have to tell you, Uchiha Sarada".

Sarada's eyes fix firmly onto Boruto's as he begins to utter words that would change their destiny forever.

"I love…".

Just as Boruto is speaking, they are both attacked by an invisible force.

Lady 9th and Lord Shadow 9th both collapse!

 **In the Hospital**

"It was Shinki" Shikadai declares, as if the other occupants of the room haven't worked out everything by themselves. "Shinki caused you to have that heart attack, father".

Mirai shakes her head, this is unbelievable. While she is always invited to family occasions and while Shikamaru has been like a father to her, they are not actually related by blood. She never travelled to the Sand with them to visit the Kazekage clan. That isn't to say she has no relationship at all with Shinki, the two of them can be described as friends at the very least. An intrinsic part of Mirai's character, she refuses to believe any friend of hers could do something like this, even under Jashin's influence.

"But why would he…".

Mirai stops in the middle of her sentence.

Mirai collapses!

"Mirai!" Shikamaru raises his voice as loudly as he can as he watches Asuma's daughter fall before him. One thought is running through his mind as this happens, what if Mirai is having a heart attack as well. Naruto isn't here to save her.

His son kneels on the ground and checks Mirai over. He isn't a medical shinobi but he knows when someone is dead and when they are alive. "Don't worry, she's OK" Shikadai declares, "She's just unconscious".

"That symbol is for Jashin" Shikamaru rushes out. His condition means he shouldn't be allowed to get this agitated but as a shinobi he understands that this situation is a grave emergency. "We've never fully understood Jashin or his powers, but, linking damage between entities, that is similar to the power Hidan of the Akatsuki used".

Shikadai nods, "I know I read the report but almost forgot about it". Ideas run through his mind about what to do, how this could have happened. "Why didn't you recognise the symbol when he gave you an amulet, you and Mirai have fought against Jashin's followers before".

"He must have used some sort of genjutsu to hide it from us".

Following this revelation, a scream is heard from the corridor. A scream for help. That is fairly common for a hospital but Shikadai recognises something different about this scream, it is panicked. Medical shinobi and the various nurses and doctors who work at the hospital are all trained medical professionals, it takes a lot to fluster them.

Shikadai runs out into the corridor and runs down the hall towards the source of the shriek. As he does he recognises two people down the other end, right next to the screaming doctor. It's the 3rd Hokage, Hiruzen and the medical lead of the hospital, his wife, Biwako.

The 3rd Hokage and his wife, have collapsed!

"What happened?" Shikadai urgently asks the shouting doctor.

"Lord 3rd and Lady Biwako, they just collapsed suddenly" she answers in reply. "I haven't seen anything like it before, they seem fine but… I felt absolutely terrified as it happened".

Instead of helping, the now senior-shinobi in the building runs back to the room he came from, to his father. In this moment of desperation when all of the village's powerhouses are collapsing, he resorts to what their strength has always been, their minds. Right now, his mind is telling him that only one person can help him find a solution, his father, the assistant to the 7th Hokage.

"It happened to Lord 3rd and his wife, they have collapsed as well".

"It must be happening to everyone he has an amulet for" Shikamaru notes. Subconsciously he also notices something else, everyone who has collapsed agreed with Naruto, saying that the invaders should be spared.

"What do we do?". The usually composed founder of The Circle panics, a situation as desperate as this, it is something seldom heard of the village's history. If the invaders were lying about their intentions, if they realise that the village is weak in this moment, if they attack, everyone will die.

Shikamaru knows the answer won't be easy for his son to hear but he does not hold it back. "You have to go and take those amulets from Shinki".

"Me…".

Thoughts start to cascade around Shikadai's brain like water down a waterfall. Ever since he has returned from watching the captained six contest he has felt what nobody else has stop to felt. That he is inferior. Seven giants went to war for the hidden leaf, a few more stood nearby and watched. He, on the other hand, he looked on knowing there is nothing he could do against that power.

He looked on and realised he is an insect compared to them.

"I can't fight Shinki" he says as he shakes his head from side to side, "I'm not on his level I…".

"Shikadai!" Shikamaru shouts as loud as he can in his condition, "He cooked for all those powerful shinobi as an apology, the chances are that there is nobody left on his level".

Shikadai starts as he realises his father is right.

"You have to do this, you may be the last hope for the village".

"I…".

Shikamaru lets his frustration get the better of him and snaps, "Your mother has an amulet, she could die if you don't do this".

"Shinki… Shinki is the Kazekage".

"But you're a shinobi" the Nara clan-head declares proudly, "You're also my son and I believe in you".

Shikadai looks within himself and realises nothing has changed. He may be an insect compared to the true powerhouses of this world but that never stopped the Nara of the past from standing up. That never stopped his father from changing the course of the war. An insect can never wrestle a lion but it can outsmart one and it always will be able to.

He finds what resolve he can, he tightens his fist, he nods his head and leaves.

 **Outside the Hospital**

A group of people are being carried into the hospital by nurses, a very powerful group of people that confirms Shikamaru's suspicions. Minato, Kakashi, Tobirama, Mitsuki. These are the unconscious bodies of some of history's most powerful shinobi, but right now they are useless.

Fortunately, those co-ordinating the operation are not useless.

They are just who Shikadai needs, Yamanaka Inojin, Akimichi ChouChou.

"Inojin, ChouChou, come with me, hurry!" Shikadai doesn't stop as he runs past them, trusting them not to hesitate. They do not disappoint him, not a moment later they are either side of him, following on his dash towards Shinki's residence.

"Shikadai, lots of shinobi have fainted" ChouChou explains, "Do you know what is going on?".

"I have no time to explain, but Shinki is behind this, we have to go and stop him".

Inojin is stunned by this. How can they tackle a Kage? Isn't this how Shikadai felt not so long ago? "Hold on, if it's Shinki shouldn't we get one of the Hokage to help us out?".

"No, they're all down" Shikadai explains resolutely, "We have to do this ourselves".

"But what can we do against Shinki" ChouChou frowns, "He is the Kazekage".

"We're the Hidden Leaf's last line of defence".

"We're shinobi of the Hidden Leaf".

"We're the Hidden Leaf's Ino-Shika-Cho formation".

"And I'll be dammed if we're letting him get away with this".

A motivational speech has never been Shikadai's forte. He has never had the energy or the charisma needed to inspire people like the Hokage have. However, in this moment his determination is enough to change all of that. For this instant, he has gained the true power the Hokage have that he didn't, the power to move people.

ChouChou and Inojin share a smile. "Alright then, we'll follow your lead, let's take him down".

 **Shinki's House**

As the Ino-Shika-Cho formation arrives outside Shinki's house, the Kazekage waits with his arms folded. His calm demeanour is sickening to them when they consider what he has done but that is not what truly draws their attention. Instead that is the formation of amulets surrounding him, amulets that he has used to poison the Hidden Leaf's heart.

"Shinki" Shikadai begins as he arrives, "Hand over the amulets".

"Oh, I'm impressed cousin, just how much have you worked out?".

"Those puppets in the shape of amulets, you claimed they allow you to monitor the lives of the one puts their chakra into it. That is not true though, instead they are connected directly to the blood of the one who puts their chakra into it, it's linked to their very life. Using this you have forced my father to have a heart attack".

"If it wasn't for Lord 7th, you would have killed him" Shikadai finishes, doing his best not to let his rage show.

"That's impossible" Inojin gasps.

"Yeah, I thought that too" Shikadai admits, "Until I saw the mark on the amulet, don't you recognise it".

Inojin and ChouChou look at the various floating amulets that surround Shinki, looking for any symbol that brings back memories, and then they see it on the back.

"Certainly, it does look familiar" ChouChou says.

"Your parents probably told you about it, our parents battled against this cult in the past". The terrifying name of the cult then passes the Nara clansmen's lips, "It's the cult of Jashin".

"But your father should have recognised the mark on the amulet!".

"Shinki used a genjutsu on anyone he thought would recognise the mark, on my parents and on Mirai".

"Full marks cousin, you got all of it" Shinki admits with a callous smile, "In fact, all of the people who have fallen unconscious would have been ignorant to my plan, if not for one man. The previous Ino-Shika-Cho formation, Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Mirai, they all failed to see through my genjutsu".

"But one man could see through my genjutsu, one person who had encountered Jashin before".

Just like before, Shinki uses his iron sand to throw something. Only this time, the object he throws is a lot bigger and heavier. It's a body. The body of Uzumaki Naruto.

"Lord 7th" ChouChou shouts as she rushes to check Naruto's pulse. Thankfully, he is alive but her fear makes her realise something. As it stands, Naruto is all that stands between Clyde and the death of the village, if he had died, everything would be over. Despite this, Shinki let him live, is that a sign of arrogance, or confidence, or maybe even something else.

"Don't worry, he's only unconscious". As Shinki explains this, he shows an amulet to the trio, Naruto's amulet, before slipping it into his pocket.

"Shinki, it's still not too late" Shikadai offers as he approaches his cousin, "You can take back everything you have done. Hand over the amulets and we can forget all about this".

"I'm afraid that I won't be doing that Shikadai" Shinki condescendingly explains, "I've worked hard to get this opportunity. Ever since I first discovered it… Jashin had a temple".

"A temple of Jashin" Inojin is one of the villages top shinobi, just as his mother and father had been. "I've never heard of such a thing before".

"This technique was inscribed upon the walls" Shinki explains as he gestures to the amulets, "Jashin imparted to me the knowledge of how to perform it".

"He told me to gather the most powerful lives I could and sacrifice them to him".

"In return, he offered me the power to take my revenge. His voice has been haunting me ever since".

"At first I thought it was ridiculous. I would never allow myself to do that. I wouldn't become that sort of monster".

"Then, I started to become desperate. I looked around and what did I see? A few surviving civilians from the Hidden Sand. There is no way their lives would be enough".

"But then hope came along. The Hidden Leaf survived. I couldn't believe my luck".

"I thought that I could forget Jashin. I thought I wouldn't have to turn myself into a monster. I thought I could turn my back on him".

"But you didn't kill the invaders! You spared them".

"Death is about to descend on the Hidden Leaf Village and you have Uzumaki Naruto to blame for it".

The Ino-Shika-Cho formation cannot believe what they are hearing. Blaming Naruto for the death of the village, that is absurd. It is thanks to the hard work of the Hokage from the past that the village has been able to survive. It is thanks to them that the village made it through the 4th great shinobi war. It is thanks to them that the village made it through the invasion. In their minds, Uzumaki Naruto is not to blame for this, it is Jashin and Shinki's warped desire for revenge.

"Sacrifice lives in order to obtain power?" Shikadai spits as he repeats the method back, "Don't tell me you are planning to sacrifice my mother. That's your aunt, the closest relative you have left!".

Shinki smiles, "Some sacrifices are necessary in order to obtain power".

"That isn't how Jashin's power works. He is lying to you, he's screwing with your head" Shikadai shouts at his cousin, hoping that some part of him is still the man he used to be, "Shinki, killing the invaders makes no sense, surely you must see that".

"I… I…".

Jashin's voice returns to Shinki once again.

" _Don't let them talk you out of it, Shinki. You're so close now, so close to revenge"._

Once more, his resolve returns.

"Sorry Shikadai, I'm taking my revenge".

A thin layer of iron sand lifts out of Shinki's gourd and blinds the team of shinobi before him.

When their sight returns, he is gone!


	71. The Great Amulet Chase

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – THE GREAT AMULET CHASE**

 **Outside the Village**

Two bodies lay right next to one another. It is poetic, artistic how perfectly they have landed, facing one another, looking each other in the eye. These are the bodies of Uzumaki Boruto and Uchiha Sarada. Not a few moments ago, they had been discussing their true feelings for one another. In a place like this, for people as powerful as them, it is near impossible to put them down in an instant, even for Naruto. Only one man could hurt them in that moment and that person had acted.

The person responsible for their position, their ruined moment of happiness is the Kazekage clan's Shinki. During his tenure as Kazekage, Shinki had always believed, he had always followed the principals set down by Naruto and his father. That faith had taken years to fully develop and had been crushed in an instant. It goes to show just how fragile a relationship of trust is, even between family.

The Hokage and her Shadow Hokage are laying peacefully in the grass. The only noise to be heard is the wind scattering through the field, shaking the leaves from the trees. Disguised by this noise, someone makes a silent approach, not out of necessity but instead out of habit. The approaching man has great concern for both these people, one of them is his own student.

This man is Senju Hashirama.

The 1st Hokage is a medical expert, with his ability to administer treatment previously unrivalled throughout history. Unrivalled until another transmigrant of Asura showed up. Unrivalled until Uzumaki Naruto showed up. Using his masterful skills, he checks over both the downed Circle members.

' _They will be fine'_ Hashirama notes before standing up and looking around. _'But, what was that strange chakra?'_. Hashirama is amongst a very small group of people in this world who could defeat Boruto and Sarada. Amongst that group, only two could defeat them using chakra, himself and Naruto. As the two teachers of the injured, it would not make sense for either of them to injure Boruto or Sarada. He concludes that it must be the owner of this chakra, this unfamiliar chakra.

Absorbing nature chakra from the surroundings, Hashirama stretches his sensory abilities to the limit. While he cannot sense the attacker, he can sense that various chakras are currently acting unusually. Unfortunately, it is a very dangerous group that are suffering similar consequences to the two before him.

' _The other Hokage are all down… Mirai too'_ he concludes as he looks over the recently rebuilt village.

Just as he finishes assessing the situation, a lot of options suddenly present themselves to him. A group of four shinobi emerge from the Hidden Leaf's gate, a group that likely represents the most powerful conscious shinobi, other than himself. First, a short distance in front of the others, is Shinki, who appears to be running away from them at a first glance. Trailing him is the Leaf's latest Ino-Shika-Cho formation, headed by Shikadai. From the way, he has positioned himself close to the ground, the elder Senju brother notices that this matches his previous observations, Shikadai is likely in pursuit of Shinki.

' _This group must have something to do with this'_ Hashirama determines before running after them. He decides that for now it is best not to come to any hasty conclusions, for now he should just follow, who knows, the perfect opportunity may present itself to him.

 **The Pursuit**

"Shikadai, what are we going to do?" Inojin asks, looking sideways to the leader of their group. The Hokage's assistant has always had fantastic judgement, he has always come up with flawless plans and he has led them to victory countless times, Inojin trusts him to do the same here.

"We have to get those amulets away from him and we have to do it now" Shikadai replies with a sense of urgency in his voice.

How can he not be urgent, knowing what he knows? Each of these amulets represents a life, each of them has the same power exhibited by the one his father used, the power to kill at a moment's notice. One of these amulets represents his mother's life. Even when thinking unselfishly, he realises that this could be a disaster for the village. If Shinki is to really kill the Hokage then the village will be entirely in the hands of Clyde and his men. This is an unprecedented danger, not just for the shinobi lives Shinki is holding in his hands but for the men and women of this entire world.

"We shouldn't rush, should we?" ChouChou asks, favouring the cautious approach against an opponent with the might of the Kazekage, "It's a long way to the place we found him".

"It took so long to come back because we were bringing civilians with us. Going at this speed it won't take us too long before we get there" Shikadai explains, his voice still filled with urgency as he focuses his attention on his cousin. "Plus, the temple may be closer to us than the point where we found him".

"We can't afford to waste time" he continues, "We have to act now".

Inojin doesn't argue, he knows better than to doubt the instincts of Shikadai. He simply nods, "Alright".

"Got it" ChouChou adds. All three of them are on the same page.

Inojin reaches behind his back, drawing the first few yards of his scroll out and preparing his brush. With speed trained into him by his father, he paints a trio of flying beasts. These beasts have superior speed and manoeuvrability, a perfect mount for the Leaf trio, the question is, do they have better speed than Shinki.

"Remember, don't destroy the amulets" Shikadai shouts to his teammates, "No matter what, we can't let them be damaged".

The trio fly around Shinki at altitude, each riding on the backs of these giant birds. They wait for the perfect moment, they wait for the ideal terrain. When that terrain happens upon them, it is Inojin who dives.

Atop his ink-bird, Inojin dives. He stretches out his hand and tries to do something which sounds so easy but is, in reality, so hard. He tries to take hold of one of the amulets, he tries to take a comrade's life into his own hands.

He is stopped.

Iron sand blocks him off, iron sand which is curved, representing a small fraction of the sphere it has the potential to make. This is the defence that he has forged through years of hard work and determination. This is his imitation of his father's perfect defence.

"NOW" Shikadai shouts to ChouChou.

The chubby shinobi takes her turn, using the ink-bird that Inojin created, she dives. Her reactions and speed are fantastic, perhaps even superior to those of her two teammates. Despite their recent lack of success, this is still a team containing three of the Leaf's strongest shinobi from the modern day.

Shinki splits his iron sand in half, creating an even more complete sphere to block ChouChou.

Now it is Shikadai's turn to dive.

Shinki almost laughs as he sees his cousin diving towards him. To attack from three sides, one after another, like they are doing at the moment is a naïve strategy. It is something only a fool would do. Then his temptation to laugh stops, he realises who is diving towards him.

He isn't fighting against an idiot with a terrible strategy.

He is fighting against Nara Shikadai.

He splits his iron sand into a third part, anticipating the arrival of the ink-bird and blocking it.

' _Just according to plan'_ Shikadai shouts in his mind as he approaches the third direction Shinki has blocked. He rolls off the ink-bird, sliding on towards the amulets on his stomach, like a penguin along ice. Elegantly he approaches the opening in his cousin's perfect defence. Or, at least what he believes to be an opening.

In reality, there is no opening. That is the very meaning of a perfect defence. Once again, Shinki divides his iron sand, blocking off the approach. They have managed to use four different approach directions with three people, yet still they have found no opening.

Shinki throws his hands out to his sides. His iron sand explodes outwards a short way before re-concentrating around him. That moment of outwards thrust is enough to push all three Leaf shinobi off their balance.

Initially, they roll uncontrollably. Normally, they would regain their footing slowly, assuring their own health and wellbeing but there is no time for that here. Each of them leaps to their feet and returns to the pursuit.

"His defence is too strong" Inojin proclaims as he runs alongside his teammates, "Even when attacking from all angles, we can't take the amulets".

"No, we can" Shikadai defiantly shouts, encouraging not his teammates but himself. For the first-time since watching the Hokage battle, he is starting to believe in his own power.

"Every defence has a weakness, we are going to find his no matter what".

"But, it doesn't have a weakness, it's a perfect defence" ChouChou shouts back at Shikadai. She acts like she can return rational thought to him by raising her voice. "How are we supposed to find a weakness it doesn't have".

"It's based off the 5th Kazekage's perfect defence" Inojin concurs.

This statement sets off a lightbulb in the Nara's brain.

"I've got it" he says, instantly bringing smiles to the faces of those who doubted their chances less than ten seconds ago. "Uncle Gaara's defence was near perfect but it was automatic, Shinki has to control it manually. Inojin, get ready to attack, I need you to provide a distraction".

"I've got it" the Yamanaka clansmen replies. The scroll behind his back unrolls even faster than before and he exercises his pen control to the limit. Drawing as many things as he can as fast as he can. This is a power that has taken years to develop and always has room to improve. This is the power of Yamanaka Inojin.

"ChouChou, get in a position where you snatch the amulets at a moment's notice" Shikadai demands.

"Leave it to me". Taking the command to heart, ChouChou runs to her side, giving her a diagonal approach from Shinki's rear. It's an unconventional approach seldom used by shinobi, it is not an approach that history has encouraged, not one that has been developed by others. It also has its advantages though, there are fewer practiced shinobi in how to defend against it.

Shikadai speeds up his run, moving sideways slightly as he does so, he comes level with his cousin. They sprint through the fields of the Land of Fire parallel to one another, like youths playing in the summer.

As Shikadai comes level with Shinki, he gives a slight signal to his teammates. Inojin takes this as his cue, he lowers his hand, commanding a small army of ink-birds to dive towards Shinki. While none of them can get through his spherical defence, they force him to use its full coverage. The only thing connecting his air supply to the outside is a small gap between the sphere and the ground.

This gap, is large enough to exploit.

Shinki looks down and starts at what he sees.

As the iron sand around him returns to his gourd, he sees clearly that his initial suspicions were correct.

He is caught in the shadow imitation jutsu.

The shadow imitation jutsu cannot restrain like Shinki for too long, but it is just long enough for them to pull of their plan.

Covering his eyes with his hand, Shikadai forces Shinki to do the same, momentarily blinding him. "Now" he screams as the opening he created arrives.

ChouChou uses her expansion jutsu, optimising the size of her hand before reaching towards the formation around Shinki. She grabs at amulets, harvesting not one but multiple in one go before Shinki can react.

The Sand shinobi can feel in the air what must be happening. He cannot tell where ChouChou is and forcefully overcoming the shadow possession jutsu is proving difficult and time consuming. He resorts to his last option in this situation, he furiously circulates his sand with his sphere, hitting a hand as large as ChouChou's is inevitable and he is determined that when he does, he will cut it off.

ChouChou pulls her hand away as the iron sand is about to hit her. This is a success though, she has a large portion of the amulets. Likely, several Hokage's lives have been saved in this moment.

Shinki forcibly removes his hand from his eyes, using raw, overwhelming chakra to break free of his cousin's shadow imitation jutsu, a feat only a few shinobi are capable of.

The moment he removes his hand he blasts iron sand at Shikadai, causing the latter to dodge, before regrouping with his two comrades.

"ChouChou, how many?".

ChouChou opens her now normal sized hand to reveal a small collection of amulets, a significant number considering their importance.

"Good job" Inojin praises.

Shikadai is distracted while his friends complement one another. He is still focused on the chase, on the man in front of them, on the man who is still the greatest threat to the Leaf at this moment. _'Why isn't he reclaiming the ones we have taken from him'_.

"Shikadai, we've got more than half the amulets" Inojin says with a wry smile, "If we keep pursuing him we are running a risk of…".

"No, keep on him" Shikadai interrupts Inojin with a roar, "We're going to take all of them and save everyone. We're the Ino-Shika-Cho, aren't we?"

"He won't fall for the same trick twice" ChouChou points out, "He will lookout for a shadow".

Shikadai smiles knowingly. "It doesn't matter".

ChouChou startles at this confident attitude her teammate is showing.

"I have one more method I can use" he reveals.

"ChouChou, get ready to attack from the top".

"What about the amulets" she asks, highlighting the importance that none of these puppets get injured. One of them could well represent the life of Temari or Mirai.

"Don't worry, he will stop your attack, he needs the amulets just as much as we do".

ChouChou, once again, is stunned for a moment. This is not the decision of someone doubting his own power. This is the tactical decision of someone truly confident, truly powerful, who trusts their intelligence enough to depend on the enemy to act. This is the Nara Shikadai who won many battles with his brain. This is the man who is famous throughout the village for winning with his head. He is back. At least, for now. "I've got it".

"Inojin, creates as many ink-birds as you can, have them attack all at once".

"OK but the creatures themselves won't be strong enough to puncture his defence, they will probably…".

"Just trust me" Shikadai reassuringly smiles towards his childhood friend, "I can do this".

"Alright, let's do this" ChouChou shouts as she enlarges her hand to its maximum size and brings it down on Shinki with force.

' _Your size doesn't make you as strong as you think'_. The Kazekage mocks ChouChou in his mind as he uses his iron sand to block her, fully confident that he will be able to form the rest of his sphere at an acceptable strength too.

BOOM!

Much to Shinki's surprise, a smoke bomb explodes next to him. A Nara special.

' _I can't see beyond two meters but that's fine, I'll be able to see if a shadow is coming'_.

Suddenly, he realises this is a golden opportunity. So, Shinki reaches into his pocket.

This is the moment chosen by Inojin, all of his ink-birds dive at once. His duty is simple, attack Shinki from all sides, force Shinki to maximise his concentration on defence.

Hashirama watches the Leaf shinobi from a distance, a smile on his face. From the shouts and screams he has managed to work out roughly what is happening.

' _Shinki, you spared me from sharing the other Hokage's fate. You thought because I voted with you in The Circle, that you and I fight for the same reasons. But that's not true…'_.

As Hashirama speaks in his mind, the ink-birds approach their target. The iron sand starts to lift, the fateful collision approaches.

' _I am fighting to fulfil the will of the dead. To fulfil my wife's dying wishes. While you are chasing your own revenge'_.

Shikadai starts his sprint towards Shinki.

' _That is why you will lose this fight'_ Hashirama finishes.

Shinki spreads his iron sand out perfectly, an imitation of his father's perfect defence. An impenetrable sphere that covers all sides.

BANG!

Shikadai thrusts his hand straight through the sphere!

Shikadai takes hold of the remaining amulets.

' _Impossible'_ Shinki screams in his head before Shikadai pulls his arm, along with the remaining amulets, out through the 'perfect' defence.

Shinki's formation of amulets, is finished.

The Ino-Shika-Cho reunite, running alongside one another.

"Did you get them all, Shikadai" Inojin asks anxiously. The three of them and Shinki have stopped running, so he assumes he knows the answer but he has to be sure, is the nightmare over?

"Yeah, I got them" Shikadai smiles, elating his two closest friends.

"But how did you do it?" ChouChou questions.

"He distributed the amulets to prevent you grabbing them all at once. Of course, if he kept them all in his gourd, we would have got them with the last trick".

"It was the way he was suspending them, he used iron sand".

"Knowing my cousin, that gourd would always be filled with the exact amount required for his perfect defence".

"However, he used up a little bit of that sand, he used it to create the formation of amulets. He didn't have enough left, so his perfect defence weakened".

"We forced him to distribute his iron sand evenly in a sphere, that's when it's at its weakest".

"I memorised the position of every amulet and did what I could never normally do. I broke through the barrier with sheer force".

Shikadai is not without wounds from this battle. He lifts his arm to show to his teammates. All along its length there are cuts. As if his arm has been assaulted by an army of knife-wielding ants, blood pours down the outside. It is worth it though, his mother, the Hokage, they have been saved.

Or so he thinks.

At that moment, Shinki destroys that assumption with one action.

He continues to run.

"Does he think he can escape now?" ChouChou mocks. There is little to no chance of Shinki being able to escape from the re-awakened Hokage.

"That fool" Inojin shakes his head, following the same line, "When the Hokage come around he won't be able to escape".

"After him!" Shikadai raises his voice again.

"Shikadai, what's wrong?".

The Nara clansmen's answer scares them both.

"This isn't over yet…".


	72. Jashin's Power

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – JASHIN'S POWER**

 **In the Land of Wind**

Shinki and his pursuers have hit a big landmark in their race towards the temple. This is the point at which grass turns into desert, at which hope starts to slowly change into despair. Shikadai concludes that they must be well over half way through their journey. They are fast approaching the temple, the location at which the Hidden Leaf's destiny will be decided. ChouChou can't help but question one thing, why?

"What's going on Shikadai?" the Akimichi clanswomen asks as she runs alongside the brains of the team, "Why are we still chasing him?".

Previously, a pair of attacks, each co-ordinated by Shikadai had shattered Shinki's formation of amulets. Initially, ChouChou herself had used her expansion powers to snatch a whole group of them at once. After that, Shikadai forced Shinki to overexert himself, to use all of his iron sand at once before penetrating the defence using raw power, much to Shikadai's detriment. Due to these facts, it should all be over, why are they still running?

Shikadai looks at the surroundings and the sense of achievement begins to fade by the second. For whatever reason, his cousin is running. What does he hope to achieve, without any amulets, what sort of plan could he have formulated? Or is this Shinki's plan at all, could this be the plan of the voice in his head, could this be Jashin's plan.

"Shikadai!" Inojin shouts, bringing The Circle's administrator back to reality.

"I don't know why but he is still running" Shikadai points out with desperation in his voice. If there is another way for him to obtain power, if there is another way he can gain strength, then it would be disastrous should he take out his rage on the Hidden Leaf. If Shinki is running so that he obtains more power, this could be the most important moment in the history of this world.

"What are you talking about?" ChouChou asks, still confused about the nature of this pursuit.

"If he didn't have another way to complete his plan, he would have just taken the amulets back" Shikadai declares as he looks sideways at his teammate. "If he fought us head on there is no way we could win".

This is only natural, the only reason they have been able to do so well so far is that they have caught Shinki off-guard using the tricks that Shikadai has thought up. If the Ino-Shika-Cho was to clash with the Kazekage head-on, there is no way they could win. Despite that, Shinki has not attacked them, he has made no efforts to reclaim the amulets. Shikadai is right, there must be another reason, another way to follow through his plans.

"Couldn't he be running away from us?". ChouChou still hasn't realised what Shikadai has, that there is still something truly dangerous about this situation. "He could think that we are chasing him before imprisoning him".

Shikadai doesn't speak the words aloud but he knows there are flaws in this logic. Not only is Shinki too strong for this but he is not someone who is afraid to face the consequences for his actions. Gaara hadn't believed in being hard on Shinki during his youth, he had wished to show the same love to his son that his mother had shown to him. This left it up to Shinki to discipline himself, to ask others to discipline him. Shinki, the Kazekage, the shinobi, even the gennin, he has always been disciplined.

"We wouldn't have the ability to arrest him". The Nara clansmen shakes his head as he labels this deduction as fact in his own mind. "He still has another plan".

Shinki terrifies them with his actions. The previous look of desperation that he wore has now been replaced by one with hope. His smile increases in size with every passing moment. One of them rises from the pit of despair, the other falls further into it. They both come to realise, this is it, the temple must be close.

Shikadai gasps as he realises his one oversight.

"He still has one amulet" he stammers as his face turns white as a sheet.

Inojin and ChouChou search their brains, looking for the evidence that Shinki has one more amulet. They start to realise it to, not every amulet had been in that formation of iron sand. There is one more amulet.

There was one amulet Shinki placed into his pocket.

Shikadai declares the worst-case scenario.

"He still has Lord 7th's amulet!".

Inojin's father sacrificed himself for the village. He has been one of the Hidden Leaf's many officers whom have lead the fight against the invaders. He has as much of a stake in the fate of the Hidden Leaf Village as anyone else. That is why he understands just how important Naruto is to the village. Soon Hashirama may be strong enough to protect them from Clyde, maybe after that even Boruto and Sarada will be, but for the moment there is only one person who can. Only his father's saviour can protect them, only Uzumaki Naruto.

"If Lord 7th is sacrificed, we're done for" Inojin shouts.

They come over the top of a hill, passing the final of many false peaks in a sand dune. Over the other side, the outlines of a building can be just about made out. Judging from the euphoric look on Shinki's face, this is the final straight, that is the temple of Jashin. This is it.

ChouChou screams as she points to the giant structure. "That's the temple".

Shikadai is also screaming in his head, _"We have no time left…"._

Inojin recalls his father's sacrifice and digs down inside himself, finding his resolve.

His scroll unrolls at a rate his teammates haven't witnessed before. As images of his father flash through his mind, images of birds appear on the sheets. Ten, twenty, forty, one hundred.

He creates one hundred ink-birds.

"Inojin…" Shikadai starts.

"I'll force him to spread out his perfect defence" Inojin roars as he pursues Shinki, his eyes unmoving as he looks at his target. A target which threatens the peace built on his father's blood.

"I can buy you one shot, don't miss".

Shikadai doesn't dare to waste time staring, instead he looks to his side and speaks a single word. "ChouChou".

She doesn't even need to ask what he is going to say, what he is going to request. She uses her expansion technique to enlarge her hand to an appropriate size. She takes hold of Shikadai and lifts him into the air.

This is their final chance!

In a perfectly co-ordinated instant, all of the ink-birds dive towards Shinki at once. Inojin doesn't suffer that severe a backlash from this but his chakra reserves are very depleted. This is his power, the power he has achieved after years of training, a power he is dedicating to Sai.

Shinki throws his hand out to the side of his body unceremoniously, creating his copy of his father's perfect defence. There is not a single opening in this defence but there is a weakness, it can be penetrated by raw power, something ChouChou can generate a lot of. He saw what they were preparing to do before, he saw their plan, that ChouChou is going to throw Shikadai at him. Unfortunately for them, Shinki is ready.

' _You won't find it Shikadai'_ the Kazekage declares as his cousin is thrown towards him at full speed.

' _I remember. I remember where you put Lord 7_ _th_ _'s amulet back in the Hidden Leaf"_ Shikadai says in his head. The two know what one another are thinking on an almost telepathic level.

' _You saw me put it into my pocket'_ Shinki muses to himself.

' _The smoke bomb complicates things'_ Shikadai notes.

Back then, the only time he couldn't see Shinki was when the smoke obscured him.

' _You dug your own grave when you threw that smoke bomb. You have no idea where I put it'_ Shinki struggles to keep himself from laughing, _'I've outsmarted you this time, Shikadai!'_.

As Shikadai hurtles towards the sand he has one final thought on the matter.

' _Nobody outsmarts a Nara'_.

As he bursts through the sand, he focuses on the calculations he made mid-flight. He computed the possibilities, where would Shinki put it. No matter where it was, if Shikadai could work it out he would be able to take it. Shinki would have thought of that, he would put it somewhere that Shikadai is least likely to expect.

He would put it in the most ridiculous and predictable place.

Shikadai reaches for it and squeezes his hand into a fist, praying that he takes hold of something.

He reaches for Shinki's other pocket!

Bursting through the other end of the sand, Shikadai tumbles along the floor before regaining his balance.

He lifts his hand into the air to reveal Naruto's amulet.

"I GOT IT!" he shouts.

"He got it Inojin" ChouChou runs to her teammates side and pats him in the back, supporting him in his exhausted state, "He actually got it".

"That's Shikadai for you" Inojin smiles, thankful that he entrusted the village to his childhood friend, "He actually worked out where Shinki was hiding the last amulet in a split second".

In the distance Hashirama watches on with a smile.

' _It's over'_.

' _Shinki won't be able to keep his cool when trying to retrieve the amulets'_.

' _You've defeated a Kazekage consumed by vengeance, Ino-Shika-Cho'._

' _You can take pride in this as Hidden Leaf Shinobi'_.

At the same time, the opposite emotions are passing through Shinki's head as Jashin berates him.

" _Failure, absolute failure, you are incompetent, Shinki"_ the frustrated deity scolds his final disciple, _"You are not worthy of my power, you do not deserve your vengeance"._

Shinki follows Hashirama's predictions perfectly. He loses his own talent as a shinobi as he launches towards Shikadai. "Give it back" he screams. In this moment, he has lost all rational thought, he has been consumed by rage, consumed by the emotions that Jashin has bread within him.

ChouChou's club like enlarged arms swing through the air, batting Shinki through the nearby walls of the temple.

In his rage, the Kazekage forgot to activate his defence. That is its greatest weakness, it requires rational thought and manual activation.

She and Inojin run over to the bloodied Shikadai's side. Unlike before, it is not just his arm that is bad condition, his entire body is covered in small cuts. They are slowly starting to close but his body is, temporarily at least, died red.

"Shikadai, you're all cut up".

"That looked like fun" Inojin pants as he digs deep within himself to find some chakra for medical jutsu.

"It was a complete pain, I hope I never had to do it again" Shikadai sighs.

He smiles. "What a drag".

As the trio exchange smiles, they realise that this is their victory, they have won. They have overcome the danger that was confronting the Leaf.

This is the power of the Ino-Shika-Cho.

A groan comes from nearby, from Shinki.

"What do we do with him?" ChouChou asks. At the moment, he seems in no-state to fight, they could probably even arrest him without bother.

Shikadai hands over all the amulets he has to ChouChou. "You guys take these back to the Hidden Leaf as quickly as possible".

"I'm going to talk to him".

"Will you be alright?" Inojin questions, paying no heed to the fact he has no power left to call upon.

"Yeah, I'll be fine".

"Shouldn't one of us stay with you at least" ChouChou asks, Shikadai's injuries have been reduced but they are still very much present. "You're all beaten up".

"ChouChou" the Shika element of the trio places his hand on his Cho counterparts shoulder, "I will be fine, trust me".

She can only smile at that confidence, he isn't doing this as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, now he is acting as Shinki's cousin. "OK, let's go Inojin".

As ChouChou and Inojin depart, Shikadai enters the temple andq approaches his cousin for the fateful conversation.

The Kazekage coughs up blood onto the floor next to him as he gazes helplessly up at the man who overcame him. "Have you come to gloat cousin?".

"No" he answers, "I've come to save you".

"Save me" Shinki starts, "Save me from what".

"From revenge, it consumes people, changes who they are and it's never pretty". A lesson the Hidden Leaf Village knows better than any other. A lesson that is known particularly well within their household. A lesson learnt by the likes of Gaara, Sasuke, Obito and even Madara. They have only been happy in their death when they worked against the force of hatred, when they acted with the will of fire.

"That's what you would say" Shinki snorts disdainfully, "But you don't know how much I have lost, how I feel. I lost my father, my uncle, my village".

"Shut up!" Shikadai shouts, momentarily angered by this assumption, "Konkuro, Gaara, they are my family too. I may not have lost as much as you but I don't want to change that".

"I don't want to lose my cousin".

Shinki gasps before closing his eyes, these are his cousin's words that have finally reached him. They have touched his heart.

"You could have just let me kill them" Shinki sighs, referring to Clyde and his invaders, "They deserve to die for what they have done".

"Maybe they do but The Circle has made its decision".

The Kazekage laughs at this, that is a governmental system that he is part of. A decision-making process which rendered a decision he doesn't agree with. "Your system of government, where the people of today are ruled by those of the past. Are you sure I am the one who has lost myself?".

"I am" Shikadai declares as he looks his cousin directly in the eyes, "Shinki, just now when I took that last amulet, when I stole away your chance at revenge, something snapped inside you".

"You lunged for me, you tried to take it away and dropped your defence completely".

"ChouChou could only hit you because you went mad, you lost your sense".

"It is you who lost himself".

Shinki remains quiet for a long while, keeping his eyes closed before finally reopening them and looking sincerely towards the man who has defeated him.

"Shikadai, can I ask a favour?".

"Anything" the Nara instantly replies.

"Will you… save me…".

That is what he has been waiting to hear. That is what finally makes Shikadai feel his mission is complete. He had wanted to save everyone when he set out from the village. After getting Lord 7th's amulet there is only one person left to save. The Kazekage.

"I will".

Shinki takes a deep breath before lunging into his subconscious to do the deed. He is going to end the most terrifying cult to have graced this Earth. He is going to end the cult of Jashin.

" _I'm letting go"_ Shinki smiles as he declares this to the voice that has been following him, _"Lord Jashin, I no longer want your help"._

Something different happens.

Jashin's voice doesn't resound in Shinki's head.

Jashin speaks aloud, for them both to hear.

Jashin laughs hysterically, maddened just like Shinki had been not a moment ago. "That Shinki, I cannot allow"

"This voice" Shinki mutters as he looks frantically left and right. He knows the terrified expression on his cousin's face must mean his suspicions are true, Jashin just spoke aloud. "It's Lord Jashin".

A crack opens in the temple floor and blood begins to flow out of it.

"What on earth is going on?" Shikadai asks as he watches the blood defy gravity, raising up into the air.

Shinki drags himself to his feet. Now that his cousin has vowed to save him, he resolved to protect him. He is not going to let Shikadai be the victim for his mistakes anymore. "Cousin, we need to get out of here…".

As Shinki begins to step towards Shikadai, the blood revolves around him in a helical pattern. Starting from his feet, it revolves around to the back of his legs before rising to come level with his chest. When it gets high enough, it forms a sphere, much like Shinki's perfect defence, only smaller. That sphere is not hollow, it is solid blood, and it engulfs Shinki's entire head.

Shikadai watches on in horror as blood pours into Shinki's brain through his ears, mouth and nose. It is a terrifying sight, his body twitches as he is drowned in the red liquid.

When the blood finally stops flowing, it takes Shinki a moment before he steadies himself.

"Shinki, are you alright?" Shikadai asks as he cautiously steps towards his cousin.

A red glint appears in the eye of the latter. A red glowing ball appears nestled on his shoulder. The shade of red is very much reminiscent of the blood that was flowing into Shinki not a moment ago, it is reminiscent of the glint seen his eye. Shikadai has no evidence on which to base his assumption but he is certain of how to identify this floating ball. It is Jashin.

"Shinki, you may have failed but I still require sacrifices" the red ball explains with a voice identical to the one Shikadai heard a few moments ago, "I've given you a portion of my power. Now you will do as I wish".

"You bastard" Shikadai curses as he clenches his fist, "You were never going to give him the power you promised".

Jashin chuckles deeply at this outburst. "I intended to give him the power I promised. I have given him the power I promised. However, I never promised I would allow him to retain his free will".

Grinding his teeth, Shikadai pulls out a kunai and bends his knees. He remembers his promise and vows to keep it. "Don't worry Shinki, I will save you".

"Shinki" Jashin begins, "This is the first sacrifice I require, kill him".

Following the orders of his god, Shinki lifts iron sand into the air behind him. Not only does he lift iron sand though, he also lifts another substance, it is the blood that entered his body not a few moments ago, acidic blood. He slams them both down towards Shikadai like waves crashing against rocks. The force of the attack is greater than what Shinki had been capable of previously, Jashin has indeed given him the power he promised. This is a power that could threaten even a colonel.

Shikadai spits out some blood of his own before forcing his way back to his feet. _'Shinki has lost his self-control'_ he concludes, _'His fighting style isn't as good as before but he has calmed back down somewhat, how am I supposed to defeat him like this?'_.

As the Kazekage raises the two offensive substances once again, Shikadai decides to run. He evacuates, sprinting out of the temple and into the desert. _'How?'_ he asks himself again and again, _'How am I supposed to defeat him?'_.

Hashirama watches on, clenching his fists so tightly that blood is pouring down from his hands. _'How am I supposed to keep calm while seeing this?'_.

' _I decided to think more rationally, more like Madara. I decided I would fight not for the will of those who haven't suffered but those who have. I decided to fight for Mito's dying wishes. I decided to kill the invaders'_.

' _If I leave Shinki to it he will probably go and attack them. If he tries to attack the village, I can protect everyone. However, if I am going to let him, I have to sacrifice Shikadai to him'_.

' _Dammit Hashirama'_ the 1st Hokage curses himself with a lowered head, _'Aren't you still a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village'_.

He pauses for a moment before unclenching his fists. _'Sorry Shikadai, I'm going to carry through the will of the dead. I'm going to use my head before my heart. I'm going to change, for the sake of Mito's dying wishes'_.

Shinki exits the temple and leaps towards Shikadai as an opening appears.

' _There's nothing I can do'_ the Nara clansmen observes as he watches on in terror.

Just as the space between the two of them contracts, a burning ball of fire slams down from the sky, exploding between the two of them in a ball of flame.

"This is…".

' _I can't feel any chakra'_ Hashirama frowns as he looks at the fire, _it must be the invaders' power but who could have done that'_. As he sees the newcomer to the fight he gasps. He never expected it to be this man.

"I felt something strange so I came as fast as I can" the newcomer explains as he walks up to Shikadai from behind. "And I'm glad I did, it looks like the village is in real trouble".

"You're…" Shikadai begins.

"Kato Dan!".

Dan's arms begin to burn. Flames appear along their length, flames more powerful than any he could have created using chakra.

"I don't know who you are but you're clearly being controlled" Dan says as he first meets the controlled Kazekage.

"It doesn't matter though, I'm putting a stop to your plans".

"Right now".


	73. The Brightest Flame

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – THE BRIGHTEST FLAME**

 **Outside the Temple of Jashin**

The tension in the air is proportional to the heat. Shikadai can feel it as he looks on from over the shoulder of his recently arriving saviour. This heat is not like the heat caused by a jutsu. Shikadai has fought alongside and against some of the world's most proficient fire jutsu users. As he looks over the fire to his cousin, he notes that there has been no change in his expression. Shinki is just a slave to Jashin now. Still, if only for a moment, Shikadai swears he could see a hint of fear, a hint of intimidation. Perhaps Shinki is afraid, perhaps Jashin is afraid, afraid of this power that Dan has shown them.

Shikadai is quick to realise, this is no jutsu.

"You are the one who understood the invaders power" Shikadai gasps as he looks at Dan's back.

In one of The Circle's meeting, they discussed the possibility of creating a joint academy to defeat any other invaders that should come to this world. Upon this proposal being made, Shinki himself was the one who suggested the academy have new teachings. That students learn not only about the powers used in this world, but the powers used in Clyde's world too. Naruto was deemed an unsuitable advisor, an inappropriate teacher for this subject. Then the 7th Hokage pointed out that one other person had achieved what he had, that one other person had achieved the invaders power. They set about trying to find that person but never could. Until now.

"You are the one Lord 7th spoke of" Shikadai continues with an expression demonstrating his awe. How could he not be, once again, it is someone from the past who has come to their rescue. It is someone from the past who has accessed that power.

"Sorry" Dan smiles, "Have you been looking for me?".

Shikadai shakes his head slightly, deciding to focus on the problem at hand. They still have an incredibly strong opponent in front of them. "That can wait, right now we need to work out how to save Shinki".

Dan has never met Shinki before but assumes it to be the Sand shinobi stood before him. "Any ideas?".

"Some blood passed into his body earlier, it was a slightly different colour to normal blood". This was a terrifying experience for Shikadai, watching his cousin bathe in blood, his cousin that only moments ago he made amends with. He had turned an enemy back into an ally, only for them to be turned into an enemy once again. "It was after that Jashin was able to control him, after the blood passed into his body, he began to follow Jashin's orders".

"I see" Dan mutters. Jashin, that is another name he has not heard before but must quickly make sense of. Judging from the present situation, Jashin is not a living person but some sort of spirit or ghost. Likely, he is using that floating orb above Shinki's shoulder to pass orders to the present-day shinobi. "Is that blood forcing him into this state where he follows Jashin's orders then?".

"Yeah. Is it possible to deplete or purify that blood using the spirit transformation technique?". Shinobi of the past are spoken of in history lessons in shinobi academies. Kato Dan is a talented shinobi, one of the best in the Hidden Leaf's history but not quite prominent enough to be discussed in academies like Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama. Unlike everyone else though, Shikadai has access to extensive databases of information on historical shinobi, he knows of Dan's unique powers.

"I think it's possible I can save him". Dan looks over Shinki, just the chakra he can feel coming from him is enough to tell that he is strong. There is a problem that this presents. "He won't just let me possess him. When my spirit leaves my body, he'll destroy my body before I can possess him, then I will die". It's one of Dan's few weaknesses. Since accessing the invaders abilities, to use his full power he must use his original body and not a clone, just like Naruto.

"We'll have to stop him from doing that" the raven-haired shinobi replies.

"Can you halt him using your shadow possession?". It is unusual for Shikadai to know of Dan's techniques as a shinobi of today. However, Dan worked with members of the Nara clan in the past, he knows all about their abilities.

Shikadai shakes his head. "No, his chakra will overwhelm me fairly quickly. He's too strong for me to stop him for more than an instant".

"Long enough for me to possess him".

Once again, a shake of the head. "I don't want to take that chance".

"OK" Dan sighs, "Then I'll need to incapacitate him".

"I'll support you".

Seemingly fed up of the conversation, the floating ball of light on Shinki's shoulder glows slightly and a deep, intimidating voice resounds around the immediate area.

"Shinki, kill them both".

The Kazekage does just that, throwing his hands around in a complicated manner similar to weaving signs. As he does this, iron sand combines loosely with the acidic blood he was using before. The iron sand slams up and down several times, banging into the sandy floor. Much to the horror of Shikadai, this binds sand together with his cousin's iron sand. It is as if Shinki can control not only his offensively superior iron sand but the sand around them as well.

Now that he has control over the sand, he lifts it up into the air, using it to construct a giant open-palmed hand. Throwing his arms down, the arm pistons using its sandy elbow, slamming down towards Shikadai and Dan.

The two Hidden Leaf shinobi jump away from one another, allowing the hand not to hit them but instead to slam down between them.

As sand flies up into the air, Shikadai quickly emerges on one side of it. The Nara clansmen brings his hand down to his pocket before lifting it out, throwing three shuriken at his cousin as he does so. This is part of his intelligent fighting scheme, normally Shinki would easily see through this, he would know that this is a distraction. Right now, however, the Kazekage is on auto-pilot, he has no ability to distinguish between a distraction and a real attack.

Shinki uses a barrier of iron sand to block the shuriken. What he doesn't see is the attack coming at him from his right. Dan weaves a series of signs before slamming his hands onto the ground. This is the earth jutsu, mobile core. As he uses it, the ground below Shinki lowers, creating a square shaped hole in the desert with the Kazekage at the bottom.

Shikadai sprints over to the newly created hole before leaping over the top. He reaches into his other pocket and takes out some old but useful weapons. A group of paper bombs. He drops several of them into the pit before landing on the other side.

BOOM!

Flames shoot out of the top of the pit in a dramatic fashion, like high pressure water firing out the end of a tube.

Dan gets to his feet before casually walking over to the pit. He looks down to the bottom, checking on the status of his opponent, on whether now is the right time to use his technique. It is not.

Shinki rises from the pit, riding atop a pool of blood like a levitating platform.

After rising out of the pit, he leaps from his pool of blood. He wraps his arm around Dan's waist and tackles him to the ground as hard as he can. Right now, he doesn't have the tactical wherewithal to hold back if necessary, he is just going at it like a raging bull.

As his back hits the ground, Dan ignites his newly acquired flames on both of his hands, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

That moment doesn't come. With his first blow, Shinki hits Dan in the face, stunning him to the point where the latter's flames dissipate. Dan is not like Naruto, he is less powerful as a shinobi and is less powerful using the invaders power. While his current abilities would put him above Shinki normally, or above most Kage from the past, they do not put him above this possessed Kazekage.

Shinki raises his fist into the air once more, this time going for the killing blow. Just as he is about to lower his fist he stops uncontrollably. Looking to his right, he notices a shadow connecting him with Shikadai. The shadow possession can only stop him for an instant but sometimes that instant is long enough.

Dan takes hold of Shinki by the jacket, pulling the Kazekage towards him, he slams his head forward and smashes their skulls together.

Shinki raises to his feet upon receiving this blow. He staggers backwards, overcome by the pain for just a moment.

The blue-haired shinobi gets to his feet as quick as he can and covers the length of his right leg in flames. He lifts it off the ground and slams it into Shinki's chest, pushing him back with tremendous force. Shinki can slow himself down only using a combination of iron sand and the blood Jashin has facilitated his control over.

Shikadai runs up to Dan's side and comments about the new level of power his cousin has reached.

"He's strong, that's for sure" Dan frowns.

"Can you take him down?".

The words sound like a challenge to the lover of the 5th Hokage. That isn't what runs through his mind though, he had wanted to be the Hokage, to be responsible for looking after the village. He may not be the Hokage but this is his moment to shine, to defend the village when nobody else can.

"Yeah, I can take him down".

Dan then takes off, sprinting towards Shinki.

Shinki uses blood as an adhesive, mixing his iron sand with the surrounding sand much like before. He raises his arms into the air, creating a giant hand. This time the hand is closed tightly into a fist and as Shinki swings his arms down, the fist bears down towards the Leaf shinobi.

Dan has a counter for this that he heard Colonel Peterson used in his fight against Hashirama. He places his palm out in front of him before forming his fire into a shield. It is not a quick formation, unfortunately, his ability to mould fire as he wishes is inferior to Peterson's ability to mould lightning. It does, however, make it in time. The shield blocks the fist.

BANG!

A small but noticeable vibration grasps the surrounding area as the two seemingly unstoppable forces collide.

This collision is what Dan has been anticipating. He may not be the quickest in moulding his fire but he can do it quicker than Shinki can throw another punch. He retracts the flames that constituted the shield and morphs them into a spear. He takes one step forward with a bent knee and twists his hips for power, arching his arm from his back to his front, he launches the spear towards Shinki.

The Kazekage can dodge something like this with minimal effort. He keeps one foot mounted firmly in place and uses it as a pivot point. He swings his body around, turning ninety degrees to face what was formerly his right side. When he starts to face that direction, he is greeted by an unexpected sight.

Dan is already there.

' _He's faster than before'_ Shikadai smiles as he watches his comrade show off his newly acquired power, _'It must be because he is using their power'_. 'Their' of course, refers to the people who have made their life hell for so long, to Clyde and his followers.

Dan coats his fist in flames and throws it towards Shinki. _'It's alright, don't hold back'_ he encourages himself as his hand bears down on the chest of his opponent, _'You're fighting against a tough opponent here. He won't die just because of this'_. The fist makes contact with flames exploding in each direction from the connection point.

The small shockwave reminds Shikadai of a Colonel's power. After all, Dan was a powerful shinobi even before he added this power to his arsenal.

The punch is well directed so as to not knock the Kazekage too far away, the Leaf shinobi is well aware that he must be close to his Sand counterpart to be safe when he uses the technique. As the Sand shinobi falls onto the ground, Dan looks over his body to see if this is a suitable moment to use his technique.

There is a lot of blood on the floor, leaking from Shinki's side.

' _This should be enough'_.

Just as Dan prepares to use his spirt transformation technique, he is stunned by his opponent. The blood from the floor starts by wobbling slightly, then it actually lifts off the floor, it begins to flow back into Shinki's wound and actually begins to heal him.

Jashin chuckles. An evil cackle that would be well-suited to a child's nightmare or well-placed in a horror film. "That's it Shinki… kill… kill them!".

Shinki follows orders, he starts to get up!

Dan takes a deep breath before covering his fists in flames once again. It looks like this fight is far from over.

"You can get stronger, Shinki. All you need to do is give in".

The Kazekage opens his mouth and lets out a primal scream. Shikadai can feel it, it's so loud. He can feel his skin tingle, not only with the sheer volume of his cousin's scream but in response to the sensation he is feeling. In response to the incredible chakra that is being used.

"That's right Shinki, let my power flow through you".

Shinki throws several punches at Dan. The blue-haired shinobi does manage to dodge the first few but notices that as they come his opponent isn't tiring at all. Conversely, the Kazekage's punches are becoming harder to dodge. With each punch thrown, the gap between Shinki's fist and Dan's head decreases.

' _He's getting faster'._

Dan flips around, placing his back on Shinki's chest before rolling forward. As the Leaf shinobi rolls forward, he extends his legs, bringing his heels up towards Shinki's chin. This is a sound and creative attack, one that would work, if Shinki didn't move backwards.

As Dan's heels pass Shinki's chin and continue to lift uncontrollably into the air, Dan starts when he realises his current position. His hands are fixed firmly on the ground, having been used to help him create for in his attack on Shinki. His legs are high up in the air and have uncontrollable momentum.

His whole body is wide open.

Blood. Shinki uses the blood he has control over to blast into Dan's chest. He pushes Tsunade's lover backwards using high pressure blood alone. He uses it in the same way Sisto used water during the captained-six contest.

As Dan comes to a halt there is a red trail leading to his body. It is unknown though, is that Jashin's blood, or his own.

Shinki sprints towards Dan who is injured poorly positioned to protect himself from a close-range attack. He may have lost some combat intelligence when he was possessed but he still can recognise whether an attack will be most effective from a distance or up close. While the Kazekage's opponent fires several bolts of fire at him, he is able to dodge every last one of them. Then he reaches for Dan's throat. He would reach it, he would end the fight then and there but Shikadai has stopped him once again, he stopped him with the shadow possession technique.

Dan doesn't hold back, he blasts flames straight at Shinki a move that would kill most Kage.

Shinki simply takes the blow however. He flips backwards once before calmly landing on his feet.

Shikadai runs to Dan's side, checking if his comrade is injured despite not being in good condition himself.

"What's happening, is he getting stronger?".

"Yeah" Dan nods through deep, laboured breaths. "That last attack would have had a much greater effect at the start of the fight".

Shikadai watches as blood returns from the ground and enters the wound in Shinki's side. "No" he says as he watches it return, "He's not getting stronger, it's his blood".

"Blood?".

The Nara clan are famed for their ability to work out an opponent. Only a few shinobi in history have been on par with them in this sense. Each of those individuals, the likes of Madara, Orochimaru and Kakashi have gone on to become legends in the history of this world.

"Every time his blood is spilt he purifies it before bringing it back into his body" Shikadai says as he watches the spilt blood slowly return to his cousin. That is unhealthy, any doctor who saw it happen would be horrified. Despite that, something is different about this situation, Jashin has a strong influence over blood. "But that's not all he's doing. He's using that blood as a second means of transporting chakra".

Dan is stunned as he hears this, he quickly turns to face Shikadai. "He's circulating chakra through his blood, is that even possible".

He is met with a grim answer. "It is for Jashin".

Shikadai continues, "Each time his blood is spilt, Jashin is filling it with chakra. You can feel it changing right, it is becoming less like it was at the start of the fight, less like Shinki's and more like Jashin's".

"There is only one route forward" Dan notes, "We have to knock him unconscious".

"That was the plan from the start" Shikadai reminds his ally. "It's easier said than done". To knock the Kazekage unconscious is incredibly difficult. Dan is close to the level of the Colonels who invaded this world which would mean he could knock an average Kage unconscious fairly easily. However, Shinki has always been strong, even for a Kage and his recently enhanced power is only making things more difficult.

"A strong blow to the head will do it" Dan declares as his fists light up.

"How confident are you?".

"I'm not completely confident" the man from the past admits with regret in his voice. "But, I probably won't kill him".

Their conversation is interrupted as Shinki lets out another primal scream. His chakra increases in potency once again, a qualitive transformation.

A bead of sweat drops down from the back of Shikadai's head onto his neck. At first, he puts this down to a cold sweat but then he looks up into the sky. The sun has already risen in the land of wind. The burning heat that this region is famed for is just as intense as it was during his youth.

"The sun is hot here" Shikadai comments as he readies himself for battle.

"Will the brightness make your shadow based technique more difficult" Dan asks.

"It will be fine" Shikadai starts with a smile, "After all…".

He stops mid-sentence. His mouth hangs wide open and his eyes are wide to match it. It's as if he has understood a weakness in his opponent. It is as if he has discovered a way to win. Formerly he felt too small to compare to the likes of the Hokage that came from the past. He felt like he was an ant trying to make a difference in a world of giants. Then this incident happened and now everything is depending on him. It seems muscles aren't the only way to grow. Not only can strong ants become giants but smart ones can too.

"Shikadai, are you alright?". Naturally, Dan is concerned when his sole ally in this battle stops talking.

Shinki uses this opening to create a giant wave of iron sand. The iron sand is like a tsunami, the only tsunami to ever hit the desert. It charges towards them at a speed that only the most skilled shinobi would dodge.

Naturally, both Dan and Shikadai are amongst the most talented shinobi in their generation. They were both, at their peaks, figures that could have a huge impact on the shinobi world. Shikadai is in a trance though, so Dan has to take drastic measures. He tackles his fellow Leaf Shinobi out of the way of the iron sand, only managing to get out of harm's way at the very last moment.

"Hey Shikadai, are you alright?" he asks as he shakes the raven-haired Nara, "This is no time to daydream".

"This is the perfect chance" Jashin declares, "Kill them, Shinki".

As the Sand Shinobi bears down on his two opponents, Dan pushes Shikadai away to try and save him. This doesn't wake Shikamaru's son though, instead he stands there just like he was before, he stands with a shocked expression, looking into the distance as if there isn't another person in the world.

Dan fires fireballs at Shinki repeatedly but the Kazekage dodges each and every one.

Shinki reaches Dan and thrusts his hand, like a sword, into Dan's stomach. As the historic shinobi spits blood onto his enemy's hand, Shinki pulls his hand away, withdrawing it. He watches as Dan loses control of his legs, as he falls down towards the ground. When he falls into the perfect position, the possessed shinobi kicks him at a new target. He kicks Dan straight towards his cousin. Straight towards Shikadai.

Then things change.

At the last second, Shikadai dodges the incoming Dan before catching him as gently as possible. Then he lays him down on the ground.

"Shikadai…" Dan chuckles lightly, "Those reflexes are…".

Dan is right, Shikadai's reflexes have noticeably improved.

"You don't need to worry about my techniques suffering in the sunlight" Shikadai smiles.

"That's because…".

"… my darkness absorbs all light".


	74. The Darkest Shadow

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – THE DARKEST SHADOW**

 **Outside the Temple of Jashin**

Dan is in terrible condition with his lower abdomen having been punctured by Shinki's hand. Blood pours freely from his wound and shows little signs of stopping any time soon. The only thing that is stop him from bleeding to death is his own application of pressure. Normally, this would mean that the Hidden Leaf has lost, that they are down and out, that it is over. Dan is shaking. He is not shaking because of his wound, he is shaking because of what he just saw Shinki do.

At the beginning of the fight, Dan was stronger than Shinki. His abilities as a shinobi put him at a similar level of power to a low-level Kage. Combining this with the power he now has, to the power to control fire, as well as the basic physical strength boost that comes with understanding the invaders' power, he had a power similar to a low-level Colonel. Shinki started a bit below this, he started with the power of a high-level Kage but since the fight has started, his power has just increased and increased. This is a testament to Jashin's incredible power.

"Shikadai" Dan calls weakly to the man who just saved him, "Just now… did you…".

"I went to another place" Shikadai explains, interrupting his fellow Hidden Leaf shinobi. "I saw what he saw, I saw what you must have seen".

Just a moment ago, Shikadai fell into a trance, he was unmoving despite the repeated attacks of his opponent. For the next few moments, Dan had to protect him, Dan had to defend him while he was in this state where he could not defend himself. He had no idea at that time that this was what was happening. It is a ray of hope in a world of darkness.

Dan coughs as he struggles to maintain his vitality. That doesn't stifle the curve of his lips. He is smiling. What seemed like a hopeless situation just seconds ago now seems OK.

Shikadai has understood the invaders' power!

"I see" Dan says as he smiles. He doesn't get complacent though. He realises that there is still a job to be done, the man standing across from them is the Kazekage. A Kazekage who has been brainwashed by an evil-god. "I can still use my technique but I can only do it once otherwise I will die. I can't fight though, I will have to leave the rest up to you".

"Yeah" Shikadai nods confidently as he approaches Shinki. He walks closer without any visible caution or hesitation, his struts up and acts like he does with most other things in life. He walks up like it's a drag. "You don't have to worry. He's my cousin, I will take responsibility for saving him".

As Shikadai closes the distance between them, he holds a hand out to his side.

A dark substance forms in Shikadai's hand.

Dan gasps as he feels the power coming from Shikadai. He doesn't know what element The Circle's administrator has understood, nor does he know to what degree he understood it. What Dan does know, is that the power he can feel coming from Shikadai is of high quality.

He knows Shikadai is strong.

"Shinki, he has understood an element as well" Jashin's voice speeds up and raises in pitch as he explains this to his thoughtless servant. "Kill him, kill him quickly".

The deity is right to be concerned. Every single person who understands this power that the invaders use is destined to be strong. Most captains are a handful for low-level Kage, defeating a colonel has proved impossible to even the mightiest of shinobi until recently. However, if an invader did not understand any element, they would be weak, yet a shinobi would still be strong. Given that, if a shinobi understands an element, just how strong does that make them. Invariably, it makes the stronger than their invader counterparts.

Shinki hits the ground running, unlike his cousin's composed strut, he sprints forward. The distance between them closes quickly and Shinki throws a punch, his fist bears down on Shikadai's face.

Shikadai waits for the punch to come close to his face, opting only to dodge at the last second. Even in situations like this where it seems everything depends on power, he is using his brain to fight. If you dodge at the last second it is harder for your opponent to resist the counterattack, so if you can dodge late in the day, why not do it? He feels the wind blow past his ear as the fist just misses. He is not inactive in this moment; his fists are also ready and raring to go. Both of the fists are covered in a dark coloured substance but only one of them is required. He slams his tightly clenched fist into his cousin's stomach.

Shinki's body bends around his stomach, around the point of contact. Blood leaves his mouth as a result of the impact. It is not the acidic blood mastered by Jashin, it is Shinki's own blood. He quickly recovers, he may not be able to think freely but he has still maintained his fighting instincts. He attempts a barrage of punches this time, one dodge can happen by fluke but a series of dodges cannot.

Multiple dodges do not happen by accident. Shikadai dodges multiple punches because he is strong. Shikadai dodges five punches successively before sidestepping the final, most powerful punch that his cousin delivers. After Shinki's momentum carries him forward, Shikadai catches his arm, his elbow.

Shinki sees a chance, he spins away from he caught elbow and holds his body low to the ground. While he spins counter clockwise his attacking leg approaches his target, his enemies leg. He is trying to sweep Shikadai's legs.

The Nara clansmen sees this attack coming and jumps slightly into the air to dodge. His jump into the air isn't linear, he spins counter clockwise too, just like Shinki. This additional spin maximises his power when he delivers a stinging backhand to his brainwashed cousin's face.

Following this brutal, stunning attack, the raven-haired shinobi continues his assault. First, he delivers two solid punches with both his feet and Shinki's fixed to the ground, each of those punches are enhanced by his dark element. The impact of all three blows has been substantial. This is when Shikadai goes for a fourth and even more devastating blow. He moves his dark element down the length of his forearm, from his hand to his elbow before smashing that elbow into the side of his opponent's face.

It begins to work.

Shinki starts to fall down!

Shikadai presses the advantage, shifting the element down to his leg before kicking forwards as hard as he can.

The Kazekage is forced into a roll. He rolls with the length of his body at a uniform displacement from his foe. It takes just over a second for him to stop his momentum, even then he needs assistance to do it. He calls upon his iron sand to stop his own movement. After finally flipping himself back to his feet using his signature iron sand, Shinki then forms it into a giant fist, merging it with the surrounding sand just like he did before.

The giant fist slams towards Shikadai but the Nara clansmen dodges it with ease. The same thing happens again, multiple times. Even as Shinki uses Jashin's blood to merge his iron sand to more of the surrounding desert, it does him no good. Six fists of sand slam down from above, each with the goal of crushing Shikadai but none of them can hit.

"Shinki, when are you going to get the point" the Leaf shinobi asks rhetorically, "I am faster than you".

Shikadai is right and it has been shown in the fight so far. Every time there has been an exchange dependent on speed, it is the Leaf shinobi who has come out on top. That is a testament to the invaders' power. If Shikadai didn't have this power, would he ever be able to fight on a level playing field with the Kazekage.

Shinki angrily swings both arms down from above his head, bringing down a high-pressure jet of acidic blood from the sky. This is, once again, deflected easily by his opponent. Shikadai raises a single palm into the air, doing what Dan did previously and creating a shield out of his element. He uses this shield, not only to protect himself from the attack, but to deflect it back at his opponent, using the blood to destroy the iron sand fists that it helped to create.

As Shinki is distracted by this wonderful counter, Shikadai dashes towards his opponent. He arrives in front of him before he can even realise what has happened.

Shinki pulls his fist back for a powerful punch but his elbow is caught from behind. It is caught by a clone of Shikadai.

"Give me back my cousin" Shikadai screams as he slams his element covered fist into Shinki's chest.

The Leaf shinobi's element washes over the Sand shinobi's body. After the dark wave covers Shinki's entire body it explodes, knocking him onto his back.

Jashin watches on from above Shinki's shoulder and curses his bad luck.

"What the hell is happening?".

Jashin looks on at Shinki and continues to wonder what is happening. He is convinced that Dan was a stronger shinobi than Shikadai, so why is Shikadai able to overcome Shinki while Dan is not.

"Get onto your feet, Shinki…" the evil-god barks.

Shikadai simply chuckles at this demand. "Well, well, it looks like even a god can get flustered".

"Shinki, you have to kill him".

The Nara clansmen notes that Jashin is ignoring him so he raises his voice to gain attention. "But you're not a god at all, are you Jashin?".

Dan starts as he looks at Shikadai. The Nara clan has always been the most intelligent in the Hidden Leaf, they have seen things that others have not, they have a superior affinity for deducing the truth. Shikadai as an even more extreme case, perhaps he is the most intelligent shinobi in the world. He is the one who worked out something was wrong with his father's heart attack, he was the quickest one to put all the pieces together when he was given them all. It is thanks to him that they have made it this far. Still, Dan can't help but think, what is Shikadai talking about?

"You knew that I had understood an element" Shikadai grins smugly as he looks at the floating ball of light, "You're something from the invaders' world, right?".

"What is your name" Jashin questions, speaking not to Shinki but now directly to Shikadai, "You with the black element, what is your name".

"Nara Shikadai".

"Your injured ally is the perfect example. Someone with the most basic level of understanding should not be able to fight against my power". Jashin is right. After all, Dan could not. "Despite all of that, despite your weakness as a shinobi, you can fight against me".

Jashin continues, "The stone tablet in your inner world, what does it say?".

"You already know, don't you?". This power is not original but it is strong. It is something that has been seen before in this world. It is something that Shikadai has complete confidence in.

"You've been watching over this world for years, you must have heard it when General Clyde said it" Shikadai smiles as he explains, "He said that his element was so strong that he could fight someone with a greater understanding than himself".

This is indeed the case. Some elements are stronger than others, allowing their users to transcend gaps in power. Using the basic elemental cloak that colonels use, Clyde would be able to fight on par with an average general, such is his power. There are also monsters like Peterson who can come close to this just through physical training and hard work. The most extreme of someone who can fight above their level is Naruto, who defeated Clyde while only having a captain level understanding.

"I am the same" Shikadai continues.

"My element is also darkness".

Shinki starts to gradually crawl back to his feet. He lifts iron sand and acidic blood into the air using his newly amplified powers. The two begin to spiral closer to one another, eventually settling at a fixed distance from each other. After that, Shinki blasts them both towards Shikadai, a double-helix shaped attack.

The smug smile disappears from the Nara's face. It is replaced by a look of seriousness, of concentration. For the first time, he forms his element into a weapon. He creates a bow and arrow using darkness. He holds the bow firmly out in front of him and pulls back on the string and arrow before releasing his attack to counter his cousin's.

Shikadai's arrow pierces straight through the centre of the double-helix, which he dodges after firing the projectile. It shoots all the way through the middle before hitting Shinki in the shoulder, knocking the Kazekage onto his back.

"Pathetic" Jashin almost screams with rage, "It's as I said, Shinki, you are not worthy of my power".

"Still, you are my only option left" he continues, "So, I'm going to give you all of the chakra I can".

Shinki uses his iron sand to cut his own wrists.

As blood rapidly drains from his veins, it is refined and replaced with its acidic alternative. The acidic blood begins to glow, a brilliant, bright shade of red before it returns to Shinki's body.

"Good, using the part of me that is fused with your soul, I will give you all of the chakra I can" Jashin declares menacingly. "My power may kill you but who cares? Rampage Shinki, kill anyone and everyone you can, bathe this world in blood".

ROAR!

The Kazekage roars once again, louder than ever before.

Jashin cackles maniacally, "Shinki, are you feeling better now?".

Shikadai starts as he notices a glowing red colour beneath Shinki's skin. It's the blood flowing around his veins, it is glowing so brightly he can see it on the outside. He doesn't have long left if he is going to save his cousin. That isn't his greatest problem at the moment. Shinki was strong before, but now his chakra is growing even further. Just what sort of monster is he becoming, just what sort of monster is Jashin.

"Kill him, Shinki, kill Nara Shikadai".

Shinki raises his hands into the air to manipulate the surrounding iron sand and acidic blood, slamming them towards Shikadai at the same time. Shikadai does create a darkness shield in retaliation but Shinki adapts to this the moment it happens. He splits the iron sand and acidic blood apart. First, he slams the darkness shield with blood, creating several cracks along its length. Then he uses his iron sand, he uses it to puncture the shield before using it to drive Shikadai backwards along the ground.

Shikadai focuses his darkness energy on his hands. It is a struggle but he just about manages to push the attacking entities over his head. It is a simple matter for Shinki to return his iron sand and acidic blood to his side but it is even harder for Shikadai to recover. It is important to realise that the Leaf shinobi was heavily injured even before he unlocked the power of darkness, now that he has been hit hard once again, his injuries are starting to open up.

Shinki raises both his hands into the air once again, this time he does something he hasn't done before. He uses the acidic blood, not as an adhesive, but instead he directly fuses it with the iron sand.

Together, the substances for a gigantic red dragon.

With a flick of Shinki's wrists, the dragon bears down on its targets. It intends to devour Shikadai and Dan with one attack. It intends to take them both into its mouth before chewing them to death.

' _I have to find a way to protect Dan'_ Shikadai shouts in his head, realising the desperation of this situation, _'Or else…'_.

Just as he thinks this, another giant dragon arrives. It closes its own mouth around the body of the red dragon and tackles it into the nearby Temple of Jashin.

Dan looks to his side and gasps as he spots the newly arriving shinobi.

His arrival is a huge relief.

His arrival means they are safe.

"You're…". Shikadai is stunned, just like Dan, of all the people to show up.

Then he smiles, he realises this means they've won.

"Lord 1st!".

' _Why is he not unconscious like the others'_. Shikadai didn't know that the 1st Hokage was still awake, otherwise he would have asked him for help in the first place. He had assumed that all of the Hokage were down, that Shinki had held a grudge against every member of The Circle and all their most powerful supporters in the village.

Hashirama approaches. He is using his enhanced sage mode powers.

' _I see'_ Shikadai works out what has happened, _'Unlike the others, Hashirama voted with Shinki, saying we should kill the invaders. Unlike Boruto, Hashirama's vote counted, that's why Shinki thought he was his only supporter'_.

 **The Shikkotsu Forest**

Tsunade has been training in sage mode since she left the village, ever since Mitsuki suggested she come here to Shikkotsu Forest. This is her first time experiencing what other sage mode users have felt around both Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Naruto. Sage mode enhances your power, pushing you beyond your previous limits and turning you into an entirely new shinobi. However, these two, Hashirama and Naruto, are monsters who have taken the power further than any other shinobi.

"What is this…" Tsunade asks.

"Lady Tsunade" Katsuyu calls from Mitsuki's shoulder, "You know who that is, right?".

"It's my grandfather" she gasps, looking directly at the source of this power. "This is the first time I've felt his full power. It's unreal".

"That's the 1st Hokage for you" Mitsuki grins.

Tsunade's thoughts rest on her lover though. _'Dan, I don't know why you left suddenly but you better keep safe dammit'_.

 **The Desert**

"This sage power" Jashin growls, "It's unbelievable".

Interestingly, the others are also appreciating the sheer power that Hashirama brings to a fight. _'I can feel it'_ Shikadai is shocked to find, _'I can feel his sage mode chakra… but why…'_. The reason doesn't matter right now, it is not a matter of urgency. Still, he is stunned just like everyone else feeling this for the first time. He knew Hashirama was strong but this is something else. This is the power that currently places the 1st Hokage as being the 3rd strongest inhabitant of this world.

Hashirama approaches Shinki. "Your plan was to use your new power to attack the enemy. That is a plan I can tolerate. I vowed to change, to use my head rather than my heart to make my decisions. Against what I truly desired, I was even ready to sacrifice two shinobi so that you could attack".

The frown on the 1st Hokage's face switches to a grin. "But, two shinobi who have grasped the enemies power, two shinobi this important, even when I use my head, it's no longer worth the sacrifice".

"Your plan stops now, Shinki".

"Shinki, run away" Jashin screams to his power's host, "You don't stand a chance against him".

Despite Shinki turning to run away, the wood dragon that Hashirama created previously lands in the Kazekage's path.

Hashirama's smile becomes slightly intimidating as his approach speed increases. "I only need knock him out, right Shikadai?".

"That's right".

Several poofs of smoke sound, several of Hashirama's clones on the back of the wood dragon dissipate their disguises. Tens of them leap off the back of the wooden construct before attacking Shinki. While the Kazekage is capable of fighting through these clones, it is a struggle and they are insignificant when compared to Hashirama's true body.

When the Kazekage defeats the final clone, he realises they have all been a distraction. The distraction is so effective that Hashirama was able to walk up to Shikadai without being noticed.

The first attack is an uppercut, driving Shinki up into the air.

"You should have listened to The Circle's judgement, Shinki" the 1st Hokage declares.

He appears in the Kazekage's path.

His second attack is an elbow, driving Shinki back down into the ground.

"I didn't like it but I still abide by it and do you know why?".

Shinki bounces off the ground before raising his battered face slightly, he sees that Hashirama has already arrived on the ground alongside him.

"It's because everything, I'm still a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village".

For his final attack, Hashirama takes hold of Shinki's vest before banging their heads together.

The headbutt finally does the trick.

Shinki is knocked unconscious.

For the first time in a while, the desert falls silent.

Shikadai and Dan watch on with smiles on their faces.

They understood the invaders' power but they understood something even more important here today.

They understand why Hashirama is the 1st Hokage, why he was able to defeat any colonel who stood in his way.

It's because Senju Hashirama is strong!

This battle, is the Hidden Leaf's victory.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi Everyone.

I just wanted to say that there is one more chapter for Part 4 - Rebirth of the Leaf.

Normally, that chapter would be released on Monday, as per my schedule of writing every weekday but not on weekends.

I may make an exception in this case, seeing as it's the final chapter, and release it sooner than that.

As always, I make no promises.

Thanks for reading,

Cbehrills

 **Further Note:**

Hi Everyone,

I've been unwell as of late and have been unable to write that final chapter for you.

You have my sincerest apologies, I will be writing as soon as I feel that I can do so to the best of my ability.

Thanks,

Cbehrills


	75. The Answer

**REBIRTH OF THE LEAF – THE ANSWER**

 **Outside Jashin's Temple**

A silence has possessed the area outside the temple of Jashin. This has been the sight of a great battle. A battle between the Leaf and the Sand. A battle between Shinki's friends and Shinki's demons. A battle between good and evil. A battle between shinobi and a power they don't understand. This place has seen a battle between friends. A battle between cousins. A battle between Kage. It is here that people with powers that transcend the Kage have done battle.

The landscape has been scarred by the tremendous power that it has had to contend with. Shinki has been possessed by Jashin and his evil powers to manipulate blood. Dan has understood the invaders' powers, he has achieved a new level through understanding the nature of fire. Shikadai has done the same. The Nara clansmen who this whole incident has revolved around, the man who the Kage made feel small and useless. Not only did Shikadai understand the nature of an element, he understood the nature of a transcendent element, he understood darkness.

Lastly, there is Senju Hashirama.

What has happened here speaks volumes about the 1st Hokage's power, more than anybody else's.

Hashirama didn't win here using the invaders power nor using Jashin's power. He won with his own strength. He is simply that strong.

"Dan" Hashirama breaks the silence as he turns to face his granddaughter's lover. "Free Shinki".

Dan snaps out of his stupor. Until just now, he had been in a trance. This power that had been displayed before him. Previously he had seen it only for a few moments in a battle against a Colonel. That first time, Hashirama had been unaccustomed to the power and had passed out as a result. The only other time he saw it was on a TV monitor. This time he had seen it in person, not only that but he could feel the nature chakra flowing towards the 1st Hokage. In person, this sensation would be enough to shock anyone.

In his last moment before acting, Kato Dan is finally convinced. Without the invaders' power, Hashirama is every bit Naruto's equal.

Despite his injured state, he activates the spirt transformation technique and enters Shinki's unconscious body. He begins to attack from the inside out. Eroding away all the unwelcome chakra from the Kazekage's blood. Erasing the unwanted existence of Jashin in the shinobi world.

Jashin's glowing ball still floats above Shinki's shoulder, only now it is glowing more intensely than ever. Rage. The intensity with which it burns is connected with the bloody deity's rage.

"What will you do now, Senju Hashirama?" Jashin roars as his existence starts to diminish. "Without my power, will it be possible for you to defeat these other-world invaders?".

Shikadai grinds his teeth and wonders if this is going to go poorly. Much like his cousin, the 1st Hokage has been a believer that the invaders should be killed. He believes that during their dying moments, it was the wishes of Mito, Konohamaru and all the others that the invaders should be killed. He has made it his personal mission to see that happen. If he were to combine powers with this evil god, how grave could the consequences bee.

"Take my power for yourself" Jashin implores, "You could be unstoppable, together we could crush them".

Hashirama grins smugly.

"It's true that I aim to kill the invaders. I aim to kill Clyde and his followers to fulfil the dying wishes of my wife".

He continues, "As you are suggesting, I may not have the power to accomplish my goal alone…".

As Hashirama says this, he looks away from the glowing orb before him. He looks instead to the inhabited body of Shinki. Someone who agrees with him. Influenced by a spirit or not, the Kazekage is someone who believes the correct decision is to kill the invaders'. Next, he thinks to Boruto asking for instruction, about how their shared philosophy makes them an ideal pair.

"But, there is something that makes me different from those who have failed in the past". Particularly, Hashirama has his close childhood friend Madara in mind. There are others too, from the Uchiha clan, Obito and Sasuke.

"I'm going to succeed with the help of my friends" he declares with a genuine smile, a smile the old Hashirama would share, "I'm not alone".

"You are making a big mistake!" the orb shouts before vanishing completely.

Jashin is gone.

Dan's spirit returns to his own body, having achieved what he set out to do. The nearby Senju clansmen is quick to react to this. He creates a wood clone that leaps over to Dan and begins healing him.

"Lord 1st" the fire-user mutters quietly, "I hope you don't find this to be too rude but I'm going to need to rest now". Having said that, he closes his eyes and gently falls asleep.

Shikadai smiles at this conclusion, as things have calm down, he starts to feel the horrendous injuries that he has sustained throughout this battle. Regardless, he doesn't take the treatment that Hashirama offers him, instead he limps over to his cousin. The two of them have been the centremost figures in this whole incident, he feels it is only right that things conclude with them talking to one another.

"Shinki" Shikadai calls as he shakes his cousin gently by the arms, "Hey, Shinki, wake up!".

The Kazekage's eyelids open gently. Open opening them he feels an immediate sense of relief. The screaming in his head has gone, the lack of control over his own actions also seems to be gone. Also, his blood feels a lot cleaner. "Shikadai… I'm free… aren't I?".

"Yeah, you're free Shinki" declares the founder of The Circle, "You need never be controlled by Jashin again".

Once again, Shinki feels relief, this time he expresses it with a great sigh. For what feels like the first time in years, he truly relaxes. "That's a relief. Tell me, Shikadai, did I kill anyone?".

"A few people may have been injured but everyone is mostly OK". Shikadai glances over at Dan for a moment. The people who have been hurt by this fight the most, are himself, Dan and Shinki. The only other people who suffered are those in the Hidden Leaf Village, affected by the jolt of chakra into the amulets. "Shinki, we've done it together this time, we've overcome Jashin".

The Kazekage smiles. "Thank you, Shikadai. On behalf of the Hidden Sand, thank you".

Shikadai nods gently before switching to look at Hashirama's back. The 1st Hokage is facing the temple of Jashin and seems to be preparing for something.

"What are you going to do?".

"Nature has already begun its battle against this temple" Hashirama explains, nodding to the years of wear and tear caused by the sandstorms in the Land of Wind. The temple looked old when Shikadai arrived here. Now that it has been next to an explosive battle, it is no longer fit to be called a temple. Now the term ruin is more appropriate. "I'm going to finish the job".

The 1st Hokage weaves signs in a continual stream. Individual jutsu are only distinguished from one another by quick bodily gestures that Hashirama makes to activate them. As various sources of wood overcome and smash the remnants of the temple to pieces, the incident comes to a close. Jashin will never bother a shinobi again.

"It's gone Shinki, the temple that you found, it has gone".

"Yeah" his cousin replies with a barely noticeable smile. It is quickly done as he changes the conversation, he realises a serious issue is still present. "What will you do now, Shikadai? I am a criminal after all, a traitor to our world, to our cause?".

"I don't know what will happen in the long run" Shikadai admits before grinning, "But I think the first thing we should do is go back, don't you?".

"Yes".

 **Nearby**

Two people have observed this whole battle, unnoticed despite their enormous presence and fame for each and every living shinobi. This duo makes up the strongest combination amongst the invaders'. It is General Clyde and Colonel Peterson.

They have also been shocked by what they have seen in this battle. For someone to unlock a power like darkness is incredibly rare. It is a power that allows you to fight above your own level, that is something that Clyde himself boasts about. That is not the only thing that shocked them. To Peterson it feels like only yesterday he was able to use his abilities to make Hashirama look foolish, now, with every passing moment, the 1st Hokage seems to come closer and closer to the next level. Clyde's level, Naruto's level.

What truly shocks them is something else.

"General, was that really a divine ability?" Peterson asks.

"It was like a divine ability but not identical" Clyde answers after a moments consideration. "Perhaps it was a failed divine ability".

"What is it doing here?" Peterson shouts as turns to face his leader. Clearly, the presence of this failed divine ability is not something he can understand. It is like it goes against all the laws of reality. "There shouldn't be something like that in this world".

"Who know" Clyde mutters. "But, aren't you astonished, they're learning our strength, their power is increasing so rapidly".

"It's not just them General" the scar-faced Colonel proudly declares, "I've felt it too, the improvement in my training speed. The rate at which I am gaining strength is much greater than before".

"Is that so?" Clyde asks cheerfully, "In that case, there may be hope for us yet".

 **3 Weeks Later, Outside the Circle**

Three people are waiting outside what has become the governmental building of the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Sand Villages. Inside this building await the most elite group in this world's history. Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Namikaze Minato, Senju Tsunade, Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sarada and Uzumaki Boruto. Any of these names would have made histories criminals shake in their boots. While many of them are forgiving and understand the importance of destroying the cycle of hatred, that is not the same as allowing a criminal to go free.

The criminal awaiting his fate is the Kazekage.

It is Shinki.

Waiting with him are his Aunt and Uncle, Temari and Shikamaru.

"Will it really be OK?" Shinki nervously asks.

"Of course it will" Temari snaps like it's obvious.

"But after all the terrible things I did…".

"Your father did terrible things too" Temari admits, thinking back to Gaara's younger days. "He also had to ask for forgiveness, after doing that, he went to become the Kazekage".

Shinki's circumstances are different to Gaara's. "I was already Kazekage and my father was a lot younger than I when he made the mistake. I betrayed the very people I represent, all for my petty revenge".

"But nobody died, did they?".

"Aunt Temari…".

Temari interrupts her nephew, "You've heard the stories of Uchiha Sasuke, haven't you?".

Shinki nods. "Yes. His deeds are legendary. As the first person to hold the position of shadow Hokage, he did a great service to the Hidden Leaf. No, not just the Hidden Leaf. He protected the whole world from terrifying foes, he is remembered as a true hero".

"And the difference between you and Sasuke is that he actually killed people" Temari explains. She remembers the day Sasuke attacked the Five Kage summit. It was a dark day when the villages realised they had such a powerful enemy who had so much room to grow. "He went on to greatness. His daughter even became the Hokage who worked with you. You will be fine".

A comforting hand lands on the Kazekage's shoulder, Shikamaru's hand. "Relax a bit Shinki, I was the one who you hurt the most and I have forgiven you".

Shinki nods sincerely. Following Jashin's instructions and attempting to kill this man is possibly his life's foremost regret. "Thank you, Uncle, it's just a question of whether the Circle will forgive me too".

The door to the Circle opens and out steps Shinki's cousin. The Circle's administrator, Shikadai. "Shinki, they have come to a decision and will see you now".

Together they enter the building.

 **The Circle**

This is a day of great importance in the history of not just the Hidden Leaf but the Hidden Sand too. These two great villages make up all that is left of this world's natives. For this important decision, all of the Circle members attended. Hashirama. Tobirama. Hiruzen. Minato. A returning Tsunade. Kakashi. Naruto. Sarada. Boruto.

As Shikadai returns to his position in the middle of the Circle, Shinki is left wondering what to do. "Where would you like me to stand for this decision?".

Hashirama gestures to his right. "How about you sit in this chair?".

That chair is marked Kazekage.

Shinki starts, "But…".

Hashirama says nothing further. With a smile and a wink, he turns back to face the centre of the table. Business as usual.

"What are you saying" Shinki is flustered as he asks.

"You were being controlled by Jashin, Lord Kazekage. You have done nothing wrong" the administrator explains with a wide smile on his face, "The verdict is that you are innocent, thus, we request that you return to your chair".

"Are you all sure about this?".

Tobirama sits back in his chair and folds his arms. "Even if we did remove you, it would cause unrest among the citizens of the Hidden Sand".

Naruto is more pleasant about his explanation. "We've forgiven you Shinki, forgiveness is always the best decision when you are faced with someone who truly regrets what they have done".

"Sit down, Lord Kazekage" Kakashi requests with his usual unenthusiastic voice, "We have plenty to get on with".

Shinki's old colleague, Sarada is the next to speak. "You're not going to turn us, down are you?".

The Kazekage is embarrassed as he is forced to rub a tear away from his check. "Of course not, Lord 9th. I will return to The Circle". He does just that, he sits in the chair he thought he left behind forever. To his left is the 1st Hokage. To his right is the 9th Hokage. This is the seat occupied by the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village. This is his home.

"Thank you, everyone".

 **Outside**

"Well, how do you think it went?" Temari eagerly asks her husband, not showing any of the confidence she displayed in front of her nephew.

"Naruto is in there. There is no way they will arrest him. They'll find him innocent, he was under Jashin's control after all".

"Is there a way to be sure?".

"I think there is" Shikamaru chuckles as he notices something. He points over Temari's shoulder to an open window.

From the open window, a ball of iron sand is starting to form. Slowly, that ball accumulates more and more iron sand until it has enough to morph into the shape Shinki chooses. He chooses a life-size human hand. He gives one simple gesture.

The iron sand hand raises a thumb to Temari and Shikamaru.

Temari screams in delight for a moment before realising what she looks like and calming down. "What a relief" she declares as she tightly embraces her husband, "It's OK Shikamaru, he's going to be OK".

"Honestly" Shikamaru smiles but shakes his head at his wife's euphoria, "Let's not have too much excitement, it's not good for my heart".

They pause for a moment and simply rest in each other's arms.

"Would you like to go and get some ramen, Temari?".

"Yes".

 **Later that Evening**

After the Circle finish their meeting, the various members pour out. Two of them have arranged to meet, once again, to discuss how to go forward from here. Boruto and Sarada were having an important conversation before Shinki ruined it for them. He knocked Boruto out during perhaps the least convenient moment he could.

"You wanted to see me" Sarada says as she intertwines her fingers in various patterns.

"Yeah" Boruto nods, "I have finally worked up the nerve".

"The nerve?".

"Yes" the blonde shinobi says, "The night of the Jashin incident, I have worked up the nerve to respond to what you said".

"Oh" Sarada mutters as if she hadn't known. "That…". It has been like torture for her to know that she said what she said. It has been three weeks and Boruto has been spending all this time working up the nerve to talk to her about it? Imagine then, what it has been like for her.

He takes a deep breath.

"Sarada I…".

"BORUTO!" a screaming voice interrupts him.

A hand is placed on the shadow Hokage's shoulder. Naruto's hand.

' _My damn old man'_ Boruto curses in his head. _'He still hasn't learnt how to read the mood yet…'_. The sole wielder of the Tenseigan is tempted to use his powers at this moment. The moment has been interrupted twice now, once by an evil deity and the other time by his own father.

"I found it" Naruto announces, "You have to come with me".

Boruto suddenly starts and his anger fades away. He knows what Naruto is referring to.

The portal.

Naruto has found the portal.

"Now of all times" he curses, "Sarada, I'm sorry but I…".

"I know" she interrupts with a smile. The Hokage understands this issue better than anybody.

Naruto begins to run away from his son, "Come on Boruto" he says as he gestures with his arm.

Boruto clenches his hands for a moment as he thinks of what to do. After a moment he thinks of something. He reaches into his pocket and searches around for a metallic feel. Eventually, he grabs them. He pulls his hand out of his pocket and throws something to Sarada.

The 9th Hokage looks at the object.

"House keys…".

Boruto explains his actions. "If you let yourself in, I promise we will talk about it when I get back".

The last Uchiha smiles as she gently wraps her fingers around the keys. "Yes".

As the two Uzumaki shinobi run into the distance she smiles. The two of them are working together to form a truly deadly force. Their backs shrink as they get further into the distance, even when using the rinnegan, they quickly escape from Sarada's sight. She is convinced that together, the two of them will overcome all the obstacles the Leaf is faced with. She is convinced that together, this father-son duo is the answer to all of the village's difficulties.

One thought runs through her mind.

' _Hurry back, Boruto'_.

 **Two Hours Later**

A long distance from the Hidden Leaf is where Boruto has found himself. This is the place he followed his father to and just before him is the shining spectacle from his memories. The pair have been here for some time, staring, such is the aura of the portal.

"This is what my clones found" Naruto finally explains as he looks at his son.

Boruto is transfixed on the portal and has been for some time. There is something special about it, he is sure of that. It is not just the terrible memories he has from being near it, it has an aura about it.

"It sure gives me a weird feeling" Naruto says, mirroring his son's thoughts. Then he goes one step further. "It's giving off some strange energy, do you feel it?".

Boruto inspects the portal with his Tenseigan before shaking his head, "You're imagining things".

"Still, it's exactly as you described it" the 7th Hokage continues as he inspects this dimensional travel device. This is the thing that allowed the invaders to come here, this is the road to Clyde's world. "Well, is this it?".

Boruto hesitates for a moment before saying it. "Yes, this is it".

"This is the portal to their world".

Naruto nods to his son before activating the peak of his chakra based powers. He enters six paths sage mode.

Boruto takes this as his cue to get well back, he has seen first-hand just how powerful his father's attacks can be.

Naruto first draws upon the chakra provided to him by Kurama. He combines that with nature chakra to create the strongest tailed beast bomb he can. He has more than chakra to contribute though. Using the life power he unlocked while fighting Clyde, he slowly pulses the ball so that it flashes with his power. He coats the tailed beast bomb in life energy. Then, he unleashes his attack, he hits the portal with the tailed beast bomb.

An enormous explosion covers the surrounding area, likely killing all but the two people with the power to survive.

Naruto and Boruto calmly stand next to one another as the explosion dies down.

The portal has been destroyed.

"So it's finally gone" Boruto notes as he sighs with relief.

"It's gone" Naruto confirms.

"Thanks for your hard work, father".

"With this you can forget about killing Clyde's group, right?" Naruto is happy as he points this out. This solution signifies the end. There is nobody amongst Clyde's group who has the power to threaten them with Naruto's new-found strength. There is no way that they can call for reinforcements, the Leaf is no longer under threat. "Now that the portal has been shut, they have no way of getting reinforcements from their world".

"It's over" Naruto continues, "We can have peace at long last".

Boruto turns his back on the crater his father his left.

He starts back home. He has an important guest waiting for him after all.

He does, however, say something before departing.

"I hope you are right dad…".

"I hope you are right…".

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi Everyone.

That is the end of Part 4: Rebirth of the Leaf.

I hope you have all enjoyed this part of the story. I never planned to do it originally but was inspired to by the suggestions in the reviews that I mentioned previously.

I have yet to script part 5 but if my estimates are correct it will be much longer than part 4. It may be a while before I finish scripting it and therefore may also be a while before you get the first chapter in part 5. As always, I will try to work as fast as I can.

I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed, you have said some really kind things and it continues to provide me with motivation to keep writing. The entirety of part 4 (Chapters 60 - 75) has been inspired by your suggestions, so thank you for that.

Hopefully I will see you soon.

Thanks for reading,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **Notice:**

Hi Everyone,

I realize it has been a long time since I have updated but I would like to make it clear. This story has **NOT** been abandoned.

It is taking me longer than normal to write out part 5 for a number of reasons. The first of these is this part is more complicated to write than any of its predecessors. The second is that this is the longest part I have written so far and **a lot** will happen in it. The last is that I have recently taken up studying again and it is taking up a lot of my time.

I know that this reduced speed is not fair to you given the promises I have made in the past but I would like to assure everyone that I **will** finish this story, no matter how long it takes.

Thanks for your understanding, I hope to be uploading soon,

Cbehrills


	76. Three Years Later

**Author Note:**

Hi Everyone,

I want to make it clear before you read any further that the invaders' power will continue to be an important part of this story.

Control of the elements will be used largely to enhance the original fighting styles of the characters. E.g. Naruto still fights in an almost identical way, he just enhances each of his attacks with 'life'.

If you strongly object to this, you may not want to read any further, don't say I haven't warned you.

If you keep on reading though, thank you, I hope you enjoy Part 5 - War Never Ends.

Thanks,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **WAR NEVER ENDS – 3 YEARS LATER**

 **The Circle, 3 Years Later**

Shikadai smiles for a moment as he looks around him, in this moment everything seems right. In these 3 years, he has consolidated the power he came to understand while fighting Jashin, in these 3 years, he has earnt his place. He is surrounded by the most elite shinobi in history, by Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Naruto, by Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hatake Kakashi. Previously he had always believed that he was too weak to stand in the same room as these people, too pathetic to engage with them. That is no longer true though, he deserves to be here, he is their administrator.

It has become normal in these meetings to discuss relatively mundane issues compared to what they used to. For three years, ever since the Jashin incident, they have enjoyed peace and all the perks that come with it. Guarded by Tsunade and protected by Boruto, the peace has been sustained and not a single attack has come from Clyde or his invaders. This is what they have been fighting for, this is a victory, if only a small one.

"OK, let's move onto the next item on the agenda" Shikadai smiles as he looks away from the various Kage. Looking down at his clipboard, a certain subject, particularly relevant to today's meeting, is next. "As you will notice, you have all been required to attend the Circle today".

"That's been pleasantly rare lately" Hiruzen notes, causing a chuckle to pass through the room.

"Yes, it has been good" Shikadai admits. "However, there is of course a reason why you must all be present for this discussion, it's something I'm sure we all know about. We are here to hold talks about the success of our new shinobi academy".

The shinobi academy was first proposed three years ago, a school through which not only ninjutsu would be taught but also the power used by the invaders. It was created to breed a new line of defence, a new generation of warriors who could fight should war ever return to this world.

"May I say a few words?" Shinki politely asks as he rises to his feet.

His cousin smiles, three years ago Shinki was admitted back to the Circle having betrayed many of his friends in the village. It is good to see that he is a fully functional member, not only of the village, but of this governmental body as well. "Lord Kazekage" Shikadai gestures for Shinki to continue.

"I would like to say thank you to each one of you for the efforts you have put forward in setting up this academy" Shinki praises. "This has been a joint project between our two villages, it has involved a few children from the Hidden Sand and many from the Hidden Leaf".

"Don't worry about it" Sarada smiles as she waves her hand dismissively, "Our villages sharing an academy is the only sensible thing to do".

The Hidden Sand had only one surviving shinobi in the war, the Kazekage himself. Other than that, the only survivors were a small group of civilians, largely consisting of adults. The lack of children and shinobi from the Sand meant that even if they had wanted to set up their own academy, it would be impossible to do so.

"Yes, I know but what I wish to praise is how welcoming and accommodating you have been. The children of the Sand have settled in well and are having fun in their studies". The Kazekage recites these reviews with a smile on his face. Shinki is responsible for a very small group of civilians and talks to them frequently enough to know them each on a first-name basis. "To that end, I would like to thank the Leaf on behalf of the Sand. Thank you".

"Thanks for that Lord Kazekage" Shikadai begins, "And while it's a speech we have all heard several hundred times before…". He is interrupted by a brief bout of laughter before he continues, "I'm sure that it does us some good to be reminded of it once again".

"Is there anyone else who wants to say anything about the academy?".

"I have a few words" Hiruzen raises his hand.

"Lord 3rd" Shikadai motions in Hiruzen's direction with his clipboard.

"I don't have much to say on the matter but I'm sure we all wish to make known our gratefulness towards Kato Dan". Upon hearing this from Hiruzen, each member of the Circle nods their agreement, as they often do when he speaks. "Dan was the second amongst us to discover how to use the invaders' power".

Three years ago, in the short period between the captained six contest and the Jashin incident. That was the time in which Dan became the second member of the village to understand an element. After Uzumaki Naruto had come to an understanding about 'life', he was the next do so. A stone tablet descended in his inner world, bearing the world of 'fire'.

The 3rd Hokage continues. "Since we asked for his help, he has thrown himself into his teaching role and while we have yet to have any students make a breakthrough in our academy, I think his efforts have not gone to waste".

Once again, there is a unanimous nodding around the room.

"So, given that, Lord 5th, if you would pass on our regards, we would be most grateful".

Tsunade, who lives with Dan is also happy to hear the words of praise for her partner. As the 5th Hokage she knows just how important the work is that Dan is doing and as his partner, she knows just how hard he is working at it. "I will pass it on".

Shikadai begins to read some notices about the academy and its current activities. "As most of you know, the academy is on a field trip and will return at the end of week. Not only is Headmaster Kato on this trip, he is being accompanied by our military leader, Sarutobi Mirai".

"Mirai has proven herself to be asset time after time since we first begun our battle for freedom" recalls the laid-back voice of Hatake Kakashi, who has remained largely silent in this meeting. "I think we should also make known our appreciation for her efforts to protect us against all comers. Efforts that have put her on a level few shinobi have ever been able to reach".

"I will pass on your kind words the next time I see her" Shikadai replies. "OK, has anyone else got anything to say about the field trip?".

Tobirama answers the call, "It makes me nervous whenever children leave the village. Will it really be OK?".

"It's OK" Naruto quickly replies with a smile, "Mirai and Dan are both strong, nothing bad can happen while they're out there".

"I suppose you're right" the 2nd Hokage admits before going silent.

Shikadai looks to his left and his right before making one final check that there are no other people who wish to comment. When he gets no reply, he calls an end to the meeting. "OK, I think that is all we need go through today. Meeting adjourned".

 **Outside, After the Meeting**

Shinki approaches Shikadai and pats him on the back to draw his attention. "Good work today, cousin".

"Thank you" Shikadai grins as he puts on his coat and turns around to face the Kazekage. "It's a lot easier than it was at the start".

"My lack of violent outbursts may contribute to that" Shinki admits. It was a dark time for Shinki when he first joined the Circle. He was indeed prone to outbursts, the first of them when he found out that Uzumaki Naruto had let the invaders live after defeating them. Following what happened to his father, his uncle and the rest of his villagers, this outburst seemed logical at the time but that wasn't the true reason. The true reason was the intervention of Jashin.

"It certainly helps" Shikadai admits, "but unlocking this power". He concentrates the power of 'darkness' onto his hand. "It drove home that there is always hope, you can always become strong, you can always bridge the gap, no matter what".

"You're not the only one, Shikadai" Shinki I sighs as he thinks back to the Jashin incident, "I may not be like I was that day with Jashin but I'm getting stronger too, we all are. It's like destiny changed the day the Hokage came to the future".

"I know what you mean" the Circle's administrator nods. Unlike Shinki he was there that day, he felt the wave of hope, he felt the surge of elation envelop the Hidden Leaf when they first saw Naruto and the others return. "It's probably a psychological effect but ever since that day I've felt people's powers growing faster than ever before".

Shinki nods, contemplating this for a moment before making an offer. "Want to come to mine for dinner?".

"Sounds good".

With that agreed, the cousins leave.

They are not the only ones to have conversations after leaving the circle. Family members often speak to one another after leaving the circle. The Kazekage Clan, the Senju clan, the Uzumaki clan, each of these famous clans has at least two members who contribute to the decision-making process.

Naruto strikes up a conversation with his father Minato. "Dad".

"Hey Naruto, how are you doing?".

"Not bad". Having answered, the 7th Hokage quickly shakes his head and smiles, "No, I'm doing great actually, I'm doing really, really good".

Minato chuckles to himself, "What's inspired this good mood. You're always energetic and optimistic but today you seem particularly cheerful".

"You know me, I like to smile when I can" Naruto admits as he begins patting his rumbling stomach, "Especially when I'm eating ramen, which may have something to do with my happiness".

"Don't tell me you've been sneaking out and eating extra food behind Hinata's back?".

"When Ayame offers, I just have to take her up on it" the Uzumaki clansmen confesses. "Please don't tell Hinata though".

"I won't" Minato honestly declares, "I can't promise the same for Kushina if she finds out though". Kushina has always insisted that the men in her family should behave more properly. Whether it is Minato, Naruto or Boruto, none of them can escape from her wrath if she catches them being dishonest or sneaking about.

This reminds the 7th Hokage of what he wanted to speak about. "Speaking of mom, will you two come around for dinner later. Hinata and I have got something to discuss and we want to do it with our family".

"We don't have any plans" Naruto's father happily replies, "I'm sure she will be delighted to visit you, as will I".

For much of the last three years, Naruto and Hinata have lived together. The two youngsters from the past have tried to make the best of a bad situation and be happy together. It is hard to maintain a relationship when your children from the future are monitoring you but they have worked hard to do just that and they have been happy for it.

"Great" Naruto smiles when he hears that his father is coming, "Boruto are you coming?".

The 7th Hokage believed his son was stood right behind him but that turns out not to be the case. He looks around, his eyes darting left and right as he searches for the incumbent Shadow Hokage. Eventually, he spots him, across the street, speaking with Sarada.

"Boruto!" Naruto shouts loudly, "Stop distracting my student and get over here, I have something to ask".

Boruto groans as he looks up from his feet and into Sarada's eyes. "Your master's calling me".

Sarada chuckles at Boruto's dejected behaviour. He has always been like this when it comes to his father. Even after Naruto had gained his respect as a child, Boruto had vowed to surpass him, to become a cool shinobi like Sasuke instead. This dejected behaviour is something Sarada has seen many times before, each time Boruto's power reached a new height, Naruto would do something that made it look trivial. It was like he was trying to climb a wall that he had never seen the top of before.

"Go on" Sarada nudges him, "I'll speak with you another time". She leaves.

Boruto runs across the road, ignoring the glances of the passing villagers. "Hi dad, do you have something to speak to me about?".

His father nods, "Hinata and I would like you to eat dinner with us tonight".

"A family dinner?".

Naruto confirms this. "Yes, Himawari will be there of course, so will Hanabi, my mom and dad will too".

"It sounds nice, I wouldn't miss it" Boruto replies, though Naruto detects something in his voice that resembles annoyance. "It's been too long since we've really spoken to each other".

"Yeah".

Boruto looks up into the sky, noting the orange tinge that is encapsulating not only the sky, but the land for as far as he can see. "Look at this, it's getting late in the day already. I've got to go but I will see you later".

"About nine o'clock".

"I will be there" Boruto replies as he leaves and waves to his father.

 **Boruto's House**

Boruto walks in through the front door and closes it gently behind him. He takes off his black coat and hangs it on the hook beside the entrance to the house. He notes the many other coats there, including one that he had been expecting, one that confirms another person is in his house.

"I'm home!" he yells as he walks into the living room.

As he steps into the living room, he is anticipating a look. It's a look he receives. A glare.

A glare from Sarada.

' _Nothing good ever happens when she looks at me like that'._

"You spoke with your father" Sarada asks as she continues to glare at her shadow Hokage. Boruto could swear that if her glare gets any harsher it would bore a hole through his forehead.

"Ye… yeah…" he mutters as he looks nervously towards the 9th Hokage.

"How did that go?".

"He invited me to dinner later" Boruto explains as he looks around the room, hoping that his eyes can rest anywhere other than on the woman before him. "He says it's important that we talk together as a family".

"So, he is saying the same things I am" Sarada observes. It is ironic to her, in a way that only she and Boruto can appreciate. "Do you think he knows?".

"Don't be ridiculous" Boruto smiles incredulously as he turns around. "The old man's as clueless as he has always been". Having said this he begins to laugh, fuelling his awkward laugh with his memories of Naruto's clumsy behaviour during his tenure as Hokage.

"Do you know what I think is ridiculous Boruto?".

Boruto stops laughing and turns his head nervously. He looks over his shoulder at the clearly enraged Sarada. It is a scary look, that glare. It is a look he has been conditioned to be afraid of, from seeing her mother cast it, from seeing it for years as her teammate, as her shadow Hokage and as more.

"We've been sneaking around for nearly three years now. Three years!" Sarada shouts as she gets to her feet and approaches Boruto.

Boruto shuffles backwards as she approaches, nervous that she may turn violent, just as her mother used to in these situations. "We've been together for three years and you still haven't told your father or anyone else about it, about us".

The day after Shinki was cleared of any wrongdoing is when it began. It began when Boruto returned to Sarada that day and they told one another how they truly felt about each other. It had been a weight of their shoulders, a great relief and a great joy all at the same time. Initially, they had agreed that it would be best to keep their relationship a secret, for worry of it being seen as compromising. Then, after a long while, Sarada began to change her mind, to feel that keeping their relationship secret wasn't important. Boruto agreed to tell his family but it kept getting put off. Whether it was birthdays, funerals, highs or lows, there had always been a reason to put telling Naruto off one more week.

"Well, if you're that eager you're welcome to tell him" Boruto offers.

"I'm not telling him, he's your father and it's embarrassing" Sarada admits.

"I… but… well he's your… yeah… yeah… you're right". Boruto stumbles through his words, looking for any excuse. He doesn't understand why he is so reluctant but he is. Regardless, he cannot find any excuse not to do it.

"This has got to stop now" Sarada resolutely declares, "Is that understood?".

"I always thought keeping it secret was quite fun" Boruto smirks.

Sarada's fist starts to wave angrily just in front of his nose. "Boruto!" she yells.

"Sorry, sorry, just a joke" he laughs as he waves his hands in front of his face. His laughter is a façade though, his true feelings are expressed by the sweat running down the length of his back. _'She is just like her mother when she is angry'._

Sarada sighs as she calms down. "It's not that I resent what we have shared over these last three years but…".

"But…".

"I want to be able to walk around together, I want to be able to walk home together" Sarada admits with a distant smile, "I want to stop hiding my chakra when we're here to avoid arousing suspicion. I want to hold your hand in public and not have to worry about people seeing us, just like your parents do".

Now it's Boruto's turn to sigh. "You know I want all of those things too".

"Then you're going to dinner later, there won't be any excuses this time, right?".

The shadow Hokage nods, "OK, I will tell him that we're together".

"Thank you" Sarada smiles.

Boruto rolls up his sleeves and walks towards the kitchen. "I'm going to go and prepare some food for you".

"You don't have to do that".

"No, it's alright, I want to".

Sarada watches him move towards the kitchen happily. "Hey Boruto".

"Yes?".

"I love you" she says.

"I love you too".

* * *

 **Author Note**

Hi Again.

I'm back, almost, allow me to explain.

I have moved from one place to another recently and have had to work a lot harder than I was originally.  
Combine this with the fact that part 5 will be the longest part of this story so far (~40 chapters) and it has taken me a long time to write.

The plan for Part 5 is over half done now, _it is not complete_ but I felt bad seeing as I haven't written anything for this story for so long.

This is a one-off chapter, a teaser.

I am not returning to do all of part 5 just yet but I should be very soon.

Also, when I do I may not be able to maintain my former schedule as I have been very busy. I promise that I will try to though.

Thank you for understanding, see you soon,  
Cbehrills


	77. Declaration of War

**Author Note:**

Hi Everyone,

Guess who is back.

Firstly, I would like to apologize for the very long delay in getting this chapter out. A combination of Christmas and having a huge amount of work to do has meant that I haven't been able to spend as much time writing. Combining that with the fact that part 5 is the longest section of this story so far, it has meant for a huge delay.

I still have a huge amount of work to do so I can't commit to my former schedule. However, I will try to at least get out two chapters a week as a minimum. I apologize for this and hope that work will permit me to return to my former schedule soon.

Part 5 has been planned in it's entirety now so there will be shorter delays between chapters.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the rest of Part 5: War Never Ends.

Thanks,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **WAR NEVER ENDS – DECLARATION OF WAR**

 **The Battlefield from 3 Years Ago**

Standing atop the hill in this very spot is nostalgic for Kato Dan. The wind hasn't changed from 3 years ago. His hair flutters gently in the breeze as memories from the villages defining battle rush back into his mind. Memories of battles from Hokage, Shadow Hokage and military leaders. Memories of the battles fought by the greatest heroes in the village's history.

"Here it is" Dan says as he looks over the damaged countryside, "This is the great valley where we battled the invaders three years ago". Dan turns back to face his many young students as he continues his recollection. "I stood atop this hill, in almost this very spot and watched the battles take place".

The astonished looks on the faces of his students reminds Dan of why he loves teaching. Three years ago, he was asked to become the headmaster of the new academy, to use his talents to teach a new generation of shinobi how to manipulate both chakra and the power wielded by the invaders. At first, he had been reluctant but that changed soon after he began to teach. The first time he saw one of his students succeed he felt a rush of excitement, of pride not only in himself but that student. From that moment forward, he knew that he had to continue.

"This is where the 2nd Hokage revealed that he had become a jinchuriki".

One of the battles three years ago, Tobirama first declared to the world that he was now the jinchuriki for one of the three Kurama's in this world. When Mito had died, her brother-in-law and her former tailed-beast had reluctantly agreed to work together. They would fight together for the greater good and would overcome the strongest Colonel, Colonel Peterson.

"This is the place where the 6th Hokage unlocked the power left to him by his friend, Obito".

Another battle. With Mitsuki's help, Kakashi had found the last vestiges of Obito's chakra. Using that chakra, the Hokage from the past and Orochimaru's son managed to create a miracle. They transferred the power from Obito to Kakashi permanently.

"This is where the shadow 9th Hokage obtained the power of the Tenseigan".

Boruto had done what many thought to be impossible. He advanced the Byakugan to its final stage. He had unlocked the Tenseigan.

"And it's where our military leader, Sarutobi Mirai, showed the world the power of her fusion attacks" as Dan lists his final miracle he looks over the heads of his students at their companion for this trip, at Mirai.

"Wow, that's incredible" a young boy from the group shouts.

"What were the fights like?" a young girl asks with reverence.

"What were they like?" Dan smiles as he repeats the question. His memories focus around the battles once again, around the emotions he experienced at the time. He felt back then that he was not looking at shinobi, nor normal Kage, it felt like he was looking at gods.

"They were…".

"Brutal" Mirai murmurs, interrupting the headmaster of the academy.

The smiling faces of Dan and his many students change in this moment. The smiles are all replaced with stunned expressions as the heads of everyone present turn to face the veteran of these battles, Mirai.

Dan gestures to Mirai for her to continue so she does just that.

"Every fight that took place here was brutal" she repeats. "During our battles, I went all out and lost. Kakashi gave everything and he still lost. Sarada and Boruto both gave their utmost and came away with a victory by the skin of their teeth".

The glorious images in the minds of the children soon begins to change. No longer is this a place of honour and valour, of great stories and legends, instead this place is more akin to hell. Reassessing the valley shows this to be a war-torn battlefield, a place where bones would break and lives would change forever. The coliseum looks far less attractive to a gladiator than to a spectator.

"Lord 1st discovered a way to use nature chakra on par with Lord 7th" Mirai recalls as she bobs her head gently.

To be listed as Naruto's equal is something truly remarkable. Very few people have had the pleasure of being in that position throughout history. Perhaps only Sasuke would truly be on par with Naruto in the minds of the villagers.

"Despite reaching such incredible heights, despite scaring us all with the power he showed that day, Lord 1st lost. It wasn't enough for him to win".

As Mirai pauses Dan walks to her side and whispers to her. "Mirai, are you sure you want to continue?".

The military leader nods, "Yeah, it's important that they hear what happened here".

Dan agrees, "Please continue".

"You can see that this valley is full of craters. These craters are not here naturally, these are the results of our battles" Mirai declares as she gestures to the valley below. "This was not something I had ever seen before, that was power that only the likes of Lord 1st and Lord 7th have mustered in the past".

The Sarutobi clanswoman steps over to the edge of the hill and points down into the valley below. "It was over there, that big crater is the one that I made with an explosion. That's the power I used, that is something I did with a single attack".

"Amazing, they must have been terrified of you Mirai" a girl calls out in praise.

"You don't understand" Mirai shakes her head. "With all this power, with my ability to fuse elements together, I was still unable to win".

"I went all out, I showed them a power that surpassed that of most Kage. Shinobi like Headmaster Kato trembled at my power and wondered how it was possible". Mirai looks lengthways at Dan who nods to confirm her story as true. "Do you know what happened when I showed them this power?".

"I lost".

"You lost?" one of the students exclaims.

"Then what chance do any of us have?" another asks.

"You are missing Mirai's point" Dan says as he steps forward. "This is the brutal truth that we shinobi must endure. That our power is nothing compared to theirs".

As the student's heads fall Dan summons fire to his hand.

"But, you all feel this heat, right?".

As they nod in reply Dan continues.

"This is a fire created by their powers, their powers can be learnt by you just like they have been by me".

"Anything is possible for you. You are being raised with knowledge of this power. You are incredibly important to the leaf, to the sand and to the whole world. Never forget that".

 **Naruto and Hinata's House, In the Evening**

Boruto approaches the outside of his parent's house and takes a deep breath to gather his courage. _'This is it'_ he tells himself as he looks at the front door, _'You're finally going to tell them today, no excuses'_.

He lifts his hand to tap on the front door when it suddenly escapes from him. His sister opens it before he can even knock.

"Boruto" Himawari yells before hugging her brother tightly. They had always been close, even for siblings, likely due to the frequent absence of their father during their youth.

Boruto reciprocates the hug, pulling his sister close, "It's good to see you Himawari" he says before letting go, "How is the artist lifestyle suiting you?".

"It's been great" Himawari smiles as she declares, "People are actually paying for my drawings".

"I always knew that you could make it" the blonde shinobi says as he taps his sister on the shoulder, "You're a natural when it comes to pencil and paper".

Himawari accepts the compliment and enjoys a few more minutes of idol conversation with her brother. _'I doubt she will take my announcement badly'_ Boruto thinks to himself as they discuss art, music and life.

"You better come in" Himawari starts, realising that she has been keeping her brother outside for the last few minutes, "Mom and dad are very cheerful tonight".

The Uzumaki family's son saunters into his parent's house and heads straight for the room he knows his relatives will be in, the kitchen-diner. Upon entering he sees the usual suspects at a family dinner. His parents are both present, the 7th Hokage Uzumaki Naruto and his wife Hyuuga Hinata. Opposite them are his grandparents, Uzumaki Kushina and her husband, 4th Hokage Namikaze Minato. Lastly is his aunt, Hyuuga Hanabi.

"And Boruto had to clean the whole mess up by hand" Naruto finishes, beckoning in a round of laughter by those around the table.

Boruto looks back over his shoulder at his sister, "Don't tell me he's telling that dreadful story again".

Himawari shrugs her shoulders, "He may be younger but he's still the same man who raised us".

"Boruto!" Naruto shouts as he stands up from the table, "It's good to see you, has Himawari told you how well her drawings are doing?".

"Yes, she has" the Shadow Hokage nods, no matter the year, Naruto has always taken great pride in the achievements of his children. "I'm really proud of you, little sis".

"We're all proud of you, Himawari" Hinata adds.

"Thanks" Himawari bashfully replies.

"And how is your rap career going, Boruto" Hinata continues, hiding her laughter behind the hand covering her mouth.

"I… uh…" her son stammers.

"Don't tell me the legendary Killer Bee's rap student isn't living up to his name" Naruto teases his son.

"Shut up, I never knew he was so bad at rap until you guys told me".

Laughter surrounds the table once again at Boruto's expense. Much like his father, the 9th Shadow Hokage was always getting into trouble when he was young and to this day retained a skill for getting into amusing situations. He resigned himself to being the butt of jokes though, what else could he expect from a dinner with his young father.

As the conversation continues, Naruto and Hinata begin to place food on the table. Himawari recalls the family's mealtimes in the past, where Naruto and Boruto would both argue that they should eat their favourite foods. Those arguments persisted even when Boruto had become Shadow Hokage. Even as two of the most senior shinobi in the village, the Uzumaki men continued their immature behaviour around the dinner table.

As the food is placed at the table the smell of spices fills the air, delighting the guests at the Uzumaki house. _'That's Sarada's favourite spice'_ Boruto notes as he relaxes. He doesn't relax for long however; a shiver goes up his back as the angry glare of his girlfriend fills his mind. Very few shinobi had managed to make him feel fear, however, Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Sarada had used the rinnegan to do just that. _'Are all Uchiha that scary'_ he wonders.

"Uhm, everyone, before we dig in there is something I would like to speak to you about" Boruto announces.

"Yes, Naruto and I have something we want to say as well" Hinata adds.

Completely on edge thanks to his nervous tension, Boruto beckons his parents to make their announcement first.

"Yesterday, Hinata and I went to a place outside the leaf" Naruto explains, "The place where the hidden leaf was camped during the captained six challenge".

"That stinky old place" Hanabi starts, wondering why they would return to such a depressing part of their lives.

"It may not be great but that is where we ate ramen as we celebrated" the elder Hyuuga sister remembers, "That's where we had our first date".

"So, it was a romantic evening" Minato smiles.

"Yes, we went there and we ate some of Ayame's ramen that I brought with me. Ayame always makes the best ramen" Naruto continues the story.

"That's when I asked Hinata the question".

The room goes silent as the occupants absorb what Naruto just said.

Himawari smiles as she realises what Naruto means. "Do you mean you are…?".

"We're getting married" Hinata confirms.

The mood becomes even happier than before as the various family members congratulate the couple on their engagement. As Himawari makes her way around the table to hug her parents, Hanabi offers her well-wishes. "Congratulations you two, I never thought I would get to see you two marry again".

Kushina is next to offer her congratulations. "Congratulations, Naruto, Hinata, I'm really happy for both of you".

"We both are" Minato adds.

Boruto steadies himself, this is a happy occasion. "Mom, dad, congratulations".

Hinata's smile is a picture, it is the happiest Boruto has ever seen his mother, after knowing her for so long. "Sorry for interrupting you before, Boruto" she says to her son through her own cheer, "You had something to say, didn't you?".

As everyone in the room looks to Boruto his nervousness spikes. "I uh… you see I…".

"You know, it really doesn't matter, we can talk about it later" he finishes, "This is a celebration night, perhaps I will try some rap later".

" _Naruto"_ Kurama calls from within his jinchuriki, _"I know this is your celebration but if that kid raps I'm going to kill you"._

Naruto grins, wondering whether Kurama's counterpart within his father is making the same complaint. _"Don't worry Kurama, you will be asleep by then"_.

Kurama's continued protests are ignored by Naruto as he and his family spend the rest of the night celebrating. Elsewhere, things are less serene.

 **The Invaders' Camp**

Clyde sits unmoving, his head buried in his hands as his Colonels look to him for leadership. This situation is unprecedented, it is unheard of in the history of their great military. It is not good for anybody, least of all him and his followers. If this situation is handled poorly, their chances of survival will instantly plummet. For someone who cares so passionately about the fate of his followers, that is a great burden to bear.

A captain enters his tent, the tent where the entire leadership of the invading force awaits. "General, he is here following his inspection".

"General Hammond?" Burns asks as she turns to face the messenger, one of her subordinates.

"Yes sir" the captain answers.

"There has always been an inevitability about this" Dred admits to his fellow Colonels with a difficult expression. He cusps his hands together, "Now it seems we have to face it".

"I know" Burns replies, "But accepting this dreadful situation, I can't do that, it's too hard".

"Well General" Sheer prompts as she turns to face her superior.

"You don't have to call me that anymore Sheer" Clyde declares, "Not now".

"I know, but you are a man who has earnt my deepest respect and to me you will always be the General".

Clyde takes a deep breath before leaning back and raising his head, dropping his hand away to reveal his face. This man fought Naruto three years ago but is more terrified in this moment than he was even in the moments after losing that battle.

"Show Hammond in".

The captain salutes before leaving the tent. A few seconds later he returns with a man in tow. This newcomer is Colonel Hammond, an average heighted man with deep black hair and a posture worthy of a royal servant.

A few moments of silence pass before Hammond speaks up.

"Haven't you got anything to say, General Clyde?".

Clyde is not going to admit anything however. "What did your inspection reveal, Colonel". The addendum may seem pointless or spiteful but to Clyde it is a power play, he must fight with everything he possesses to protect his followers. If this puts enough pressure on him to make him falter, then it will have been a success.

Unfortunately, this pressure does nothing to Colonel Hammond. "You already know what it revealed, don't you?".

"Come on Hammond" Grace pleads to her colleague of many years, "You know that these allegations by Martin are false. There is no way that we would stop the invasion, we know that would be the end for us".

Grace's arguments have been prepared with logic in mind. While there is little that they can do to change Hammond's mind, to make him doubt their findings, that doesn't mean that they won't at least try.

"These locals have never done anything for us and we have done nothing but slaughter them" Sisto adds, "This world is on the verge of completion, we have nothing to gain by rebelling here. As Grace said, we know that to rebel would be to die".

"Silence, you know exactly what has been going on here" Hammond shouts at the top of his voice, bringing fear to the hearts of not only the colonels inside the tent but also the captains outside. "I have investigated this realm, it seems that not only are some locals alive but they are building a city".

"Their numbers aren't decreasing, they are instead increasing" Hammond continues, "Not only that but the original portal to this world was destroyed, don't tell me you are going to blame that on the locals".

Clyde snickers to himself, _'In any other world that would be impossible for the locals. Not this one'_.

As silence reigns, the duty once again falls to Hammond to break it, "What do you have to say for yourself, General Clyde?".

"… you have been sent here to investigate whether we are neglecting our duties. The thousands of dead bodies should tell you that we are not".

"That's not what the investigation shows" the Colonel retorts.

"I see" Clyde lowers his head, resigned to Hammond's decision. "Then, what will you do, Colonel Hammond?".

"I get the feeling that not only are you rebelling, not only are you neglecting your duties but you are helping the locals" Hammond says. "Do you have any idea how sever your crime is? Your subordinates were right, when this gets reported, you will all die".

Upon hearing this threat, every Colonel under Clyde's command has the same reaction. They look at Hammond, unblinking, unmoving. In a split second, they cleared their minds of their personal fears and focused on the fates of their comrades, they will not take that threat lying down.

Hammond laughs as he looks around. "Your looks of determination are remarkable. Do you not realise that an old rival of yours will be the one to receive this report, Clyde?".

Clyde flinches as he realises the truth.

"Lara will receive this report; do you realise what she will do to you?".

Lara is a name that drives fear into everyone present, Clyde is no exception. While the General does his best not to show it, he can't help but let a small hint of doubt creep into his eyes. An old rival of his, an old rival named Lara, that is the most terrifying name in the entire military.

Clyde looks to his side and nods gently to Peterson.

"Do you think you are untouchable, General Cl…".

In the middle of his sentence, Hammond is silenced. The Colonels present all look on with indifferent faces as they watch his head roll from his body.

As Hammond's severed head hits the ground Clyde gets to his feet and wonders from the tent.

Looking into the distance he begins to speak to himself.

"It's been three years now and I never would have imagined this is how it would go. I never imagined Lara would be the one".

"I guess it makes sense with our history together, you want to end me yourself".

"The stars have aligned in an attempt to deal us a blow that we could never stand up from".

"If Lara has decided that my subordinates will feel her wrath, if she is dead set on this fight then she has got her wish".

"If this is Lara's decision…".

"… then it's war".


	78. Never Strong Enough

WAR NEVER ENDS – NEVER STRONG ENOUGH

 **Boruto and Sarada's House, Later that Night**

Sarada looks at her wall, in the direction of the front door. Years of training as a shinobi have afforded her many experiences. Training with various specialist clans like the Inuzuka and Hyuuga has helped her to enhance her senses using chakra. Even if she weren't an Uchiha with remarkable visual prowess, even if she had never trained as a shinobi before, she could have heard her approaching guest staggering around on the path to her front door.

Boom. The door opens, slamming against the inside wall, thankfully missing the photo frames wisely placed slightly to the side of the impact point. For Boruto to come home and act this clumsy can mean only one thing, he is drunk. Intermingled with his repeated jokes are throwaway lines of rap taught to him by Killer Bee. He laughs as he staggers away from the front door, feeling as if he is going to fall back forever. Neatly placing a foot back, he saves himself.

Sarada exits from an office where she has been doing paperwork. As they are collectively the 9th leader of the village, Sarada and Boruto have fallen into a fortunate situation where they can share various paper-based duties, allowing them more time together. This situation is rare, being the Hokage, or shadow Hokage, seldom allows the pair time to get drunk. This must be a special occasion.

"Well?" Sarada prompts Boruto, uncaring of the fact that he is drunk and instead eager to find out if he has kept his promise.

Boruto pauses for a moment before throwing his hands in the air, an exaggerated pose. "It's a day for celebration, there is some big news".

"Big news?" Sarada raises her eyebrow. She has experienced this deflection before. When Boruto is too scared to admit to her that he has avoided confessing to his parents, he always does his best to avoid the question. She is doubtful that this time is any different; perhaps he even got drunk to summon up some courage.

"My mother and father are getting married again" Boruto shouts.

"They're getting married, that's fantastic" Sarada declares, turning around and sitting on the edge of the nearest chair she can find. While she is excited about the news, it is a lot to take in all of a sudden, after all, they are only in the future because of her, she had often wondered if that would ruin their marriage.

"I summoned not only the Hokage but their spouses as well. I thought that they wouldn't be able to fight to the best of their abilities if they didn't have that moral support. I believed that to achieve the happiness necessary, they would require that much". Sarada recalls the day, she almost killed herself to bring these people forward, that is how firmly she believed her actions were necessary. "I'm glad that things are working out for them. It makes it all worth it".

Boruto approaches Sarada and hugs her for a moment, separating only to offer his sincere gratitude. "Thanks for bringing them both back. I know that my father could never have been this happy if you didn't".

"It's no problem" Sarada smiles as she replies. The momentary excitement fades away and her former thoughts return, there is a more pressing issue as far as the two of them are concerned. "So, did you tell them?"

"I… uh… you see…".

"Boruto…".

"I didn't tell them" the shadow Hokage admits.

"Boruto!" Sarada shouts as she raises her fist into the air and slams it down towards the ground.

' _Not good'_ Boruto thinks to himself, recalling how Sarada's family home had been destroyed when Sakura had a burst of rage. The shadow Hokage is swift to avert disaster, something that very few people could do. He activates his byakugan before dealing a blow to Sarada's shoulder, forcing her arm to go numb and making her strike to the ground less dramatic than it would have previously been.

This is the 9th Hokage however, the control quickly returns to her arm and she raises the fist into the air once again. This time her target is very different, it's her partner, the shadow Hokage. Boruto isn't afraid of many things but Sarada is one of the few.

"You can go back to their house right now if you want to save yourself" Sarada warns.

"Wait, wait" Boruto begs as he waves his hands in front of his face. "I was going to tell them, I was just about to say it I promise. They interrupted me, they announced that they were planning to get married when I was about to say it".

"You expect me to believe that?" Sarada asks as she grabs Boruto's shirt and raises her fist to the underside of his chin. "You've been avoiding telling them the truth for ages now and this is the last straw".

"Come on Sarada, let me do it tomorrow" the blonde-haired shinobi pleads. "Tomorrow, I will go and train with dad and you can train with my master instead".

The last Uchiha loosens her grip as she is overcome by a nervous excitement. "Me, train with Hashirama?".

Boruto smiles internally, he is getting somewhere. "That is the perfect chance for me to tell dad about us. I promise that I won't come back without doing so".

"… do you promise?".

"I promise" he swears, nodding his head eagerly, "Even if I am struck by lightning, I will stand up again and tell him everything".

"You won't make any more excuses?".

"I didn't make up any excuses today" Boruto protests. "You believe that I was telling the truth, don't you?". This is the truth after all, the moment that Boruto was going to tell his family everything was interrupted by a far larger announcement.

"I guess so". The 9th Hokage relinquishes her grip on Boruto before stepping back, her fit of anger finished.

"Anyway, I know you're interested in training with my master" Naruto's son declares as he uses his fingers to force his girlfriend's face into a grin.

"Oh, you know that do you?" Sarada counters.

"There is no way that you aren't. He is the strongest shinobi out there besides my father" Boruto boasts. There is merit in what he says, the battles of the past have shown that there is only one person who can keep up with Naruto in the world of shinobi, the other transmigrant of Asura, Senju Hashirama. "Perhaps your training will prove more effective than mine, perhaps you could defeat him".

"Won't it dent your ego too much if I defeat him" Sarada takes her turn at teasing, tapping Boruto on the head as if he is a small child.

"Don't get ahead of yourself" Boruto chuckles, "Besides, I plan on defeating my father as well".

They look at each other knowingly.

"Good luck with that" Sarada offers.

Laughing, Boruto takes the well wishes. "Thanks, I will certainly need it".

 **Tsunade's House**

Mitsuki waltzes into the house of the 5th Hokage. For a long time now he has been helping her to develop her skills as a shinobi. It is not that his talent, nor his power are superior to hers. It is that he has a supreme knowledge of how a shinobi should develop and knows exactly how she can improve.

"How is your training going" he asks casually, an ice-breaker.

"It's going well" Tsunade replies, reporting on her progress. "I've been keeping up with all the strength training you have suggested I do".

Mitsuki's training suggestions all resolve around strength. Not metaphorical or philosophical strength but instead the raw power Tsunade hits her opponents with. When they began Tsunade already hit with a power that only Senju Hashirama could compare to. That was before she had improved considerably while training. The logic behind this training is simple, it doesn't matter if Tsunade is slower than her opponents, shinobi are specialists at surprise attacks. Any invading enemy would underestimate the 5th Hokage, then when the surprise attack hits, it will feel as if they are being hit by a planet.

"Good" Mitsuki nods, "And sage mode?".

Sage mode, a power that his father lusted after but was unable to achieve. A power that Mitsuki is well acquainted with through his sensei and through Boruto.

"I can enter sage mode fairly quickly and without any outside help" declares the 5th, "just like I have been training for".

"Excellent" the snake lover offers his praise, "If we were to host the captained six contest again today you would be easily good enough to fight in it".

"Is that good enough though?".

Mitsuki can already tell the line of thought that Tsunade is going down. Like always, he is perfectly calm despite the question coming out of nowhere. "What do you mean?" he asks, as much to drive the conversation forward as to discover the answer.

"Mitsuki, don't tell me that you haven't noticed it too. Don't tell me that you haven't looked around the circle, around the shinobi in the village and seen it" she begins, "Everyone is getting stronger, not just me and that's a good thing but…".

"But?".

"They're improving at a far greater rate than I am".

Tsunade is right and Mitsuki knows that. He understands her frustrations, he has been told stories of her life for longer than she has been alive, "That's only natural but it will change soon. Each of these individuals you are referring to has grasped the invaders' power".

"My uncle can now use their powers to control water" the 5th Hokage explains what her trainer already knows, "My sensei can now use their powers to manipulate the earth. Both of them can do so much more than their former selves using this incredible power that they have understood".

"Of course".

"Then there is Minato with his powers of wind. Have you seen how fast he can move now?".

"I have" Mitsuki replies. Minato's speed has always been incredible even without the flying thunder god. Now that he has mastered new powers that increase it even further, there are few people who could ever hope to keep up with him.

"Kakashi too, lightning for him, like everyone else, he is becoming stronger more quickly than I am" Tsunade resists the urge to punch something, foreseeing the same devastating consequences Boruto did just minutes prior. "And what about Naruto, he's years ahead of me. When you look at them, don't you think they are improving faster than me for a reason? Do you think they were just born with more talent than I was?".

Mitsuki maintains a smile of indifference despite his closeness to the uncertainty in Tsunade's head. "You first sought me out three years ago when you thought that you were not strong enough. Now you are claiming that you have no talent. Just look at these three years and say that again, look at how strong you are now compared to then".

"But I haven't comprehended their power, not at all".

"That doesn't matter, that doesn't show your talent" Mitsuki protests.

Orochimaru's son continues his explanation.

"Tsunade, look at the members of the circle who haven't understood this power".

"Uzumaki Boruto, the only person we have ever seen unlock the Tenseigan naturally".

"Uchiha Sarada, the third from a legendary clan, the Uchiha, to have unleashed the power of the Rinnegan".

"That's two people who I have teamed with for years, two people who I know are incredible. Then there is a third one".

"Then there is your grandfather. Someone so strong that he is perhaps mightier than the other members of the circle despite having no understanding of their power".

What Mitsuki says rings true to Tsunade. She casts her mind back three years to the battle against the invaders. Besides Naruto and Clyde only one man had displayed power that could shock even the other contestants. Hashirama's power had completely overwhelmed his opponent, it was only thanks to his attitude, his overconfidence that he lost that battle. Then, in the final battle his power proved mighty enough to overwhelm even Peterson, the strongest of all colonels.

"Do you see what I am saying? Despite their overwhelming power, they are yet to discover an element. Perhaps it is because of their remarkable talent. Perhaps it is the same for you".

"Yeah" the Hokage reluctantly nods, "Maybe you are right".

"I know I am right. Tsunade, it's your destiny to understand that power eventually and when you do your strength will be incredible".

"Thanks Mitsuki" she smiles.

"You can pay me back by becoming the Hokage you are meant to be" he offers philosophically, "Fulfil your destiny Senju Tsunade, and show me just how high you will soar".

 **The Land of Water**

Dred runs up behind two of his awaiting captains. He dares not use his power to speed his approach, not here where he fears his own detection.

"Colonel Dred" one of the captains bows, a seasoned veteran amongst the group who has fought alongside Dred for years. A toughened man from many campaigns. Captain Cuts.

"You need not bother with the title" Dred says as he waves off Cuts. "I never officially got promoted before we became outlaws".

"I know that sir, we all do" Cuts declares, "But respect does not depend on our status as outlaws".

Dred nods his head, appreciating that the lower ranks amongst Clyde's group are maintaining their discipline so well, despite the times. "OK, I got your report, there has been a sighting here?".

"Yes sir, Jones was the one who saw it" Cuts declares as he gestures to the woman next to him.

"Colonel Dred" Jones salutes to her superior. Dred had long since been the most senior captain in the group and had been a mentor figure to the others even before his improvement in his abilities.

"You saw the portal Jones?".

"Yes sir but it was different this time".

"Different?" Dred asks doubtfully. He has never known that differences between portals could exist, other than destination.

"I was on portal guard duty before" Jones declares. Her lack of experience is what permitted Boruto entry to the portal previously. "This portal however, it had a different feel to it than the last one. A different aura".

"Jones is new to the job sir" Cuts interjects to stop her from looking too foolish. "This world is the first one she has been on portal guard duty for".

Dred nods and takes a deep breath. "It doesn't matter about how the portal felt, but you are certain that this was a new one, yes?".

"Yes". Jones is assertive, not a doubt in her mind. This portal is different.

"That matches our assumption that Uzumaki Naruto found destroyed the previous one".

Nobody stayed with the portal during the captained six contest, all captains were summoned to witness the battles. That meant that after their loss, Clyde's captains were unable to find it again. Even as Sheer herself scoured the lands, she was unable to find the elusive portal. It was on this basis that the assumption was made that it was destroyed. Only one man could have possibly done that.

"Damn him" Cuts curses, "By doing that he probably aroused more suspicion. His actions have delivered this cruel blow to us ahead of schedule".

"Or maybe he slowed them down". Dred speculates this to play devil's advocate. He knows the mercy that Naruto has offered them, something not many would have done. To hear him spoken poorly of is difficult to accept.

"I suppose so sir but you must admit that strange things have been happening, things that never happened before he showed up".

"What do you mean?" Dred asks.

"I saw a man using our powers the other day. Someone I didn't recognise. He wasn't even wearing a uniform".

Dred quickly dismisses this as a hallucination. "You must have been seeing things, the military is strict on uniform. There is no way they would let someone come here without the proper attire".

"No, I suppose you're right" Cuts admits that this is unlikely. It is unusual for his eyes to play tricks on him.

"Did you see any activity around this portal?".

"Initially there were just a few captains keeping a healthy rotation" Jones reports. "Then colonels came through to maintain things. Tens of colonels, each on your level".

The present captain turned colonel sighs. "That is to be expected, Lara commands a force far greater than our own".

"Lara…" Cuts repeats the name and a shiver travels down his back.

"Dred, may I ask you a question?". Jones is highly formal due her to her lack of experience but in this moment, she drops her military jargon and speaks plainly.

"Go ahead".

"We've known it was coming for some time but is this really it? Is this the war that you have warned us about for three years?" she asks, "Is this the war the general warned us of".

"A colonel came to HQ earlier today and spoke to General Clyde. By the end of the meeting Peterson had killed him" Dred explains. "I don't mean to dishearten either of you but you should brace yourselves for the worst".

"The war is about to begin".

Jones is stunned for a moment. "We… we will do our best Colonel" she stammers.

"It's hard to imagine" Cuts admits. He is scared but he is a veteran, he contains his fear behind a cloak of calmness. "We are really going to be fighting Lara's forces then?".

Dred places a hand on the shoulder of Cuts. "Believe in the General, he will pull us through this somehow, he always does".

Cuts smiles, "Yes".

Dred shares his smile, looking at his two subordinates. _'Defiance in the face of the enemy'_ he thinks to himself.

As his eyes drift up to the sky, his expression drops. He tackles his two allies to the ground, "Get down" he yells.

The two captains look into the sky and see a man floating there. A man with a golden cloak on his back and the number 1 on his uniform. Thankfully, he has not spotted them.

This man is a general.

"Is that him?" Cuts whispers with disbelief.

"There is no doubting it" Jones adds, "If he is here then Lara's forces are really on their way".

Dred has seen this man before, he knows how terrifying his power is.

"Lara's second-in-command, he is already here…".

"… General Elliot".


	79. A Mysterious Visitor

WAR NEVER ENDS – A MYSTERIOUS VISITOR

 **A Field, Outside the Hidden Leaf Village**

Hashirama gazes into the near distance. His gaze in one filled not with emptiness or longing but instead with obsession. He does not flinch as the gusts of wind throw his hair from around his head into his face, the picture of concentration, a man with unwavering focus. The source of that obsession is not a great anomaly, a mighty warrior nor a beautiful scene. It's a tree.

There are many trees in this area. It is these very trees that gave inspiration to Hashirama many years ago. A village hidden amongst them, a village to stop the wars, a village hidden amongst the leaves. That is what went on to become the first and last surviving hidden village. Even now it is his proudest accomplishment, to be part of the village which has nurtured so many wonderful people.

The trees sway as the wind hurls past them. This is not a natural wind but one caused by a jutsu that Hashirama cast not a moment ago. As the trees move backwards and forwards in the wind, the 1st Hokage watches as they are rooted firmly to the ground, unwavering, constant, unyielding. A terrible realisation comes to him however, he doesn't understand them at all.

' _The element of wood. I thought I understood it better than anyone else. I thought it would be my path to a breakthrough'_ he thinks to himself. _'Yet three years of trying have passed and I have accomplished nothing. Perhaps my destiny lies elsewhere'_.

For three years he has done just that. He has not only worked on training Boruto in this time, he has worked to improve his own strength. There is one shinobi he cannot help but compare himself to. Uzumaki Naruto. Hashirama weaves a series of signs, exercising his powers in the wood release once again. In the distance, it takes a couple of short seconds for a tree to sprout from the ground, a perfect copy of the adjacent plant.

' _At the end of the day, wood can be part of something living or dead, something big or small, something near or far'_ Hashirama notes, trying to find that important feature, that relevant truth that will help him to make a fundamental breakthrough in his understanding. _'Perhaps I am unable to understand all the computations. Perhaps something else is calling to me'_.

"It's very realistic" a feminine voice calls to him from behind.

Normally it would be impossible for someone to sneak up on him, save for a few elite shinobi such as Kakashi or Minato, however, his intense focus on the task at hand had averted his attention for the last few moments.

He turns his head slightly he smiles at the new arrival. "Hello Sarada, I didn't expect to see you here".

"Boruto and I are swapping masters for the day" the 9th Hokage explains. "He needs to speak to his father".

"I see".

Sarada understands Hashirama's anxious training. While other members of the circle have slowly been coming to understand different elements, the two of them have yet to achieve that level of comprehension. It is clear to her that Hashirama is trying to understand an element that has always been closely linked to the 1st Hokage, the element of wood. Activating her Sharingan she inspects the tree with enhanced vision.

"Even with my Sharingan I have to look closely to find faults in your wood release" Sarada admits. "The way you can copy a distant tree from this distance and be so close to perfection, it's truly impressive Lord 1st".

"Thank you" the elder Senju brother mouths before gently nodding. "Sarada, I have to ask, why are you really here?".

"What do you mean?".

Hashirama may have acted like a fool at various stages in his life. His personality has been noted previously to be different to what people have expected from the 'god of shinobi'. The wood-user is though, not a fool, he is incredibly perceptive about these matters. He and Naruto share an ability to understand the hearts of the people who surround them.

"There is something else going on. I've noticed it in the way you and Boruto act. The tension has only increased during this three-year period. You're always nervous around one another".

Sarada takes a deep breath, she has never been directly confronted over her behaviour around Boruto, not in a situation like this. "If I tell you the truth, do you promise not to tell anyone?".

The man who found the village chuckles to himself. "Sarada, do you think I am a gossip?".

"No. Not at all" Sarada answers nervously. Truthfully, Hashirama is rarely seen socialising with others. He occasionally speaks with Tobirama after attending a meeting for The Circle, other than that, most of his human contact covers his teaching Boruto.

"The truth is…" Sasuke's daughter begins hesitantly, "Boruto and I are together, we have been for a while now".

"Together?".

"Yeah, together" the 9th Hokage continues, "We uh live together and uh…".

"I understand Sarada. You don't need to give me details of your private lives, I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable".

A moment of silence passes, an awkward moment. Hashirama is the first person to know about the relationship between the 9th Hokage and her Shadow Hokage. The two of them represent opposing viewpoints yet they remain close to one another, even closer than their parents were when they shared the same roles.

"Are you not annoyed that we didn't tell you" Sarada asks.

"No, it doesn't matter to me, as long as the two of you are happy" Hashirama answers indifferently, "I'm sure you make him happy. I can tell from the glint in his eyes when I train with him".

"Really?".

"Yeah, I hope he makes you happy too Sarada".

Sarada smiles, "He does. Yes, he definitely does". _'At least when he isn't trying to hide things'_ she continues in her head.

"If he doesn't, you let me know and I will be extra hard on him during training" Boruto's master offers, earning a laugh from his 8th successor.

"Thank you".

"Speaking of training, attack whenever you like" the 1st Hokage offers.

Hashirama doesn't adopt a fighting position or anything of the sort but his gazes is fixed firmly on Sarada's head. Naturally, he has the wisdom not to tempt fate by looking into her eyes but he makes sure that he won't miss anything. Despite his lack of words, his posture speaks loud and clear to Sarada, he is ready.

"Are you su…" Sarada stops her sentence mid-way before leaping at Hashirama and throwing a hard quick towards his head.

The 1st Hokage attempts to dodge but his opponent is no pushover, she is after all the 9th Hokage, Naruto's student, someone capable of bringing him to the future. He instead calmly rises his hand to the side of his head, catching her foot and easily resisting the gust of wind that emanates from the point of contact.

' _Don't tell me I can't hit him either'_ Sarada groans to herself.

"That was pretty close Sarada, it seems that Naruto has taught you a lot. But, you will have to be a little faster than that if you want to hit me. Do you think you can do it?".

Her surprise attack has not worked but Sarada has many more tricks up her sleeve and the raw power to give her opponent a run for his money.

She activates her rinnegan, "I don't know…".

"… but I intend to find out".

 **Another Field, Outside the Hidden Leaf**

Naruto trains on the other side of the hidden leaf to Hashirama. This is only natural, while they seldom go all-out or have any reason to do so, when the 1st and 7th Hokage use their full strength they are capable of creating unrivalled levels of destruction. Adding their students to the equation only increases this need. If Naruto and Sarada were to fight using their full power, it would be dangerous to anyone around them.

Currently the blonde shinobi has his head in the clouds. Unlike his counterpart, he is not focused on increasing his strength or comprehending any great mysteries. He is lost in the excitement of his wedding.

' _I guess I'm also going to need a best man if I'm getting married'_ Naruto notes as he looks up into the sky. _'Sasuke, Sakura, Sai, all three of my teammates and Konohamaru too. All of them are…'_.

Every time Naruto thinks about this it is very sad for the young shinobi. Having been brought forward to the future, of course, all of his old friends are older than him now, with the exception of Hinata. Even then, Sasuke, Sakura and Sai should all still be alive if they were allowed their natural lifespans but each of them had died in service to the hidden leaf. Sasuke had died fighting alongside the future Naruto against General Clyde. Sakura had died trying to save the village from a brainwashed Sasuke. Sai and Konohamaru had died together in order to detonate a bomb under the hidden leaf, to save the retreating villagers.

' _In the past, I thought we would all be going back to the leaf together… I guess it hasn't turned out that way in the future'_.

Smiling, Naruto continues to think to himself. _'Sasuke, after you came back to the leaf you did so much good. As the shadow Hokage you worked hard to protect not only the hidden leaf village but the entire world. I don't know how I can possibly repay you'_.

' _I hope what I am doing at the moment makes you happy'._

' _Sasuke, Sakura, I'm training your daughter. She gets more amazing every day and perhaps one day she could even surpass me'_.

With this thought in mind, Naruto places his hands on his hips and laughs into the sky.

"What are you doing" a voice asks from behind him.

"AHH" Naruto shouts as he removes his hand and spins around anxiously. "Hey, you're not Sarada!".

Naruto has quite obviously been stunned by the unexpected arrival of his son. "It's good to see you too, old man" Boruto sarcastically replies as he places his hands deep into the pockets of his black jacket.

The 7th Hokage pauses for a moment to recover his composure. Never had he expected to be found in such an embarrassing position, laughing to himself as he boasted to his deceased teammates in his head. "Sorry" he deflects the situation, "You caught me off guard".

"So it would seem" Boruto begins, "I never caught you doing anything that embarrassing even as I was growing up".

"Hey" Naruto shouts as he points rudely at his son, "Just because I'm your father doesn't mean you get to make fun of me".

The Uzumaki pair laugh between themselves for a few moments. Regardless of how much they have gone through, of how many times they have argued or disagreed on important issues, they are still father and son. United by time travel with a backwards relative age, they will always be united by the mutual respect they have for one another's abilities and personality.

"It's good to see you Boruto" Naruto declares as he stops laughing, "I wasn't expecting you".

"No" Boruto replies, "Sarada and I decided to switch masters for the day".

"I see, is there a reason for that?".

"Yes but it's a bit difficult to say, dad".

"Don't hold back" Naruto says as he pats his son on the back. "You know that you can tell me anything".

It is unusual for Boruto to not feel comfortable talking to his dad. While, in his youth, he felt that his dad neglected to pay attention to his family, this viewpoint changed as the shadow Hokage matured. Like most other people in the village, Boruto later came to accept that Naruto is one of the greatest shinobi in the history of the not just the village but the entire world. It is because Boruto has this great respect for his father that he told him about the portal to the other world and the strange substance that has afflicted him. He has given Naruto confidence in these things more than anybody else.

"The thing is dad, I haven't been honest with you in a very long time".

"I find that hard to believe" Naruto says as he scratches the back of his head, Boruto may be dark and controversial at times but he is rarely deceptive.

"No it's true. There is something about me, about Sarada and myself that we have been hiding for a very long time" he begins "We haven't told you that we're ah… you see…".

"Sarada and I are… we're in a relationship".

"Boruto I…".

Boruto raises a hand to interrupt his father, "Please, let me finish".

"I have been a coward. I haven't told you this for all so long and all because I was afraid of how you would react" he says with his voice getting ever more urgent and rapid.

"I know that you would never react badly but some irrational part of my brain wanted to keep it a secret".

"No, that part of my brain still wants to maintain this secret but there is a reason I can't. A reason you understand very well".

"What is it?" Naruto asks patiently.

"I love Sarada, father. Sarada doesn't really have a family any more. Her parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, they are all dead. She only really has one person left, that person is her master, that person is you".

"I didn't want to tell anyone. I was a coward and wanted to keep it a secret but I have to ask you this".

Naruto smiles and shrugs his shoulders questioningly, "Ask me what?".

"Uzumaki Naruto, I would like to ask for your blessing to marry your student".

Boruto finally stops speaking, taking a deep breath as he does so. He looks into the unwavering eyes of his father, who is largely expressionless. He has no idea how he will react.

Finally, Naruto smiles, "I see, is that all you wanted to say?".

"Yes".

Naruto grabs Boruto and tightly hugs his son as he pats him several times on the back, a hug of the most genuine paternal affection.

"Both you and Sarada are really important to me" the 7th Hokage declares as the two separate and he looks into his son's eyes. "To know that you two are happy together is all I need to answer your request".

"You have my blessing Boruto, of course you do".

"Thank you, dad" Boruto says finally relaxing for the first time in a very long while, "Thank you".

 **Hashirama's Field**

Sarada places her hands on her knees as she struggles for breath. When she has finally recovered she removes her glasses and wipes the sweat from her brow. Upon putting them back on her gaze comes to rest on the man who is teaching her today, and she makes a single conclusion about him. He's a monster.

"I can tell you have been working hard these past three years" Hashirama compliments her.

Sarada is too proud to take the compliment though. "I really couldn't land a solid hit on you".

"Don't worry about it" Hashirama dismisses his temporary pupil's concerns with a casual wave of his hand, "Neither can your blonde friend".

While it brings Sarada some pride to know that she has not fallen behind Boruto she gets to her feet and makes an honest confession. "I am not putting myself down here. I know that I am strong, stronger than most Kage through history but you made me seem like a mere beginner. Lord 1st, how strong are you really?".

The Senju clansmen considers for a moment if it is wise to reveal the truth but he does. "If you took away Naruto's control over the invaders' power, I could defeat him".

"I see" Sarada puffs, slightly disbelieving of the boast. She cannot land a solid hit on Naruto during training either, it is clear to her that the 1st and 7th Hokage's have reached a godly level as shinobi. For one of them to claim to be above the other though, is a tough claim to swallow.

"Thanks for your training, Lord 1st" she continues, "Let's do it again some time".

Sarada leaves and waves behind her to Boruto's teacher, happy at not only the level of instruction she received but of his approval of her relationship with his student.

Hashirama smiles as he watches Sarada leave.

' _Boruto. It's just like we discussed three years ago. No matter how far you fall, there is always someone who can bring you back. For you, Sarada is that person'_.

As Sarada fully disappears from view, it finally happens.

A hand reaches for Hashirama's back.

Despite not seeing the hand coming, the 1st Hokage feels it, he spins on his heel and aims the back of his fist at the side of his assailant's head.

The attacker leaps backwards, dodging the full-speed attack of Hashirama, something not even Naruto could do.

Hashirama would gasp and demonstrate his astonishment but he has no time for that. Even so, it has been a long time since he met someone who could dodge one of his attacks, excluding Naruto.

The 1st Hokage's brain begins to focus on fighting, however, he is conscious of the fact that this fight won't be easy and should be avoided at all costs if such a thing is possible.

He observes his opponent. His clothes are largely torn but are mostly ordinary. Old black cotton trousers, a torn white shirt with a red and green patterned jacket over the top of it. His most distinct piece of clothing is the cloak adorning his back. It is not bronze, nor silver or gold, it is black, appearing almost grey from the wear and tear it has clearly been through.

This man's appearance is clearly not something he concerns himself with. His hair is long and straggly, seemingly uncut for several years. Long strands hang down in front his pale blue eyes, meeting with an enormous beard at the bottom of his face. At a medium height, he appears in his middle fifties. This man is unlike any that Hashirama has seen before.

"Who are you" Hashirama asks after taking this in.

"My name?" the man repeats before laughing maniacally, as if he has heard the funniest joke in the world. "My name is Tao Ma".

The 1st Hokage takes advantage of this situation, he continues to probe this newcomer. "Where do you come from?".

Once again, he is greeted with a laugh, as the man throws his head backwards, his hair flying backwards off his face to reveal the crazed expression beneath. "Just as you suspect, I am not someone from your world, nor am I from the group who has inhabited this world for the last few years".

"You are not from General Clyde's group?".

"No, I am not".

"Who are you then?" Hashirama snaps, "Why are you here?".

"For a long time I have been here, Senju Hashirama, watching".

"Why? What are you hoping to accomplish"?

Tao Ma reaches his foot forward, as if stepping carefully on the ground. Before Hashirama can react, he has already dashed forward, narrowing the distance so much that the 1st Hokage can smell his adversary's breath.

"I've come to tell you of destiny, Senju Hashirama, I have come to tell you of the future".

"Of the future?".

"It's written clearly now. It's right there for everyone to see. You are a marked man, Senju Hashirama". Tao Ma proclaims this before laughing again, communicating with the gods of destiny as he tells Hashirama of the future he has foreseen. "I've seen your future and it doesn't look good. Any day now, you are going to die".

"I'm going to die…" Hashirama repeats it.

"Your death will be a herald for what is to come" Tao Ma proclaims, his tone now far more serious than before, the pace of his voice quickened. "You will be the first to die and the hidden leaf will follow".

Hashirama closes his eyes and lowers his head unintimidated.

"I don't care what destiny you claim I have. I don't care about what you claim my future will hold".

"For a while, I felt like everything had ended for me when my wife died. I felt like there was nothing left".

"I made it my mission to kill all the people from your world and let me make it clear, that is still my mission".

"But, I was wrong when I said that I had nothing left. My student Boruto, my brother Tobirama and my granddaughter Tsunade".

"And I have friends like Naruto and Sarada".

"No matter what, I won't let you hurt the hidden leaf village".

"If that is the future that you have foreseen then prepare to be disappointed because I am going to change that".

Tao Ma finishes listening to Hashirama's speech, the smile holds on his face though as he chuckles more lightly to himself, like a child hiding a joke from their parent.

"I see" he says, "You're just as interesting as I thought, Senju Hashirama".


	80. First Contact

**WAR NEVER ENDS – FIRST CONTACT**

 **Naruto and Hinata's House**

Warm. The embers, of the fire, in the corner of the room burn. Dancing left and right, scattering in a pattern which resembles a work of art. Like a cottage in the country more than a home of the village's most famous protector. It is different to how it had been in the past but that does not matter. Anywhere where this warmth can be felt, anywhere one can sit back and feel at ease, surrounded by family, with worries dropping burning away with the coals on the fire. Anywhere where these feelings can be experienced, is home.

Minato relaxes back in his chair as the warmth rushes through him, the dim light a pleasant change from the artificial equivalent the people of this era have grown so used to. Being the Hokage rarely allows him a moment to relax. In this era of war and death it is even more unusual that he be allowed a moment like this, so he treasures it when it does arrive.

Rolling his head slowly backwards, his hairs are pushed into the back of his head one by one. His eyes raise to look at the woman across the table, his host, Hyuuga Hinata. "So Hinata, do you know what Naruto wants to speak to us about?".

"I don't know" the Hyuuga clanswoman admits with a quiet voice. There is no need to shout and bawl on an occasion like this. Whether what Naruto will say is good or bad, this moment, by itself, is blissful. A moment where they can afford to let their guard down. Unknowingly, one of the last such moments that they will experience in a very long time. "He seemed really eager for you to be here though".

Kushina forces a smile to her face. Naruto's eagerness could be taken two ways, either something very good has happened, or something very bad. In days gone past this would not be so worrying as it is today, but with the world in such a bad state, one can't help but worry. "It sounds like it must be something really important".

"You don't think something bad has happened" Hinata questions.

"Hinata, if something bad had happened Naruto would have told you sooner. It will be fine" the red-haired shinobi insists, as much to herself as to Hinata.

"I suppose you're right".

Creek!

The door gently opens, grinding on the aged hinges as it casts a shadow on the entering figure. A face half-dark and half-light yet familiar all the same. "Hello everyone" Himawari says as she emerges from the shadow into the orange firelight.

"It's good to see you Himawari" Minato offers.

"You're looking nice today" Kushina welcomes her granddaughter.

Himawari smiles, the words are merely customary but are welcomed all the same. Each time she speaks to her grandparents she feels an uncanny familiarity with them despite never having met them as a child. Naruto often noted that Himawari's temper must have come from her grandmother. "Thank you".

"Do you have any idea what Naruto has organised this meeting for?".

"I think it must be something to do with Boruto" the young woman decides as she strokes her chin. Boruto has suffered for years now with an affliction, a black outpouring of energy from his body but it had never proven fatal to him. The most the blonde shinobi had ever experienced because of the illness was pain. However, he has been acting unusual in other ways, like he is hiding something.

The floor creaks as Minato leans forward in his chair. "Do you mean, something has happened to him?".

"I don't know. I asked dad if he wanted me to invite Boruto along but he said no". It's not unusual for the Uzumaki family to gather. They're a close family who even in the most terrible of circumstances have done their best to keep an eye on one another.

Creak!

Once again, the door opens, this time more quickly. In comes the man of the hour, in comes the 7th Hokage. He mutters a few words of hello as he walks over to his fiancée and takes the chair next to her.

"Naruto!" Hinata shouts, shocking him out of his laid-back attitude. The quiet setting and speculation has quickly moved her attitude from one of anticipation to one of concern.

"Is everything OK Naruto, is Boruto OK?" Kushina asks, sharing the urgency Hinata emphasised less than a second prior.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asks with a slight smile, "Why is everyone yelling?".

"Has something bad happened?". Kushina leans forward, getting closer to Naruto and the answer in his head. "Is that why you organised this gathering?".

Naruto laughs for a moment, "No, no, it's nothing like that" he allays their fears, clearly, he has misinterpreted their body language as enthusiasm rather than dread. "Nothing bad has happened".

A collective exhalation sounds around the room causing Naruto to feel a pang of guilt, perhaps he should have been clearer when he was organising this get-together.

"So, what is going on?" Himawari asks.

"It's Boruto" the Hokage declares to nobody's great surprise, "There is something he wanted me to explain to all of you".

"What's that?".

"For a long time now, he has been a hiding something big from us. He has been keeping something really important to himself" Naruto explains as the crackling sound of the burning fire provides a background for his story. "I don't know why he has kept it to himself for so long. Perhaps he didn't feel comfortable because I let him down. However, earlier he told me this secret, to share with all of you".

"Well, what is this big secret?" Hinata asks.

"You may have noticed that Boruto has been behaving strangely for a while now. Well, it's because he is in a relationship, one that he didn't want anybody to know about".

"He has?" Kushina starts.

"I never even noticed" Minato cheerfully admitted.

"Who is…".

"Sarada" Hinata mutters, cutting of a quizzing Kushina. As the eyes on the room all converge on her, hers raise to look at Naruto's. "It's Sarada isn't it".

Naruto nods, pleasantly surprised that Hinata has noticed what he had not. It seems to him that her eyes are not just for show. There are certain things that people can hide from the world, that they can bury deep inside so that they will never be discovered. Hiding something from a mother is a lot harder. "Boruto is going to propose to her".

"That's wonderful" Himawari claps her hands together. "For years those two have been too busy to stop and look at one another. They have always been too preoccupied with their jobs to realise how they felt about each other. I'm glad that Boruto finally stopped for a moment and realised how he felt".

"Hinata, how do you feel about this?" Naruto asks.

"I…" Hinata begins but stops to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye, "I'm really pleased for him. Really pleased".

"This is cause for another celebration" Minato cheers, leaping to his feet.

"Another one?".

"Perhaps we should hold on. She may not accept his proposal" Kushina says as she pushes her husband back down onto the chair.

"She will" Himawari declares. "If I know Sarada, she will".

 **The Hidden Leaf Village**

It's a cold and windy night. The weather is often unpredictable in the Hidden Leaf Village. This is not by nature but as a result of the monstrous beings who refer to the establishment as their home. Earlier, both Hashirama and Naruto experimented with jutsu, including, wind, fire and lightning. When these three elements are combined on the massive scale the warriors are capable of, it can easily cause drastic changes to the local climate. Such power is not a blessing in every regard.

A polite individual would move through the village in the streets, interacting with fellow villagers and perhaps even browsing the various shops. Certain things give you an excuse to avoid this. Certain things like being the 7th Hokage.

Naruto leaps over the top of the village, shivering slightly as he looks down on the people below. He runs from building to building, his face looking down towards his feet in hope of finding just the right person. Most people wouldn't even notice him passing. Though a largely clumsy shinobi, he has refined his skills over many years to the point where his peers flatter his stealth abilities.

' _Boruto is getting married. I'm not even married to Hinata yet'_ Naruto muses to himself, _'Sasuke, Sakura it looks like our children are going to get married'_.

The knucklehead smiles to himself as he thinks to the old team 7. If only Kakashi had known back then what this team of his would achieve. What would become of them in the future. What would become of their children in the future. There is no way that he could have imagined it. It is good then, that he can be here to see it for himself.

' _If Boruto and Sarada have children that would make us part of the same family'_ Naruto grins, _'What sort of child would that be?'_. Naruto thinks of the possibilities, summoning up only comic images, leaving him deciding not to imagine such a thing further.

As his foot lowers towards the roof of the next building, he is snapped from his thoughts.

"What are you doing?".

"AHHH" Naruto screams as his foot slips from under him and his head starts to lead the rest of his body into the great abyss. Or, at least, into the cold road down below.

The man reaches out to take hold of Naruto, saving him by grabbing hold of his wrist.

Naruto looks over his shoulder at his saviour, Hashirama. Together, they pull Naruto back up onto his feet. "Thanks, I zoned out for a moment there". The 7th Hokage dusts off his old clothes and straightens his back. "As it happens, I was looking for you".

"Did you want to discuss our students?" Hashirama asks.

"Yes" Naruto stammers, "Do you uh… know about them?".

"They're in a relationship" the wood-user declares, walking past his friend and looking in the direction of the house which Sarada has spent the last few years living in. He now assumes that Boruto has been there too.

"Yes".

"Sarada told me when they swapped for training" Hashirama explains as he sighs. He feels slightly guilty about the situation, much the same as Naruto. They had both been people that Boruto looked up to, they had both been in a position to guide him, in a position where they thought he could confide in them. In the end they thought in much the same way, that the Shadow Hokage was depending on them and that they had let them down.

"It seems a long time ago now but do you remember our first battle with the invaders?" Naruto asks.

Hashirama smiles, "How could I forget. It was you, my brother and I, we all battled against Colonel Peterson. You arrived at the last minute and saved my life. In that battle, we both came close to death".

"Back then we recovered together during Sasuke's attack" Naruto recites the events of three years ago, "It was up to Boruto and Sarada to save us from him".

"Back then everything seemed so much easier" the 1st Hokage laments his situation. "We were fighting against unbelievable odds but there was only one direction available to us, forwards. I had a good friend in you, I had an excellent brother helping to evacuate the village".

"I had Mito" he finishes.

"She would be so proud of what you have done". Naruto approaches Hashirama and places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She would be proud of how you have saved the village, her village and of how you have been teaching Boruto".

"Thank you, Naruto, you have been a good friend to me". As the wood-user starts to walk away, his friend can't help but notice the way in which he is speaking. To him it sounds, so, terminal.

The 7th tightens his grip on the shoulder of the 1st, "Hey, don't think I'm just going to let you walk away like that".

"I consider you a friend too. Since coming to the future, we have argued and bickered over to handle situations. However, I have never stopped believing that you and I want the same thing. We both want what is best for the village".

"Of course" Hashirama smiles. "Still, Naruto, I feel that I must warn you. The current peace will not last much longer. When the conflict returns this land will be forced to make a choice".

"Your way, or my way".

"Maybe" Naruto counters, "But until that day, we will move forward together, right?". Extending a fist in a traditional sign of respect, the two most revered Hokage face each other as the wind sings to them.

"Yeah". They bump fists. "I heard that you are getting married".

"Yeah".

Hashirama zooms away, leaving only two words in his place. "Congratulations, Naruto".

"Thank you. Hashirama".

 **The Academy Field Trip**

"The first battle that took place here was Mirai's" Dan recalls as he once again explains to the children the significance of the monumental events that took place in this valley. Once upon a time, a river ran through this in a beautiful cascade pattern, now craters and cervices are filled with water in an unnatural formation.

"Mirai lost in a valiant battle, a battle that gave courage to the remaining shinobi who competed on our behalf. Lord 4th has previously attributed the victory to the resolve that Mirai gave the team in her first battle".

"Well, it wasn't easy" Mirai thinks back to her training with her grandfather. Truthfully, he deserves as much credit as she does for the battle that day. If he had not discovered her gift, her inexplicable ability, then perhaps the world would look very different today. "I would have been disheartened seeing me give them hell but losing anyway".

"But that was the closest anyone had ever come to defeating a colonel" Dan explains to the children, "Only Lord 7th from the past was able to actually do it".

"Incredible" one of the boys in the class whispers.

"I hope I can be strong like Mirai" says another.

"Anyone can be strong" Dan asserts, "As long as they never give up".

"The next battle was fought by Hatake Kakashi, our 6th Hokage. Kakashi lost this battle but that was only because he had yet to unlock the full power of his Sharingan" the headmaster explains, narrating a story that hit close to home for all those who witnessed the events of that day.

"With both Sharingan fully unlocked, I am confident that Kakashi could have won that battle" Mirai declares.

"Lord 6th is amazing".

"Lord 6th is a quiet and subtle Hokage but don't ever underestimate him. He has extensive experience on the battlefield. Lord 6th fought in the 4th great shinobi war as a general and he served with distinction". Dan himself had actually served in the 4th great shinobi war, albeit that he only had free-will for a few seconds and was a reincarnation throughout. He had saved Tsunade in those moments, perhaps changing destiny in ways that nobody could predict.

"Until the end, Lord 6th thought alongside Lord 7th and Lord Shadow 7th, part of the legendary team 7".

"Hey Dan" Mirai murmurs, just loud enough for him to hear. "Something is coming".

While the children are slow to react, Dan is not, if Mirai is saying something like that then the situation is bad. He closes his eyes and goes into his inner world. The stone tablet is still there, as pure as the day it first appeared. He draws the red fiery energy from it and moves it through his body into his brain, searching the surrounding area for any semblance of that same power.

And he finds it.

A captain comes flying towards them, with speed and power that the children have never seen before.

As the first scream sounds, the military leader of the village does not stand on ceremony. She reaches her hand forward, snatching the captain's head from the air and using the power of her explosions to slam him forcefully down into the ground.

"It's been three years of peace with no contact" she bluntly explains as she looks at the back of her hand as if she can see the face disguised behind it. "Why have you decided to change that, why have you given up on the peace?".

The captain doesn't answer, he is too busy coughing and spluttering behind the hand of his opponent. He has invaded before, he has fought the locals before but never has he experienced an attack of this ferocity. He soon realises that alarming the children behind Mirai was a mistake.

"I recognise you" the captain manages to get out through in a strained voice, "You fought in the captained six contest. You are Sarutobi Mirai".

"What do you want?".

"I am here out of the kindness of my own heart" the captain protests the hand to his face. The people behind Mirai are afraid, intimidated by this man who came dressed in clothes they have been trained to fear. Even Dan is slightly concerned out of habit. Every person who grasps this terrifying power is dangerous. "I am here to give you a warning".

"A warning of what?" Mirai asks.

"War".

"It's coming" the captain proclaims, "A war is coming, any day now".

"When you return to your village" he continues, "I suggest you take this information to Uzumaki Naruto…".

The land then shakes as a man drops from the sky nearby.

He hits the ground like an asteroid descending from the heavens.

' _It's a general'_ Dan realises instantly as he positions himself between the newcomer and the children.

' _That uniform… it's another one… another general'_ Mirai tells herself as she loosens her grip on the seemingly friendly captain.

"Run!" the captain screams as he flees for his life.

A man whose average height puts his eyes at the perfect level to look straight into Dan's. And those eyes, the determination in them, the unwavering desire to kill is enough to convince the headmaster of the danger this man poses.

His perfectly cut short hair is identical on both the left and right side of his face. It's clear that he is unlike any of the invaders that have come before, he is not a fighter in a uniform, this man is a soldier in body and in mind.

' _With the students here you can't afford to do anything hasty'_ Mirai speaks mentally as she looks at Dan's back, _'But can we really take on someone this strong?'_.

' _What will you do, Dan?'_.

' _What will you do?'_.


	81. For the Children

**WAR NEVER ENDS – FOR THE CHILDREN**

 **The Valley**

Dan's eyes are fixed firmly on the skull of this new General. He refuses to so much as blink as his concentration holds at maximum. All around him things are happening, the children are panicking, the wind is howling and Mirai is watching but he hears none of it. The headmaster of the new academy, he has a duty of care for everyone behind him, a duty that has never been harder than in this moment.

Fear isn't all he feels. He certainly is afraid, how could he not be, standing in front of a man like this, only the second bearer of the golden cape to ever step into this world. There is something more though, like adrenaline, a burning need to stop him it all costs. This person isn't just dangerous to the children, to himself, not even to Mirai but to the entire world. If he is to leave this world unharmed, it could spell the death of everyone within it.

Elliot is the opposite. A perfect picture of serenity. He doesn't look threatened in the least, more like he has stumbled across a lost child than a warrior of many battles. He tilts his head to the side and rubs his fingers along his clean-shaven chin as he inspects the man before him.

' _There is something strange about this man'_ Elliot thinks to himself as he looks Dan over. _'I can't quite place my finger on it'_.

Elliot has never been to this world before, he has never seen nor has he ever met Kato Dan. He screws his eyes together and rests his head in the palm of his hand for a moment as he thinks, searching through his memories for anyone bearing a slight resemblance to the man before him. After coming up empty, he simply smiles to himself and opens his eyes once again.

' _They're just stood there'_ Mirai notes to herself as her eyes flick back and forth between the invading general and the protective headmaster. _'They're starting at each other, not even moving'_.

Mirai watches for another few seconds before grinding her teeth, her eyes cringing. She is not the most patient of shinobi at the best of times, in a situation like this she is incredibly anxious. _'If you won't do something I will'_. As she takes a single step towards the gazing duo, the first strike begins.

Dan quickly raises his hand, positioning it horizontally from his shoulder and channelling what power he can along the length of his arm. In his inner world, power flows from the giant stone tablet, chakra is sourced from all over his body and the two combines in a mighty phenomenon that manifests in the real world.

Elliot's eyes widen in shock, _'He can use our power'_.

The power surrounding Dan's arm transforms into a bright orange fire, spiralling from his shoulder down to the tips of his fingers before launching towards Elliot at an astonishing rate.

The General's eyes refocus as he calms from his moment of shock. It had been a surprise to him, he had never expected for this 'local' to have understood the same power as they had. Still, it is no disaster, especially not for him. Elliot has met hundreds of colonels and hundreds of thousands of captains, an attack like this is nothing to him.

He stands unmoving, except his golden cape in the breeze as the rush of fire energy tumbles towards him. A glint in his eye is the only reaction as the flames come to within one foot of his body before their path suddenly changes.

They do not reach him. One foot away, is as close as the flames get. They split to his left and to his right, travelling around him as if impaired by an invisible dome.

Dan lowers his hand and thinks. _'I didn't hold back in the least with that attack, I was sure of it. I used both chakra and their power'_. The Kato clansmen watches as the smile returns to Elliot's face, after the shock and the defence, the enemy general is left with only amusement. _'This guy, he genuinely took that attack without even moving. Did he use some kind of special method? Exactly what is he?'_.

A few steps sound as Mirai dashes to Dan's side. "Dan, this guy is tough".

"Yeah" the headmaster simply replies, his eyes not leaving his opponent. If he were to attack then it could be a disaster for the children behind him.

"If we want to defeat him we are going to have to work together" Mirai declares.

"No". Dan refutes her. "I can't allow you to do that. You must take the students and run away. Go and get help".

Mirai half expected this sort of reaction from the headmaster but she still protests. "There is no way that I am running away while you fight here" she proclaims. "I am stronger than you are, if one of us is going to…".

The military leader of the hidden leaf stops and looks behind her. Even though she is not a parent, it is not a sight she can cope with. The collective faces of terrified children, children who believe they are about to die at any moment. She begins to wonder if this is half the reason Dan didn't turn around. If that he wasn't purely afraid to take his eyes off his opponent but he was also afraid to see this reaction.

"I'm the headmaster of this academy" Dan says with a smile on his face. "There is no way I would lose here, right?".

Mirai shakes her head, struggling to believe that this is really the strategy her friend is proposing. "You know what will happen, right?" she whispers, quietly enough so that neither the kids nor Elliot will hear her, "Do you really think that Tsunade can…".

"Don't worry about Tsunade. It pains me to hurt her but she is strong, she can pull through anything".

"I don't want to test that". It is well known that Tsunade has suffered loss since coming to the future. She, a revered medic had not been able to save Minato, she had to depend on another patient to do it. She had been too weak to fight in the captained six contest, something she blamed herself for. Worst of all, she had experienced the deaths of her grandmother and her student.

"Mirai, look at me" Dan whispers, his face relaxing for the first time since Elliot arrived. "I spoke not too long ago about the resolve that you created in this place. Look at me, feel my resolve and tell me, do you think I am staying here to lose?".

"You…".

"Go" Dan implores her with a smile, "I will be alright".

Mirai once again clenches her fist, this time so hard that they turn white. "Everyone go" she yells at the children.

As the students of the academy start running away as fast as they can, the military leader turns back to the man who is sacrificing himself. "I'll get help".

"Thanks".

With a gust of wind, Mirai runs, helping the children to flee as fast as they can. That leaves only the two of them.

The general and the headmaster.

Dan waits about one minute for the children to be at a safe distance, in that time he doesn't move or even blink for risk of upsetting Elliot. Their safety is his absolute priority. He is ironically grateful to his opponent for allowing him this time, for not attacking when he could have done. When he used the invader's power against them, the interest that generated was enough to save him it seems.

"Who are you?" Dan finally asks.

"That was a brave thing you did" Elliot notes, completely ignoring the question asked of him. "Sacrificing yourself to save those children".

"It was the right thing to do. Now it is your turn to do the right thing".

"You waited until they were at a safe distance before beginning this conversation". Elliot's analysis is spot on. Those who have invaded this world rarely have any tactical knowledge or understanding, they are used to simply trampling their opponents without any resistance. Elliot is different though, he is an intelligent battle-taught leader.

"I can tell that you aren't used to a truly strong opponent" he continues, "So, let me give you a tip, this range is far from safe".

Dan anxiously watches for a moment to see if that wasn't just an empty threat. Despite his anxiety, nothing comes of it, it would appear that Elliot has no interest in harming the children. Not yet at least.

"Why are you here, are you a friend or an enemy?". It is a bit late to be asking this question now but Dan is looking for any way in which he can stall for time.

"Why am I here?" Elliot repeats the question, "I am here to do a job. You may be familiar with a certain name, a name that is famous to those of us in the military. That name is General Clyde".

"Never heard of him" the shinobi bluffs, not that it helps him.

"It is General Clyde's job to eliminate all living beings in this realm. Unfortunately, it seems that he is either negligent or incompetent. I am here to continue what he started".

"How the hell can you say that with a straight face" Dan snaps. His body is shaking he is so angry. While he didn't turn to face them, he is aware that Mirai saw the children's faces, that their terror impacted her. For someone to be able to completely disregard those faces is fundamentally disgusting to him.

"I don't know enough about you to speak of you background but those are children running away from you".

"I was nobody special, a rather talented shinobi with some unique duties but nothing truly exceptional".

"I dreamed of being the Hokage but then I saw what they were capable of and realised that I couldn't do what they do".

"It was too much pressure but then they gave me a new opportunity. They told me to teach these children".

Dan stops to take a few deep breaths, he is beginning to panic, his anger so severe that it is shaking his own soul. Previously, he had been directionless, a mere pawn summoned here to enhance Tsunade's work ethic but he had become more. He is not here because of her anymore, he is because of his own talents, his own skills. He is here to guide the next generation of shinobi, to nurture them so they don't have to endure the same horrors of the generations before.

"Teach these children?" Elliot repeats the phrase back, as if he is scribbling it down on a piece of paper, "So you are teaching our powers to your young now?".

"That is not the point" Dan shouts as he squeezes his head in his hands before throwing them to the floor, "Don't you get it. I had no connection to these children before. I've never been a parent nor anything of the sort".

"But I feel a connection with them. I feel a connection to each and every one of them. I feel a natural instinct kick in around them. I feel that I have to protect them".

"No matter who you are" Dan shouts but then stops before lowering his voice, "No matter who you are, you should feel that instinct too. Don't you feel anything when you speak of killing children?".

Elliot shakes his head as he smiles. "I'm only entertaining this conversation because you are one of the strongest locals I have ever met".

Then his grin changes to a frown, "However, don't you dare speak as if you know anything about the people of my world".

"It's an inherently human instinct to protect the young, no, to protect the weak".

"But that doesn't mean it's stuck to you. That doesn't mean it will last forever. That doesn't mean you can't lose it".

Dan's eyes go wide in disbelief, he looks to the side as if sharing an incredulous conversation with a third party. "Don't you care about what you have become. Don't you care that you have become a monster?".

Elliot pauses, considering this question. Then he finds his answer, "I would rather live as a monster than die as a human".

Another pause, this time interrupted by flames birthing in Dan's hands.

"Turning this into a battle of elements against a general?" Elliot questions rhetorically, "You won't live to regret your mistake".

 **A Short Distance Away**

Mirai quickly does a head count, making sure that she hasn't lost any of the children that came with her. She then reaches for the radio she has kept in her pocket and raises it to the side of her head.

"This is Mirai, we have an emergency here".

"Send Naruto".

"Send Naruto now!".

Perhaps Dan's stalling has not been for nothing.

 **The Hidden Leaf Village**

It's a pleasant village. There is a wonderful feeling of home as people move from place to place, their path illuminated only the by the orange glow of the artificial lights. Quiet murmurs of conversation create a vibrant sensation, even as the darkness descends. Uzumaki Himawari is among those on the streets, looking for something she can't place her finger on. A congratulatory gift, a celebratory item, something to spread the festive mood that her family is in.

"Hey Himawari!" a voice comes from nearby as its owner approaches.

Himawari turns her head to reply. "Hello ChouChou".

"I don't usually see you out at this time of the day" ChouChou explains as she offers a potato chip to Himawari which she politely declines. "Are you here for a special reason?".

"I'm celebrating something" Himawari explains.

"Oh, what's that…".

Their conversation is interrupted. Hundreds of heads all swing in the same direction as an overwhelming chakra covers the hidden leaf in its splendour. Only one person could possibly be responsible for such a thing. Only one shinobi in the entire world has power like this.

One figure leaps into the sky above the village, an orange veil of chakra surrounding his body. He pushes forward and tears through the air at a tremendous rate, leaving only a whistling noise in his wake as his face is bombarded with the air. It shocks everyone who sees it, many have never seen this power before and can't help but be stunned at the display.

Himawari understands immediately. _'That was dad'_.

 **The Valley**

Dam swings his hand left and right, allowing a little drizzle of fire to trickle away from it each time, like the leftover water from a tap. Gradually, each little length of flame adds together to create a full ten-meter-long construct. A whip. He raises the whip above his head before swinging it in the direction of the general, wrapping him in its blazing hot clutches.

Elliot doesn't react to this. It's as if he doesn't even feel the heat. He simply sighs, his opponent's struggle is futile.

Dan releases the whip and rushes his opponent, arriving before him in the blink of an eye with arms covered in flames. A combination of shoulder and arm, the flame user tackles his opponent to the ground, singing away a portion of Elliot's short black hair. He once again raises his fist, concentrating all flames on a single point, and slams it down towards Elliot's face.

The general is not willing to take an attack like that head on. Even for him that would not be possible. His arms swing away from his sides and in an amazing feat of strength, he breaks free from the flame whip and catches the incoming hand of his opponent.

Dan is amazed. _'Fast'_.

"If you had any other power, facing me you might have been more effective. However, fire is the worst". As Elliot finishes his short speech, a blue-white energy flies from the centre of the invader's chest, hitting his counterpart in the same place.

Dan is knocked a short distance back but manages to steady himself and land on his feet. His worst fears are realised when he refocuses his attention on his opponent. An aura has appeared around Elliot. An aura of gold. _'He has a cloak filled with gold. Just like Clyde did'._

"You look intimidated by the cloak of gold but that isn't what you should be looking at" Elliot explains as he dusts off his immaculately kept uniform. "Instead you should be intimidated by the temperature around you".

Suddenly, Dan realises that his opponent is completely correct. It is cold, unimaginably cold, colder weather than he has experienced in his entire life. Artic isn't enough to describe these conditions, the temperature is so low that Dan is struggling to keep his flames alight.

"Is this… is ice your element?" Dan asks.

"Ice? Would I really be worthy of coming here like this if I could only control ice?". Elliot seems offended by the question. How could his element be compared to ice? "No, my power is not so limited. My power revolves around the founding principles of ice".

"My power, takes its foundations in 'Cold'".

Dan puts on a look of disbelief. "Cold…" he starts before quickly raising his arm and sending a full-force fire attack into his enemy's face. Trickery and sneak attacks are the specialty of a shinobi, to that end, he hopes that the opening he created would be enough.

It isn't.

Elliot emerges from the flames unharmed, not a scratch on his uniform. "Don't you get it? The surroundings of my body, they are cooled. My control over my element is vastly superior to yours, that's why your fire is extinguished just by the sheer drop in temperature".

Dan lowers his head.

"Giving up?" Elliot begins to create a spear out of frozen air, "I guess that's only natural in your position".

"I didn't expect that I would require my full power in this battle" Dan mentions, scolding himself, "How arrogant, this is the sort of thing that prevented me from becoming the Hokage".

"Your full power?".

Elliot starts as he feels a sensation he never expected. Power.

Fire begins to spread from Dan's hands, slowly moving its way up his arms to his shoulders. When it reaches his shoulders, it moves down along his torso and through his legs. It even rises up to cover his head. Upon covering his entire body, it begins to separate from him, as if peeling off his skin. It forms a layer around him, an aura.

An aura of flame.

A cloak.

"Nobody knows that I can do this yet but now is definitely the time to do it".

' _His understanding'_ Elliot now understands why Dan felt unusual to him. _'His understanding is on the Colonel level!'_.

"You won't lay a finger on those children. Not before going through me".


	82. A Flame Extinguished

**WAR NEVER ENDS – A FLAME EXTINGUISHED**

 **The Valley**

The air is still freezing in the darkness of the night. The moon shimmers through the crystalized air as the top layers of the disfigured river slowly begin to turn to ice. In the centre of the brilliant white scene, two lights illuminate the darkness, brighter than the moon and bringing more hope than the sun. One aura is golden, an aura of raw power from which the cold has descended. The other, an orange aura of flame, burning through the cold, leaving perhaps the only few meters of safety for miles around. All life would freeze to death here, save for one man, Kato Dan.

Elliot's calm demeanour has remained, his personality in keeping with the ice-cold atmosphere that he has surrounded the duo with. It is not as before though, he is no longer looking down on everything before him. This is no longer a pathetic world, an easy job for him. He is focused, calm but focused as his eyes rest on his opponent.

Dan has done what Elliot has never seen before. For the first few moments, the General could have sworn that the cold was distorting his own vision. This local, this insignificant local has actually manifested an elemental cloak. A cloak of fire. That is not something that he has seen before. As far as he is aware it has never happened before. According to the military records, Kato Dan is now the most advanced local they have ever encountered.

The headmaster of the new academy launches towards the invading General, his long blue hair trailing behind him like the main of a horse. He arrives before his opponent quickly, before he has a chance to react, or at least before he does react. He holds nothing back as he swings his fist forward, landing a painful blow to the centre of his chest. A source of freezing cold energy just moments ago. Previously the flames appeared overcome by the cold, now, the fire is fighting back.

Elliot creates a layer of cold air around his entire body to protect him. Anyone else who would punch this layer would find the temperature almost unbearable. A weaker man's hand might freeze altogether. Dan is in the perfect position to overcome that though. There is a slight pain but as he forces his hand forward, the General's feet part from the ground beneath him and his body twists as it soars back through the air.

Elliot rolls in the air, his body lengthways, parallel to the ground beneath him. His vision filled with the interchangeable view of the frozen white ground beneath him and the cold black night above. He twists his hips, shifting his body abnormally through the air in a way that only the most powerful of warriors could. When his feet hit the ground he digs them in, launching mud from the ground behind him as he grinds to a halt.

As the soldier comes to a halt he readies himself for the next attack. He is after all a professional fighter, it is his job not to lose in situations like this. He is impressed with his opponent's ingenuity. Dan places his hand behind him, using a beam of fire as a boost, thrusting he and his invading counterpart together.

Elliot raises his foot vertically, kicking up a stray stone from the ground like a kid with a football. The rock raises to his hand and the moment he catches it he concentrates his power. The rock instantly turns from brown to white, frozen. He places his left leg forward, his height is average but he is built like a soldier, he swings from his core and throws the frozen stone as hard as he can towards the incoming shinobi.

' _Fast'_. Dan didn't expect the difference in their strength to be this great, especially not after activating his fire cloak. He changes the placement of his hand, switching the beam of fire from his behind to his side. The rock grazes his hand as he haphazardly hurtles sideways, a small fleck of blood dropping where his skin is peeled away.

The change in direction has Dan off balance and that is not something which Elliot will miss. He rushes his younger opponent, arriving before him and delivering a punch just like the one he received earlier, only this time to Dan's stomach.

The shinobi activates his beam of fire once again, this time to slow his own backward momentum and grind to a halt opposite his opponent. _'This fight won't be easy'_.

 **Nearby**

The students chatter their teeth. The cold reaching even far enough to influence them here. They huddle in a tight circle around a fire Mirai lit herself.

' _Incredible, even at this distance I feel like my entire body is about to freeze. This guy is on another level…'_ Mirai makes this terrifying discovery. This man gives her the same feeling she had three years ago when Naruto fought Clyde. _'Dan, how can you fight someone like this?'_.

 **The Valley**

Dan's fire cloak dwindles for a moment so he draws some additional energy from his body and the stone tablet to keep it alight. _'When he hit that last punch, it felt like my blood itself was freezing. This guy wasn't bluffing, his element isn't ice. It's cold'_.

As Elliot's feet leave the ground and his sturdy body approaches Dan, the shinobi has an instant to consider a strategy, a method to defeat his opponent. _'However, he is merely a fight. I am a shinobi!'_.

Dan creates a barrier between them. A column of pure flame so violent it shakes the earth from where it begins. It travels high up into the sky, stretching from the earth to the heavens.

The column doesn't perturb the incoming general, he has experienced flames far hotter than these and lived to tell the tale. He tightens his fist and strengthens his resolve, and with a single bead of sweat on his brow he shows his value as a soldier. He plunges his hand into the flames and reaches for Dan on the other side. Just a few moments of contact may be enough for him to kill his opponent. A single opening is all he needs. But then he spots it.

Around the side of the column runs the shinobi. It is not the speed he has gone around the column that surprises Elliot, it's the quickness. As a shinobi, Dan is far nimbler than his opponent. Through years of fighting against many opponents and against great odds, shinobi have perfected fighting arts to help them battle adversaries with a similar degree of power. To outmanoeuvre an opponent is something a shinobi trains his entire life for and a soldier dedicates little time to.

This is an opening.

Four times.

Dan hits Elliot unimpeded four times in sequence, each blow stronger and more impactful than the last.

As Elliot launches a counterattack, he realises he has done what a soldier must never do. He panicked. He attacked in haste.

Dan dodges beneath the punch and crosses his fingers, creating a single clone of himself. The clone hasn't the same power as its creator but it is significant enough for its purpose. The clone returns to the former action, swinging a fist towards the general aiming straight for his calculating eyes.

This attack is easy to see through for the general. He simply swings his head to the side, avoiding the incoming punch before tightening his own fist. He swings it, a counterpunch. A counterpunch so strong that it destroys the clone the moment it impacts. Unfortunately, for Elliot, he hadn't realised that the clone would be so much weaker. He believed it had been for some complex tactical purpose. It wasn't. It was simply a distraction.

As a hand takes hold of Elliot by the back of his head. He feels the pressure of five fingers pressing into his skull through his jet-black hair and he starts. Dan has got him.

Dan channels everything through his hand. His charka, all the energy he can take from the stone tablet. Everything. Flames burst from the palm of his hand, engulfing Elliot's head and everything up to ten meters beyond it. The formerly frozen grass begins to melt as the burst of orange and red lights the ground for hundreds of meters. The flames persist for several seconds as the surrounding ground shakes. Dan gives it everything he has got for as long as he can before stopping.

All goes quiet, save for a few deep struggling breaths.

"You almost had me there".

Dan releases his grip on Elliot's head and stumbles back. "How… how did you survive?".

"Anybody with enough power could survive that attack. They only need to create a thin protective layer around their head" Elliot explains as he reaches behind his back to find a few centimetres of singed uniform. He rubs the burnt fabric between his fingers, watching it trickle to the ground with a displeased look.

"Still, I mentioned it once already, didn't I?" Elliot asks. "My element is perfect for a battle against yours. The moment this fight started, you had already lost".

 **Between the Valley and the Leaf**

The otherwise quiet countryside is awakened by the sound of whooshing. A shinobi is passing through at unimaginable speeds.

Uzumaki Naruto.

' _Hold on Dan. Just hold on'_.

 **Sarada's House**

The door creaks on its hinges before slamming shut. It's a cold night outside, the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees in the last few minutes. Boruto shivers and hangs his jacket up on a coat hanger by the door. He looks to his rear to see that Sarada has just left her living room, approaching him.

"I'm home, Sarada" he declares with a smile.

The 9th Hokage is not in the mood to beat about the bush. "Did you tell your father?".

"I spoke to him about our relationship" Boruto begins, recalling the exact conversation he had with his father. A conversation he had been nervous of for a very long time. He then considers what he actually said to Naruto. "But, I didn't tell him as such".

Sarada doesn't wait for the explanation Boruto is about to give her. Subconsciously she activates the Sharingan. Boruto has always said that those eyes terrify him, not because of the power held within them or the innate talents that come with them but because if he saw them it meant that Sarada was angry with him. She is. She reaches to her side and grabs hold of the nearest object she can, an apple. She amplifies her strength through outstanding chakra control and launches the apple towards Boruto.

Boruto's mouth drops as he dodges to the side at the very last second. He hadn't expected Sarada to be quite this angry. She was angry enough to attack him, to throw an apple at the wall of their house. He then looks at the impact zone, a hole and realises that he was wrong. She was angry enough to throw an apple through their house.

"The neighbours will probably…".

Sarada shouts at him. "Who cares about the neighbours?".

Boruto raises a hand slowly towards Sarada, as if dealing with an enraged gorilla, something which would scare him less than enraged Sarada. "Calm down Sarada".

"We have been together for so long now. Initially I understood your desire to keep it quiet" Sarada begins as she realises what she just did and deactivates her Sharingan. "It complicates things in an official capacity I thought, but then I realised, no, it doesn't. We've been friends since we were small children, since we have become teammates and many recognise us as the closest of friends".

"Sarada…".

"I'm not finished" the Hokage continues.

' _She's just like Lady Sakura when she's angry'_ Boruto thinks to himself but doesn't dare to say aloud.

"Then, I said to you that we should tell people. That we should stop hiding and you reluctantly agreed with me. Yet time and time again you find a reason not to" Sarada shouts at the top of her lungs. If people didn't know before one or two are sure to now. "What are you afraid of?".

"Are you ashamed of being my boyf…".

Slap!

Boruto cuts her off mid-sentence with a slap. "You don't get to say that. I would never be ashamed of that. Being with you is a privilege for me, a pleasure even greater than being shadow Hokage. Far greater".

"Then why…".

"You misunderstood what I said earlier, you didn't let me finish" Boruto explains with a smile. "My dad knows about the two of us now".

"But you didn't tell him?".

"I said that I didn't tell him, as such!" the blonde shinobi snaps. "That means something else altogether".

Sarada apologises for what she just did before reactivating her Sharingan once again. She looks through the walls of the house to see if anybody is outside. There isn't anybody there, nobody is about to knock on the door and complain at least. That's not to say that the neighbours didn't hear them, they almost certainly did the way she was shouting just a moment ago.

"I spoke with him but not in his capacity of being my father. I spoke to him in the capacity of being your teacher".

"My teacher?".

"Yeah, I had to ask him some things about you" Boruto explains as his voice softens. "Because your mother, my master, they're… they're not here anymore".

Sarada is silent for a moment, thinking of her deceased parents and what they would think of this relationship. "You asked about me? Why couldn't you have just asked me whatever you wanted to ask?".

"Shh". Boruto demands silence and places a finger on Sarada's lips. "No, I couldn't ask you this. You are the one person I couldn't ask this Sarada".

"However, I do now have something else to ask you. Something very important".

 **The Valley**

Dan's heart starts to race as he searches his body for more reserves of energy. There isn't much left, just a few traces of chakra and a relatively small amount of energy hidden within the stone tablet. It looks like this is the end for him. It seems there is nothing left that he can do. Still, this doesn't stop him from searching through his head for anything he can think of. He is a brilliant shinobi, he must have some way of surviving in his head.

' _If I use the spirit transformation technique I could… no, no, he will kill me before I can possess him'_. Tens of ideas pass through his head, ninja tools, summoning's, substitutions, clones but none of them are good enough. They would be enough to survive against almost any shinobi but definitely not against this man. So, he resorts to the only thing he can. The survival instinct. _'I just need to stall for as much time as humanly possible'_.

Dan raises his hands, creating a pair of fiery phoenix and sending them towards Elliot.

The general makes quick work of the two flaming birds, a single punch with his freezing cold fists is enough to destroy each of them. A small smile comes to his face as he realises that this is it. He has seen plenty of desperate attacks before, the attacks of a man who has run out of ideas, who is running on fumes and a prayer.

Next, Dan fires a high intensity beam of fire towards Elliot but again the attack is unsuccessful. The cold user simply covers his body in a thin layer of his elemental power as he had before. He walks towards the shinobi headmaster, stepping methodically through the flame. He is slowed by the oncoming inferno but isn't stopped. Step-by-step he proceeds, all the way up to Dan's face.

The pale-haired shinobi refuses to give up until the last second. He has been taught that lesson by so many great shinobi, by the best in history, by every Hokage. It seems to be in vain though. As the seconds tick past the beam of fire weakens and his elemental cloak disappears. Another moments delay is all it takes. Then fire stops flowing from his hands altogether.

Dan's body slumps but he remains defiant. With the little power he has left in his body he throws a kick towards his opponent, missing dramatically due to his own lack of energy.

Elliot uses the opening from Dan's kick. He stamps on the back of his leg, crippling him for the foreseeable future. That foreseeable future is sadly short.

"You did well local but it looks like your efforts are in vain" Elliot muses, "Don't worry though, I will reward your hard work. I will spare the children, at least for today".

A laugh escapes Dan's lips in this moment. He has never felt pain like this before but he can still manage a chuckle at the situation.

"Is something amusing to you?".

Dan looks Elliot in the eyes, "You won't win. Not against Tsunade. Not against Naruto. Not against Mirai. And definitely, definitely not against the Hidden Leaf". The shinobi begins to laugh once again.

Elliot joins in with the laughter. A delusional man or so he believes. He stops laughing and places his hands on the shoulders of his beaten and bruised opponent.

A whoosh of wind comes from the distance and the loud scream of a young man. "STOP!".

It is Naruto.

Unfortunately for Dan, Naruto is too late.

Elliot freezes his body solid before stepping back and swinging his leg as hard as he can at the shinobi. Shattering him to pieces.

Kato Dan is dead.

Naruto stops just a few tens of meters past the children, looking into the distance at the general who just killed his friend. He uses the power of the invaders combined with his own chakra to amplify his eyesight. He spots the general flying into the air, his golden cape floating behind him and his immaculately polished number 1 emblazoned on the chest of his military jacket.

Elliot takes in a deep breath, loudening his voice using the power from his stone tablet. "Tell Clyde it's too late now! War is already here!".

Having made his threat, Elliot keeps his word to his fellow warrior. He turns and flies away.

Naruto takes a step forward, meaning to pursue the killer but something stops him. An invisible force. Kurama's voice. _"Naruto, look behind you"._

The 7th Hokage does just that and is horrified when he does. He sees what Mirai saw not too long ago. The terrified faces of children whose lives have been in danger. They may well know that their headmaster has just been killed. From the looks on some of their faces, they are relieved, the hero of the hidden leaf has just come to keep them safe. After that, how could he bring himself to leave them.

Naruto sighs and prevents himself from pursuing the enemy.

"Don't worry everyone, it will be fine now".

The first battle in this war, is there loss.


	83. Destiny Begins to Move

**WAR NEVER ENDS – DESTINY BEGINS TO MOVE**

Boruto takes a deep breath, doing his best to conceal it from Sarada. He looks out through the hole in the wall she has just made, noting that it is a clear and starry night. It is perfect, he had always hoped that it would be this sort of setting when he got to this most crucial part of his life. Naturally, he had also hoped rather that Sarada would be calmer than she is right now but everyone must make small sacrifices, mustn't they?

He looks back from the starry sky and into the eyes of his girlfriend and in his mind's eye there is very little change. To his left, the vast infinite reality of this universe, the sun, the moon, the stars and everything that lies beyond them. To his right, the infinite depth of the eyes of the Uchiha, and something that he can see even without his Byakugan, her unending potential, her ability to change everyone's world for the better.

"You see" Boruto begins with a wry smile, "I didn't tell my father about our relationship directly. I gave that as a backdrop to these questions I wanted to ask him, questions about you".

Boruto smiles as he walks closer to Sarada, ever more assured that she has calmed down. He is still wary though, he knows that he must watch his words. If there is one thing he knows about the last Uchiha, it is that she is very dangerous when she is angry.

"But why would you need to ask him about me" Sarada questions as she looks to the side for a moment before refocusing her attention on Boruto. "You know me probably better than anyone. There is no way that your father could know more about me than you".

"That's not true Sarada, not in some respects". Boruto turns to the side walking backwards and forwards, trying to burn off some nervous energy as he explains his situation. "I have always known you as an ally, Sarada. An ally, a companion, a partner, a loved one, I've known you in so many ways. However, I have never known you in the way he knows you".

"And how does he know me that you do not?".

"He knows what it is like to see you as a junior" the blonde shinobi clarifies. Boruto is the shadow Hokage, a man who almost everyone in the village looks up to, someone who protects the village in the dark but understands the lessons that world teaches cannot be integrated into society. Boruto is a guiding light for most people but one person he has never lead is Sarada, never Sarada.

"He sees you in the same way Konohamaru sensei did" Boruto explains, his voice cracking slightly as he references their deceased teacher. "He knows you in the same way your mother and father did".

The memories that come with the situation are difficult for Boruto. He has become accustomed to loss ever since their world was first invaded but the names he is mentioning now are among the toughest losses for him. His sensei. His master. Lady Sakura, a woman he looked up to.

He finishes. "I've only followed in your wake. I've only seen the path to Hokage that you have created. I have never done what they did, I've never been the one to show you that path".

Sarada pauses for a moment, removes her glasses and rubs her eyes. The memories are just as hard for her, memories of her parents. "That's not true Boruto" she refutes him as she puts her glasses back on. "You have walked beside me on this path. You are my most faithful friend and if it were not for you, I would never have made it to Hokage".

"No, you could have become the Hokage no matter what happened" Boruto modestly replies. It is not simply modesty, it is something he truly believes. "It's because you're amazing. You shine brightly like nobody I have ever seen before. It is because you are Uchiha Sarada".

"Are you trying to flatter your way out of a bad situation?".

"No, not at all. I'm telling you what happened" the shadow Hokage smiles and chuckles to himself. This is the one time he doesn't have to lie. This time he can tell her the truth. "I asked my father how he thought of you. I asked my father, how he thought of me".

"Boruto he thinks the world of you" the red-eyed Hokage explains, as if to reassure her boyfriend, "He's too naïve to do anything else".

"Normally, that would be true" Boruto begins, "But I thought he might be a bit more honest and critical if I asked him in a more important context. I asked him whether I was good enough for you".

"Did he think you were?" Sarada shrugs.

"Yeah" Boruto nods, a smile creeping onto his face, "I think he did". He continues, "It's the first time in a long time when I felt like he could be true to himself. That he could be Uzumaki Naruto and not the hero of the village".

Sarada is still confused about the situation, she doesn't understand the conversation Boruto had. "So, did he… uh… encourage you to pursue a relationship with me" she asks with a slight laugh, "It's not what I was hoping for but I suppose we could pretend…".

"No, no" Boruto joins her in laughing, "No, he didn't say that. He gave me permission to do something more important".

Boruto reaches into his pocket, his eyes darting to the corner of their sockets as he fidgets around trying to find something. "You see, I'm back slightly later than usual because I have been shopping. I've never concentrated on shopping so hard, I promise".

As Boruto pulls a box from his pocket, he lowers himself slowly onto one knee and opens the box for Sarada to see. Inside is a ring, decorated with a beautifully cut jewel as blue as his eyes.

"Uchiha Sarada, will you marry me?".

 **The Valley**

In the valley, things are less serene than in the hidden leaf. A huge group of people trained to go into war, the academy students, the military leader and amongst them all, only one is staying calm, the 7th Hokage.

Every bone in Naruto's body is aching to pursue Elliot. That indifference on his face, he was a long way away but Naruto could still see it, he could feel the lack of empathy and it bugged him. Everything about Elliot, his perfect uniform, his short and efficient haircut, his well-toned body. If he didn't enjoy his job he certainly acted like it. If a job entails killing and you revel in all the death, if you don't even show a hint of regret, Naruto won't be able to stand it. The Hokage can't tolerate it, it goes against his very nature.

The young Hokage understands something though, he is not the same shinobi who fought in the 4th great war anymore, he has a position of responsibility within the village. He is the Hokage. He recalls that when you are the Hokage, everyone in the village is your family, that it is your job to take care of each of them. It's the looks on the children's faces that he cannot abide by most of all. After what they have just seen, after what they have been put through, how could he possibly leave them? So, against his better judgement, Naruto stays.

To calm down he takes a single deep breath, the condensation of the air before him telling of the atmosphere. Even with his benefits of Kurama's chakra and the energy of 'life' he still feels freezing. It is so cold, this place, in all so many ways.

Mirai runs over to Naruto's side and starts looking around frantically. It is a sensation Naruto has seen before, it is the reaction of a terrified soldier. Mirai is searching on the floor, in her mind Dan is still alive, she cannot bring herself to accept his death. This terrifying battle, it has turned her mind, snapped something inside of her.

"Oh god" she says as she remembers that Dan truly is dead, "Oh god, what do we do? Lord 7th, what do we do?".

"I'm sorry Mirai" Naruto offers gently, "There is nothing we can do. He is dead".

"There must be something we can do Mirai" the military leader snaps, her eyes a mixture of rage and terror, "Hey, you have the power of 'life' right? You can save him, can't you? You can bring Dan back to life?".

Naruto shakes his head. "It's impossible. I can't save everyone with this power Mirai. Besides, I don't even have a body to revive, he was smashed into a thousand pieces".

The military leader grabs him by the vest. She is furious, this is a Hokage she grew up with. This is the man who she was always told of as a child. Nothing can hurt the hidden leaf village or its people, not when Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke are here to protect them.

"Hey, you're supposed to be the 7th Hokage aren't you?" she screams in his face, "There is nothing you can't do. You're supposed to be the Hero of the Hidden Leaf". Releasing him she continues through heavy breaths, "You must be able to save him somehow… you must be….".

Just then, Naruto takes hold of Mirai by the shoulders, taking a firm grip and forcing her to look into his eyes. "Mirai, look at me".

She does just that, taking another heavy breath as she looks.

"You need to calm down. Focus! You are a shinobi Mirai and there are children over there". He says this firmly but quietly so the students won't overhear him. "You have to go back to the children and you are not allowed to seem phased when you do it. They need you to be the picture of calm, can you do that Mirai?".

The fury in her eyes dissipate as she remembers what she saw earlier, the same sight he saw, the eyes of the children, their fears. "Yes, Lord 7th, yes, I can do that".

As the two shinobi begin to make their way back towards the children, a man appears nearby, another wearing the uniform of the invading force. This time, the less threatening bronze cape adorns his back and the number three his chest. His shoulder length black hair has small flecks of ice on it, the cold getting to him after only a few moments.

As he looks to the epicentre of the freeze, where Elliot had fought a few moments ago, he is shocked as his gaze drifts leftwards and falls upon someone he recognises. With a gasp, he calls his name, "Uzumaki Naruto…".

"What the hell do you want?" Mirai shouts back.

"Wait" Naruto speaks more quietly than the explosive shinobi, still trying to bring calm to the situation. "I remember you from three years ago. You accompanied us, you brought us to this place, didn't you?".

"That's right" he answers respectfully.

Naruto clicks his fingers as it comes to him. "I remember, it's Captain Dred isn't it?".

"Colonel Dred now" Dred declares as he smiles to himself. "I have been promoted but they didn't have time to find my new uniform".

"You haven't answered my question" Mirai points out, though this time more quietly, "What do you want?".

Dred wastes no time answering, he knows what these two could do to him if he annoyed them too much. "As I'm sure you have seen, a new group has invaded this world, a new wing of our military".

"That man just now, the one with the black hair, the immaculate uniform and the physique" Mirai mutters.

"That was General Elliot" Dred explains. "I could tell someone was fighting him but I dared not get too close. Whoever it was fought valiantly, it was a truly heroic effort".

The 7th Hokage's remind returns to three years ago, he runs through the events of the captained six contest in his head. "That guy who fought against Boruto during the contest, he used poison. He threatened us with something like this, has that threat finally come?".

"Yes".

"I see".

"I feel I should warn you, Uzumaki Naruto" Dred begins, "This was a tough battle and you have my condolences for what I'm sure is a tough loss".

"But if this is all that General Elliot did…".

"… Then there is much worse to come".

 **Near the Hidden Leaf**

Tao Ma, Hashirama's mysterious visitor sits on the branch of a tree just outside the village. The tree is immaculate and very convenient as a vantage point, leading Tao Ma to ponder the possibility that the 1st Hokage himself put it here.

With one hand he runs his fingers through a lock of his long brown hair, with the other he strokes his big busy beard. It's a cold night but the stars light the village for him. It is also, at least here, a quiet night. No birds, no dogs or cats, no cattle, not a soul around for some distance. Tao Ma jokingly ends the silence by whistling a children's tune to himself as he swings his legs back and forward like a child.

Then, he raises his arms and legs into the air in a sudden explosive movement, before laughing to himself, a child on the inside of the world's funniest joke. As his arms move down to cradle his plump stomach, the laughter changes. As the seconds pass he changes from a child into an adult fully aware of what he is doing.

His laugh becomes menacing.

"Senju Hashirama, your proclaiming faith in this village means nothing to me" he begins.

"Senju Hashirama, your saying you will defend this village means nothing to me".

"A village like this, in a situation like this, it is nothing to someone like me".

"This village is but an instant in an endless timeline of events".

"It's about to play a significant part though… yes… yes, very significant".

"Right now, you are here but things have gone rather awry for the village"

"Uzumaki Naruto, he has gone to look after his friend, this is the perfect moment".

Tao Ma drops from the trees, landing with an ungraceful thud as he hits the ground. He brings himself up to his full height and looks down at his tattered and torn clothes before sarcastically dusting them off.

He walks forwards towards the village a few steps before stopping and resuming his conversation with himself. "This village, I'll burn the sight of it into my mind".

"It would be a shame to forget the place where such an amazing thing began".

And from wide-open and frenzied, his eyes change, they shut. The sight of the village has been burned into his mind.

Then he begins to hum, the melodious tune that defines his destiny. "Hm Hmm Hmmm" he hums to himself as he throws his arms out to his side.

He starts quiet and gradually raises the volume and as he does, something happens that shouldn't be possible.

Portals open around him.

As the portals open, figures in long black coats step out. Men with no emotion on their faces, with long black cloaks adorning their bodies and with their eyes fixed to the ground. Step by step, these figures move forwards, forwards from their portals, making way for wave after wave. Together, they move towards the Hidden Leaf village.

As the men move out from the portal, they join Tao Ma in a musical ensemble. Tens, if not hundreds of people, all humming the one tune together. "Hm Hmm Hmmm".

As the last of the men make their way out of the portals, and the rifts between worlds shut, the open-armed Tao Ma slowly opens his eyes, his him interrupted by a crazed cackle as the village of destiny once again fills his eyes.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Senju Hashirama".

"Your village hidden in the leaves is about to get a shock".

"Another cog is about to turn in the machine"

"And destiny will begin to move".


	84. Why are you Here?

**WAR NEVER ENDS – WHY ARE YOU HERE?**

 **Sarada's House**

Silence possess the room. Of all the things to do, Boruto has done this. For so long now, he has avoided speaking to his parents about his relationship, he has vehemently tried to keep it a secret from the entire world. Now, in the quiet broken room, he kneels before Sarada, on one knee, asking the most important question he has ever asked.

"Uchiha Sarada, will you marry me?".

Sarada's head falls into her own hands, overcome with emotion in a moment where everything falls into place for her. After all the hiding, this is what Boruto has to say, this is where they have been going all this time. For a second she allows the feelings to pour out, to overwhelm her. It has been so long since she has felt that she could truly let her guard down in front of someone. For her Boruto is that person.

She removes her glasses to wipe away a single tear before replacing them and raising her head up again. "This is what you were asking my master about?".

"Yes" Boruto smiles, finally reassured that she won't be angry with him.

"Of course" Sarada answers with a gentle shake of her head. She sniffles as the tears continue to pour from her eyes, "Of course I will marry you".

As the couple embrace, time stands still for them. It doesn't matter what the world throws at them now, they have one another. It doesn't matter if the all the heavens and the earth overheard their discussion. This moment is an alleviation of all their fears, of all their worries.

The silence is disrupted when the door flies open off of its hinges. In comes the first person to see them in this regard, the first person to see them as a couple. It's Himawari, Boruto's sister, Sarada's future sister-in-law.

Initially, Sarada moves to separate from Boruto. It is a force of habit from spending so much time together but always going to great lengths to not be seen. Boruto clings to Sarada tightly, reminding her that they don't need to be afraid anymore, that they will never need to worry about these things again.

"Himawari" he says with a smile on his face.

"Brother" she replies, "Sarada". Her breath is ragged, she has run all the way here in a great hurry.

"So dad told you about us, right?" Boruto asks as he gestures between himself and his new fiancée. "She said yes, we're going to get married".

"Congratulations" Himawari replies snappily, "But we have bigger issues than your love life right now, Lord Shadow 9th".

As soon as Himawari begins to use titles, Boruto and Sarada know that something is wrong, something is very wrong. She habitually refers to them by their names, or as her brother/friend.

"Bigger issues?" Sarada says as she separates from Boruto and mentally prepares herself for any potential danger.

"A group of people have arrived in long black coats" Himawari explains. "They have the village completely surrounded".

"Who are they?" her brother questions.

"I have no idea but I can only assume one thing" she continues, "They are from their world".

Just as Sarada thought this was going to be one of the best days of her life it looks like her village is going to be hit with a crisis. She knows that she has a duty though and refuses to neglect it even in these circumstances. She runs to the wall and picks up a kunai and her Hokage's haori.

"Boruto, get your weapons ready, we may need them" she yells as she runs out of the door.

"Yes" the shadow Hokage accepts his order and activates his byakugan, scanning for any kunai that he has left scattered around the house. He had hoped to be relaxing in this moment, sharing his day's story with Sarada or maybe even telling his family that she had said yes. Instead here he is, preparing to defend the village again.

"Brother, you've only just got engaged" Himawari reminds him, "Don't let anything happen to her, OK".

"Of course" he picks up the last kunai he can find before making for the exit. "I'm not only her fiancé, I'm also her Shadow Hokage, right?".

As he leaves the house, Himawari smiles, he moves so quickly, so efficiently and doesn't hold back from his duty. When the village is in danger, he throws himself against the threat, just like their father always did. "That's right" she whispers, as if the wind will carry her words to her brother, "Go, Boruto".

 **At the Village Walls**

A few cautious shinobi stare at the visitors, their weapons drawn as they hold their ground on the village walls. They have no authority, no great power, they are just the first responders to this incident. What are they supposed to do, in the past these threats have been tackled by military leaders, by Hokage and Shadow Hokage, by heroes. What can they possibly do against people from the other world.

Just as they are feeling lost, someone arrives to help them. Nara Shikamaru, someone who has led shinobi in war before, has come.

"What's going on? Who are these people?" he asks.

"We don't know sir" one of the shinobi answers. "They just came, seemingly out of nowhere. They don't look like they have had a long journey. They've brought no resources, they arrived as if they had just taken a short walk".

The other is less calm than her friend. "He died" she explains about their comrade. "He went down to speak to them, to ask them what they wanted but they killed him".

Shikamaru nods. "They haven't attacked you guys, have tried speaking to them".

"We haven't dared".

"Hey, you" Shikamaru bravely shouts to the warriors below, "What do you want, why have you come here?".

They do not answer.

Shikamaru is dumbfounded for a moment, his eyes fixed firmly on these newcomers as he ponders all the possible reasons for their being here. They have no problem with you speaking to them unless you try to approach them. _'Unless you try to approach them, why would they have a problem with that?'_ Shikamaru asks himself. _'It makes no sense, if they were afraid of proximity they wouldn't be here in the first place'_.

A screaming shinobi interrupts his thoughts, jumping from the wall as she screams something about killing her husband. Shikamaru quickly realises that she must be the wife of the deceased shinobi and then he realises why they are here.

"WAIT" he shouts at the screaming shinobi but it is no use.

She is incensed, she is beyond reasoning with. As she leaps down to attack the black coated warriors, she is defeated instantly, not even getting in an attack of her own.

Shikamaru grits his teeth as he hears another good person die. "They're not here to attack us" he explains, "They're here to keep us in".

"But why?" the first shinobi asks him, "Why bother with us?".

"That's what I want to know".

 **Atop the Hokage Monument**

The stone faces are now a monument to far more than the Hokage who have saved this village, they are a monument to the resilience of the village itself. They were destroyed previously by bomb detonated under the village. Ironically in the years long war, it is not the enemy that destroyed the stone monument but a Hokage, Sarutobi Konohamaru. With the time that the 8th Hokage bought the villagers that day, they have clawed their way back from the edge of defeat. They have risen so high again that they have been able to rebuild these stone faces again.

Sarutobi Konohamaru is no longer here. He is dead. One Hokage who is still here though, is Senju Hashirama. He stands atop his own stone face as he looks down on the ring of steel that has surrounded his village. With Naruto gone, defending this village is his chief priority, or so many believed it would be. After all the threats that Tao Ma made to him, after all the talk of death and destruction, they are not attacking, they are just stopping people from leaving.

' _So you've come'_ Hashirama notes to himself. _'Mito, it looks like a disaster has come to the village at last'_.

' _Tao Ma, it doesn't matter what threats you make, it doesn't matter how strong you are'_ he explains in his mind, _'I am the 1_ _st_ _Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village'_.

"And I won't let you harm my village".

With those final words, he disappears.

 **Atop a Tall Building**

This is the tallest building in the entire village, a perfect vantage point for sensory shinobi. Two mighty warriors have naturally gravitated to this point, the 9th generation of the villages leaders. Sarada and Boruto.

On one side is the only man to have ever unlocked the Tenseigan naturally. With his enhanced eye activated he scans the village for any sign of activity. Surely these people have not come here just to keep them inside the village walls, that would be a futile and pointless exercise.

On the other side is the last Uchiha. One of three Uchiha to have mastered the use of the rinnegan. Her eyes dart to and thro between any and all movement that she sees. Her vision isn't as all-encompassing as her partners but it is better for detecting specific things, locking in on motion or chakra patterns as soon as they occur. She too is contemplating how this situation has arisen, given that Naruto left the village earlier, surely the timing of this incident is no coincidence. Surely, they cannot wait forever to carry out their plan.

"Martin warned us three years ago that others would be coming for General Clyde" Boruto recalls, "Could this be them?".

"I thought Martin might have connections within their military" Sarada postulates. "It looked like was entitled to his position within it, that he received no shortage of favours".

"That's true" Boruto nods.

There are two sort of people born into the right place in this world. There are those who take full advantage of their situation, who grasp at every unfair advantage they are given, Martin is such a person. Then there are people like Sarada and Boruto. Born to the Shadow 7th Hokage and 7th Hokage respectively, they didn't take advantage of their names. They saw their names as a marker, something they had to surpass to consider themselves successful.

"These people don't look like they come from the military" Sarada notes, her rinnegan fixing on a couple of warriors near the village gates. "Their uniform is nothing like Clyde's group".

"Then who do you they could be?".

"I have no idea".

THUD.

THUD.

A heavy landing. Two feet one after the other, as if a giant was stepping behind them. Someone has landed behind the 9th generation leaders.

The landing isn't unaccompanied, the second the feet of the intruder touch down, two pieces of debris fly squarely towards the rear of the duo's heads. The speed of the debris isn't natural, the sort of speed that could only be achieved by a Hokage or someone even mightier using their full power and this intruder has managed it just by landing.

Sarada and Boruto are not normal, even by the incredible standards of the Hokage, they are some of the strongest people to have ever graced this world. At the last second, their visual powers do not let them down, they wait until the debris is about to hit their skulls before spinning on their heels, perfectly dodging the incoming projectile. As they turn, they both draw kunai to their hands and for the first-time lay eyes on their assailant.

They don't know this man but have been very near to him previously.

This is Tao Ma.

Tao Ma smiles as his head moves to the left and then to the right, looking between two of the most gifted children of the village.

"Be careful Boruto" Sarada instructs her Shadow Hokage, "This one looks different from the others".

She is not incorrect, the warriors surrounding the village have set a low standard for tidiness and cleanliness but this man is even worse. His unkempt appearance is hard to appreciate given his absurd display of strength from moments prior. Anyone with that sort of strength would be able to live like a king in any society.

"It's not just his appearance" Boruto remarks as he winces, "I feel… I feel something unusual… some strange energy flowing from him".

"Strange energy?" Sarada is surprised. She cannot feel any such energy flowing from this man.

"I don't know but watch out, he's dangerous, very dangerous".

"Yeah".

Tao Ma slowly raises his hand, his long-dishevelled hair rolling up his arm and over his shoulder as he does so. When his arm is parallel to the ground, he extends a solitary finger and points it at Sarada. With a light chuckle he unleashes his power, changing the lives of everyone in the village forever.

A grey substance pours from his body.

Both Sarada and Boruto's eyes widen as terror overcomes their body. It's not the power of the substance that intimidates them, it's the sensation that radiates from it. It's like coming face to face with the end of the world.

Both the Hokage and Shadow Hokage leap backwards to the very edge of the building, creating as much separation between themselves and their opponent as possible.

Clearly unthreatened by this but much to the duos relief, Tao Ma recalls the substance into his body.

"That stuff… Sarada, no matter what, don't let it hit you, it's dangerous" Boruto shouts.

"Boruto, don't you recognise it" she asks.

"Huh?".

"Perhaps you are the only one who has not felt this fear before but that substance strikes a very familiar fear into me" the Hokage explains.

"Boruto, that's the same stuff that pours from your body".

The Uzumaki thinks on this for less than a second before realising it is true. It is the same substance that pours from his body, that he confided in his father about. The same thing that nearly killed Sarada. The same thing which has made him go through agony for years.

Tao Ma chuckles again, watching as Boruto wears his full range of emotions on his face sequentially.

' _This guy is too dangerous'_ Sarada realises, _'Master… where are you… hurry back'_.

As Tao Ma takes a single step forwards, Boruto freezes in fear. This ailment of his has been lurking in the background of his life for three years now. The last time it truly influenced him was in the Captained Six contest when it almost killed Sarada. As time has passed the rate at which he suffers attacks has declined to the point where he had hoped that this part of his life was behind him. Now it looks like the opposite is true, it looks like this substance is about to take hold of his life again.

"Boruto, stay focused" the Hokage orders, "We're at a huge disadvantage here so you absolutely can't hold back".

Boruto gulps down a mouthful of saliva before raising his kunai once again. "Yes".

Tao Ma lowers his centre of gravity in preparation to dash towards the 9th generation duo. As his legs bend to propel him, one last bastion of hope arrives.

Landing between Tao Ma and the duo, it's Senju Hashirama.

"I won't let you hurt these two" Hashirama declares as he throws a punch towards Tao Ma.

As the punch connects, Sarada and Boruto are forced to close their eyes. The force of the air against their bodies is tremendous, enough to stun even people as powerful as their selves. Despite their eyes being closed they can tell from the surrounding environment the effect of that single blow, glass shatters on the building behind Hashirama, such is the ferocity of his attack and the movement of the air that it resulted in.

As they open their eyes once again, their hearts sink, Tao Ma caught that punch.

Hashirama is unperturbed, throwing several punches in retaliation as fast as he can. Tao Ma isn't truly hurt by the punches but he is put into a state where he cannot dodge any of them, instead he is forced to block.

In this moment Sarada realises that Hashirama was not boasting to her during their training session. If not for Naruto's power of 'life', the 1st Hokage truly could defeat him.

' _This power is incredible_ ' Boruto notes as debris flies past his head, _'The pressure from each and every blow. I thought I was catching up to my master but I knew nothing'_.

' _His strength is ridiculous'_.

The 1st Hokage notices that he has his opponent on the defence and he notices his muscles relax slightly. Tao Ma is lacking for technical experience when compared to Hashirama, or so it seems. He has slipped into a defensive routine.

Hashirama takes this golden opportunity and uses it to create a single wood clone. He follows up immediately by slamming his arms into Tao Ma's as hard as he can. A chakra enhanced strength unrivalled throughout history, even Tao Ma is unable to keep his arms together as Hashirama slams his fists into them. Instead the fly out to his sides, leaving his core wide open.

Hashirama's wood clone steps into this opening and throws a punch towards the now open chest of Tao Ma.

This strategy doesn't work.

Tao Ma coats his hand in the grey substance, the same grey substance that has haunted Hashirama's student for years. He thrusts his hand straight through the chest of the clone but he doesn't stop there. As the clone disappears he continue to push his hand forward.

He pushes his greyed hand straight through the clone into the original Hashirama's chest.

The grey substance grows from Tao Ma's hand, circulating around the body of his latest victim. Semblances of the substance emerge from Hashirama's limbs, through the back of his head and even through his eyes and ears.

As Tao Ma pulls his hand from the wood users chest, he falls down.

Sarada and Boruto are forced to witness a sight that spells calamity for the leaf.

They are forced to watch a prophecy come true.

They are forced to watch Senju Hashirama, die.

"Master…" Boruto whispers as he watches the corpse of his mentor fall to the ground.

Tao Ma once again proceeds to walk towards them.

"Stay focused Boruto!" Sarada shouts at the top of her lungs, "We have to protect the leaf".

Tao Ma laughs this thinking off, "I am not here for the Hidden Leaf Village" he proclaims.

"Bastard, then what are you here for?" Sarada asks.

Tao Ma raises his finger and points it in the direction of destiny.

"I am here…".

"… for Uzumaki Boruto".


	85. From bad to Worse

**WAR NEVER ENDS – FROM BAD TO WORSE**

 **Atop the Roof**

Sarada doesn't know what do with herself, a wave of emotions pass through her, from realisation to resentment all within a second. This man who has dropped out of the sky, who has emerged from nothingness has put fear into her entire village. That alone wasn't enough though, he had to target the one person that she absolutely wouldn't tolerate. She grits her teeth. _'As if…'_.

Tao Ma's eyes fix on Boruto for a moment, before switching to the left and fixing on her. His pupil's move back and forward in an inhuman manor. He's completely crazy but in spite of his mannerisms he seems to have his wits about him. This is perhaps what is meant by an evil genius.

' _After all that has happened…'_. Sarada's mind is filled with images of the dead. Of her sensei and of her parents, of the Naruto from the present day, of Hashirama who had given his life to protect them. _'After losing so many people in this life of mine, I won't lose Boruto too'_.

"No matter what" she declares aloud, "I'm not going to let you take him. I would never let you take him, not Boruto".

A cackle, a menacing cackle, Tao Ma is at it again.

"You won't be able to stop me".

He slowly lifts his hand, the wispy grey substance stemming from his fingertip once again, this time heading for Sarada.

The 9th Hokage has seen what this can do, she has witnessed this power being used to kill Hashirama and knows that she cannot stand up to it herself. In a way nothing has changed, she is still just as weak as when Boruto almost killed her. She throws her body sideways, not hesitating in the least against such a mighty opponent.

As Sarada's sideways momentum continues, her eyes widen to even wider widths. Her rinnegan tracks Tao Ma as he dashes towards his catch of the day. The pace with which he approaches Boruto is enough to strain even the rinnegan. People shouldn't be able to move this quickly.

' _Fast'_ Sarada notes.

Before the 9th Hokage can land, there is nothing she can do without risk of hitting Boruto. This man is just too fast.

Tao Ma brings his hand back before slamming it into the Shadow Hokage's gut.

As the blow hits the blonde shinobi, the air is expelled from his lungs. He slumps, inconveniently straight into the grasp of his enemy, of Tao Ma.

Tao Ma was, of course, aiming for this, his sloppy appearance not reflecting in the quality of his work. As he feels the Uzumaki slump into his shoulder he grins wildly at Sarada before taking a run and leap to the next building.

He is running away with Boruto.

Sarada won't allow this. Not after everything she has been through. She knows that Tao Ma is faster than her but she is a shinobi, she must have more tricks up her sleeve than he does. Additionally, the untidy assailant is carrying a man on his back, there will be a notable reduction in speed.

She pursues them towards the edge of the Hidden Leaf Village. As the walls come ever closer a deathly grip tightens around the heart of the last Uchiha. Every second that passes, the situation is getting worse. Boruto's condition is not much better. While he is starting to regain some feeling in his muscles that punch was something else. Never has he experienced such debilitation from a single attack before.

As Tao Ma leaps from one rooftop to the next, a lightbulb illuminates in the brain of the Hokage, a plan that Boruto will instantly understand and cooperate with. She pulls a kunai from her back pocket and throws it to her partner.

The Uzumaki clansmen catches the kunai before quickly infusing it with some chakra and throwing it skilfully into the air ahead of them. This is not a plan that Tao Ma could possibly see through, even if he knew of their abilities. This is a plan that can only be executed by partners who are perfectly in sync with one another. In Tao Ma's brain, this kunai is clearly going to miss.

Sarada makes use of her unique rinnegan powers, increasing the gravity experienced by the kunai enormously.

As it falls rapidly down towards Tao Ma the plan comes full circle. As it stands, such an attack won't do much damage, not to a man as fearsome as this. However, Boruto took that into account, with a quick burst of chakra and a solitary hand sign, the kunai transforms into a flying rasengan, a power he first used to save the newly arriving historic Hokage.

Just as it looks like Tao Ma has not noticed the incoming attack, he stops, allowing the rasengan to drop down before his face. He must remove their hope, otherwise they will continue to pester him. He creates a mass of grey energy in the shape of a hand and destroys the rasengan with it.

Far from destroying their hope, he just enhanced it. The grey energy created a blind spot, a shinobi as talented as Uchiha Sarada was never going to miss that. She flies at him from the former blind spot, now he has no energy to defend himself, she can get a direct hit.

While at first this appears to the Hokage as an opportunity, that is more false hope. As she approaches Tao Ma he swings his fist violently through her chest. The moment he does it, he can feel that something isn't right, this isn't Sarada. With a poof of smoke, the shinobi's ploy is revealed, that was a clone.

As Tao Ma casually jumps to the next roof, Sarada dashes from one end of a roof to the other, leaping as hard as she can to catch up to her fiancé and his captor.

' _I won't reach him like this'_ she tells herself as she stretches her hand forward as far as she can, _'Come on Boruto, stretch!'_.

Inspiration hits Sarada, she can control gravity. She exerts her influence, using gravity to pull Boruto in her direction as hard as she can. He follows suit, using the attraction powers of his Tenseigan to pull Sarada towards him.

Both 9th generation leaders use their full power.  
Both 9th generation leaders stretch as far as the can.  
Both 9th generation leaders reach with their fingertips.

They come within an inch of one another before Tao Ma lands and pulls away from Sarada.

With this landing, he is now outside of the village.

' _No, no, no, no'_ Sarada screams in her head, there is no way she can beat him in a foot race, try as she does.

As they get further into the country and away from the hidden leaf, hope starts to dwindle for Sarada. Her despair peaks as she spots Tao Ma's destination, a group of black caped warriors, dressed like those surrounding the village and humming a universal tune.

"Hm Hmm Hmmm".

The raven haired kunoichi draws her final kunai, "You can't take him!" she screams as she launches the weapon in Tao Ma's direction.

The kunai bears down on the captors back and just as it seems it will hit him, he disappears, along with all his followers. A portal appeared to take them away from this place.

More importantly, they took Boruto with them.

"No way…" Sarada murmurs.

Boruto is gone!

 **The Hidden Leaf Village**

Tobirama and Kakashi are stood together on what looks like an average street in the revamped village hidden amongst the leaves. This however, is the closest vantage point that Kakashi could find. The slight incline of the street may not look like much to the average Joe but the slight incline is enough to observe most of the village when combined with Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan.

While Kakashi scours the village for action with his Sharingan, Tobirama stands arms crossed and waits for a report. "What do you see Kakashi?".

"They definitely aren't normal" Kakashi remarks of the newcomers, stood outside the village but not attacking. "I wouldn't say they are from this world but…".

"But?".

"They don't look like anyone we have seen from Clyde's world either".

Kakashi's correct in his observations. While this group maintains a common appearance, it is not so regimental nor so immaculate as the uniforms kept by Clyde and his followers. They all wear black, with either a cloak or cape dangling from their back but other than that their clothing differs. Different sock heights, different types of trousers, different shoes, some not wearing shoes at all. If this is supposed to be a uniform it is not enforced very strongly.

With a flash of gold, the 4th Hokage, Namikaze Minato arrives. "Kakashi, what are we dealing with here?".

"I honestly don't know Minato sensei" the 6th Hokage answers as he relaxes his shoulders slightly. He is more comfortable with Minato here. How could anyone not be more comfortable with Minato here? The 4th Hokage's laid back nature and cheerful demeanour are qualities he purposefully invests himself in to keep people calm. "These people are strange" Kakashi continues, "They are unlike anyone we have seen before".

Two more members of the circle approach, running as fast as they can, Shinki and Tsunade.

"Here you guys are…" Shinki skids to a halt and looks in the same direction as the others. Clearly the newcomers haven't opened hostilities, yet.

"Have you seen my grandfather anywhere?" Tsunade asks.

"I don't know where my brother is but he doesn't seem to be within range" Tobirama notes as he taps the floor with his fingerer, "I can't teleport to him with the flying thunder god".

"Neither can I" Minato declares with a shake of his head.

Hiruzen is the next to arrive, knowing in the back of his head that it is best they all be together should any important decisions need to be made. "I can't sense Lord Hashirama's chakra anywhere".

"What has happened here?" Shinki shrugs to nobody in particular as he takes a few steps towards the village walls. "They are just stood around the village, doing nothing".

"They don't seem to pose any immediate threat" Tobirama explains the deductions he has made from Kakashi's observations, his eyes still fixed to the village walls, "It's like they aren't here to attack. It's like they are here to stop us from leaving".

"I still don't like it though". Tsunade paces back and forward. "Their presence here is menacing and uncomforting". The people of the Hidden Leaf Village are truly in the mouth of a lion, waiting to see whether the big cat is still hungry or not.

"Keep an eye on them Kakashi".

"I will, but I feel I should address another issue here" the silver-haired Hokage announces, "Did any of you guys see the pursuit across the rooftops".

"Pursuit over the rooftops" Tobirama starts, his gaze shifting for the first time as his arms drop to his sides, "You didn't say anything at the time".

"I had only just got here and nobody else had arrived" Kakashi recalls the series of events, "I had only just got here and I could barely follow it with my eyes. Someone had Boruto though, someone was carrying him out of the village".

"Boruto?" Minato steps forward.

"Sarada was chasing after them" Kakashi looks over his shoulder at his teacher, "I haven't noticed them returning since".

"Shouldn't one of us go after Boruto?" Shinki questions.

"No" Tobirama, perhaps the most tactically aware amongst the group, refutes this suggestion. "Sarada is already pursuing him, if she can't handle it there is no way that we can".

"But if we all worked together…".

"Calm down Shinki" Tobirama barks, "You are the 2nd Hokage".

"Boruto is the shadow Hokage, even if Sarada weren't with him, he can handle himself". Hiruzen explains this and places a hand on the shoulder of his sand counterpart, "In this dire situation it is our responsibility to protect the village, understood?".

Shinki removes all other thoughts from his head. Of course. His duty is what it always has been. Protect the village. "Yes, Lord 3rd".

"That goes for all of us" Tobirama says as he points around the group, "Boruto is a friend to all of us and even a relative to some but our first responsibility is as the Kage of this village. We protect it until the end".

All of them nod. They understand how important their job is. They all accepted it after all.

The following silence is broken by Kakashi, "Something is about to happen" he declares as he stares at those on the other side of the wall like a miser at a valuable golden coin. "They're starting to hum".

They are doing just that. Each of them mimicking Tao Ma's movements from when they first arrived. Each of them spread their arms wide, as if welcoming an incoming sunset or a long-lost child. Gradually, the humming increases in volume, penetrating so far into the village that even the most central of civilians can hear it.

"Hm Hmm Hmmm".

It's enough to reduce some children to tears. While the tune itself doesn't contain any sort of menace, the connotations of it are intimidating. It clearly links with a power or a ritual, something beyond their comprehension, something beyond even the Hokage. The villagers have seen too much power already, they have already experienced too much terror and this only builds on it.

One of the warriors in a black cape places his arms down by his side before slowly, systematically raising his arm from his hip, inch by inch. His hand a closed fist, raises further into the air, until his arm rests at a forty-five-degree angle.

That warrior, opens his fist!

As his fist opens a wave of sound storms over the Hidden Leaf.

VROOM!

A rushing sound.

With that sound, the warriors are gone.

"They're gone" Kakashi declares confidently.

"All of them?".

"As far as I can see" the 6th Hokage nods, "Every last one of them is gone".

"Minato, your close with the Hyuuga clan, can you arrange a search" Hiruzen questions his successor.

"Yes, I will ask them to search the entire village. I'm sure that nothing can slip through their net".

Just as the golden flash is about to disappear, a hand grabs his wrist. His student's hand.

"Wait" Kakashi orders, his eyes now pointing to the distant sky.

"Have you spotted something Kakashi?" Tsunade asks fearfully.

"… it's a General".

A woman arrives, flying high above the hidden leaf. For some of the older villagers it brings back terrible memories, not of the invasion from recent years but of another from many years ago. The invasion of Pain. This General is floating high above the village just like he did so many years ago. Back then it was Uzumaki Naruto who saved them when he earned the title 'Hero of the Hidden Leaf'. Unfortunately, Naruto is not here now, the situation is perhaps more desperate than even back then.

This General has a plan look about her. She is slightly below average height with a near-permanent judgemental look on her face. Her well-kept blonde hair comes down to the tops of her shoulder blades. Her uniform is tidy but not as immaculate as Elliot's, her sleeves slightly too long for her short arms. Appearing in her early thirties, her green eyes are alive with the light of her emotions as she lays eyes on the village she has come to see specially.

"So, this is the establishment the monkeys have formed" she snorts, "Pathetic. Clyde, you have allowed them to become pathetic".

She looks around the various facilities of the village and sneers. This is not up to her luxurious standards. Even as part of the military where she is often subject to battle and conflict, she is used to more comfort than a place like this can provide.

"You have allowed these people to stagnate" she declares disdainfully, "That will be your undoing Clyde, that will be your undoing".

"Damn" Minato curses, "This is the worst".

"The situation isn't that bad" Tsunade counters, "We are all stronger than we were during the contest. As far as we can tell, she is only a normal General, any of those four could put up a fight against her".

"Those for, you seem to be forgetting something Tsunade" Hiruzen says.

"Sarada pursued someone out of the village" Shinki recalls, "Boruto was being carried by that same someone. He was taken out of the village".

"I can't find my brother" Tobirama adds as he once again places a finger on the ground and searches for Hashirama. He still has no luck. "I can't even sense his presence, I have no idea where he has gone".

"Then there is the worst thing of all. Naruto is not here" Minato finishes.

"We're being attacked at the worst possible moment" Hiruzen claims.

Kakashi stares at the village doom floating overhead and does what Sakura did the last time the leaf was in this situation. Calls to Naruto.

' _This is bad, where are you Naruto?'_.

' _The village needs you…'_.

' _Naruto!'_.


	86. The fun Begins

**WAR NEVER ENDS – THE FUN BEGINS**

 **The Hidden Leaf Village**

A deathly silence descends upon the village. Even the regular civilians can see the impending threat hovering above the village. A trailing cape of gold fluttering on the back of a flying woman. This could only be a general. It is however, not the same general they have fought against before, this is a new development. The shinobi who travelled to watch the captained six contest are especially stunned. They are the only ones whom have ever seen a general fight and lived. If someone like this chose to destroy the village, what would they be able to do about it?

"I don't suppose that any of you have a plan to defeat a general" Shinki asks as he looks to his fellow Kage. He is the only one amongst them who has not seen a general defeated. In his mind they are still invincible overlords, bringing death and destruction with them everywhere the go. In his mind, the Hidden Leaf has just been condemned to the same fate as his own village.

"Of course not" Tsunade snaps in reply. It seems that the situation is just what she had always feared. A great threat has come to village and she is not strong enough to stop it. "How are we supposed to fight against someone like that?".

Hiruzen is the most experienced amongst the Hokage, he takes his moment to tell them what they have always known. "There is only one way that we can fight against a foe like this".

All his comrades look in his direction, like children at a parent.

"It is something that all of those four know very well. It is a lesson that we must take to heart now". The others all know the four that he speaks of, of Naruto and Hashirama, of Sarada and Boruto. "We must never give up".

Shinki is heartened by Naruto's mantra, filled with an unexplainable sense that they will pull through this.

"We can't attack first, we must only retaliate if provoked" Tobirama declares, bringing the conversation away from a sentimental tone and into a more practical domain. "If we are lucky, General Clyde will be friendly with this general, perhaps she won't attack the village".

The general in question is General Georgia. A general with a fearsome but selfish reputation. She is disliked almost universally by her subordinates, enjoying a life of comfort while they do all the work. She has worked hard all her life to obtain a status like this, a status where she is able to act how she wants without impediment.

Normally General Georgia wouldn't bother with a small job like this, there is no way that she would run to a local village in the middle of nowhere and bother with less than formidable foes. However, this is a very special case for her, a very personal case.

With a smile she raises her hand into the air, a ball of energy forming in her hand similarly to the formation of a tailed beast ball.

Mauve energy.

Poison.

"This feeling is very familiar" Minato remarks as a shiver travels down his spine. "It's the same power I was hit with before. It's Martin's power".

"I remember this terrifying poison". A cold bead of sweat rolls down Tsunade's back as her memories of that day return. Her grandfather had been awake for days on end, healing Minato constantly. When he passed out she had tried to hold the poison at bay but couldn't do it. For a poison to overcome a medic of her abilities is truly frightening. "In the end I couldn't cure it, only Naruto could".

"We can't let this poison hit the village". Tobirama imagines a terrifying scenario in his head, a village full of poisoned villagers. If a colonel using this poison could almost kill Minato, a general would kill the villagers instantly. "Minato, no matter where she throws it, we must teleport it away using the flying thunder god technique".

This technique is the 4th Hokage's specialty. "I've got it" he declares as he readies an array of kunai. He has defended the village from attacks like this in the past, he is determined to do so again now.

As Georgia throws the ball of poison down towards the village, a glint of satisfaction shines in her eye. She is satisfied, she has waited for this moment.

Minato throws both his arms outwards, skilfully and perfectly tossing the kunai to surround the poisonous attack. Together with Tobirama, it will be simple to teleport this away.

Then Georgia's attack changes. The General clicks her fingers. Her perfectly whitened teeth showing as she grins at the villagers down below. Scared. Intimidated. Horrified. _'Farewell, monkeys'_.

The massive ball of mauve spreads out, changing form into a net, covering the entire village.

"No way" Minato starts.

Tobirama is just as alarmed. "We can't possibly stop something like that, there's no chance".

The 4th Hokage quickly calms himself and gathers the invaders' power on his hands. His element is wind. The howling of wind sounds as more and more energy gathers on his hands. "In that case we will have to push it back with force".

"There is no way we will be able to do that?" Tsunade admits as a look of hopelessness enters her eyes.

"We at least have to try". Kakashi follows his sensei's example, gathering what power he can to his hands.

Lightning. His element is lightning.

First a few crackling bolts of energy. The energy in his hands quickly grows to a much greater level. A level great enough such that the coverage of the lightning exceeds the size of a chidori.

BOOM!

The struggling Kage are woken up by the sound of a thunderbolt.

An enormous bolt of lightning descends from the sky, destroying the net of poison in a single tremendous blow.

Once more silence descends on the leaf.

After a moment, Minato turns to his student with surprise all over his face. "Kakashi, did you…".

"No, that wasn't me" Kakashi admits.

A voice splinters the silence of the village below. Another voice.

"General Georgia!" the voice comes.

Georgia looks left and right, up and down but cannot find the source of this masculine voice.

"It's been so long since we last saw each other, in that time you have truly become a bully" the voice continues.

Tobirama feels he recalls something. _'This voice, it seems awfully familiar…'_.

BOOM!

Once again, the sound of thunder overawes the village. This time accompanied by a streak of lightning from the village itself, up into the sky just opposite Georgia. The lightning bolt then stops, right in front of her. It slowly begins to transform, from the elemental power of lightning into the form of a man.

His short silver haired and scarred face are a distinctive reminder to the Hokage. They have seen this man before. They have battled him before.

"It seems we have made contact at last".

Tobirama realises where he has heard this voice before.

It is the voice of Colonel Peterson.

Peterson cracks his knuckles and grins at General Georgia.

"Now" he proclaims, "The fun can begin".

Georgia's expression coveys her anger, the twitching of her lips showing her temptation to berate this man before her. Never has she had to endure such disrespect from a colonel before. Just who does this man think that he is. She is not used to hiding how she feels, though, in the face of the enemy, she wants to appear calmer and more collected than this. She takes herself in hand, she needs to be more sensible than this, using her full power to overcome this situation would be a true waste of her abilities.

She lifts her hand to the side of her head, twirling a small lock of her perfectly kept blonde hair. She looks Peterson over, checking that she hasn't missed anything about him, that nothing is out of place. His cape is silver and his uniform has the number 2 emblazoned on it. His insignia and his uniform's age suggest that he is under General Clyde's command. Nothing is out of place.

"Hmm, you are quite strong" Georgia finally remarks while she looks down her nose at Peterson, "That last feat showed that you have remarkable strength, you are nothing like the monkeys down below".

"I'm flattered" Peterson sarcastically notes.

"Who are you" the General snaps, "A colonel?".

Peterson keeps his sarcastic smile as he points to his rank and cape. "A number 2 on my jacket, a cloak of silver and you believe me to be a colonel? General Georgia, your eyesight is as good as ever".

"Watch who you are talking to peasant" Georgia shouts as she rudely points her finger towards Peterson. "I'm a general and you are but a measly colonel. Your face is already ugly and scarred but I am sure nobody will care if I add a few of my own".

"Oh?".

"Nobody concerns themselves with their colonels enough to notice" Georgia arrogantly grins as she flicks her hair backwards and eyes Peterson, "Except perhaps, General Clyde?".

"Of course" Peterson ascents with a nod, "Our general is the best in the entire military".

Peterson's approval for Clyde's leadership was not born of slavish obedience nor of bad experiences in the past. Clyde has done a great deal to help him, whether it be training or personally. This is not only true for him, it is true for all the colonels under Clyde's command, there had never been any complaints, until one Colonel Martin came along. Clyde enforced his subordinates' faith in him during the captained six contest, even pleading with Uzumaki Naruto for their lives while he faced death himself.

"I remember you now" Georgia narrows her eyes and casts her mind back, she has seen this man before. "Yes, you were one of Martin's fellow colonels, you serve under General Clyde. Your name… Peterson".

Peterson bows ironically. "I am flattered that someone with such a high status can be bothered to remember me".

"HA". The poisonous General laughs as she throws her head back. "Don't kid yourself, I spend no effort remembering you, it is simply coincidence".

"Hopefully you will remember me after today".

Georgia snorts. "I know you are not as academically capable as myself so I am going to make this easy for you to understand. Even if you are to ally with the locals, even if Clyde were as strong as Lara you still couldn't win".

She continues, "You are destined to die here, no matter what you do".

Peterson's head tilts to the side slightly as his smile greatly decreases in size. It is still detectable though, he's the only one here with inside information. The subjects of his gaze are gathered on an unremarkable street, looking up at the sky above.

"You are still underestimating the locals" Peterson explains.

"You will insist on helping the monkeys?" Georgia growls.

The silver-haired colonel redirects his attention away from the locals and back to their assailant. "Yes, I will".

General Georgia quickly activates her golden poison cloak. A golden cloak, it is a power-enhancer which only those who have reached the rank of general can use. It represents the pinnacle of understanding in the studies of a single element. That is to say that Georgia can use the power of the element 'poison' to the very highest level possible. She wafts her hand towards Peterson sending a small scattershot attack in his direction.

Colonel Peterson is quick to retaliate, he gathers lightning on his hand and swings it at the incoming poison attacks. As his cloak slowly starts to appear, the poison attack hits, engulfing him in a globe of purple.

"Peterson…". Tobirama feels helpless.

"Damn, he's fighting for us" Minato grinds his teeth.

Tsunade snaps them from their regretful thoughts. "Look…".

Peterson emerges from the attack mostly unharmed.

His cloak is finally up.

A golden lightning cloak!

' _A golden cloak'_ General Georgia starts. _'Impossible, he's a colonel, there is no way he…'_. She suddenly understands, "Peterson, you're…".

"Did you think that it was a mere coincidence that I was able to stop that last attack" he asks as he flashes a cheeky smile to his opponent, "Your eyes are not failing you General Georgia, your worst nightmare has come true. I have understood the final stage of lightning".

Georgia coats her hand in the poisonous energy and Peterson reacts like a shot. He repeats his earlier travel method, transforming into lightning and arriving in flash right before Georgia's eyes. Faster than most people in the village can follow, they both maximise the energy they are pulling out from their body's and slam their element clad fists together.

Screams sound throughout the village as their fists connect. The power of the blow is tremendous, reminding the Hokage of what it was like to witness the battle between Naruto and Clyde. This is what they have to protect their village against. This is the next level.

Peterson throws rapid punches at Georgia. He has spent less time at the General level and is therefore theoretically the weaker of the two. However, his element is 'lightning', an element that leads to a fighting style focused around speed.

Despite Peterson's great speed, Georgia is able to evade his attacks. Indeed, her experience is nothing to be overlooked. She expertly shifts the momentum through her midsection, skilfully evading to the side of Peterson's fist each time he throws a punch. She waits for the perfect moment to counter.

The moment arrives.

Peterson throws an imperfect punch, leaving an opening around the outside of his arm near his elbow. Georgia makes full use of this opening. She catches hold of his right arm and using her elbow tucks it into her side. Peterson tries to use the distraction of his own opening to throw another punch but this is also imperfect. The general grabs hold of his left arm as well and uses her grip on both arms to pull Peterson towards her. She uses his incoming momentum to land a vicious headbutt, the sound of their skulls crunching together horrifying for the villagers down below.

Peterson hurtles back through the air before coming to a halt, he refocuses on Georgia. She is not an opponent he can afford to go easy on. He creates a hand-sized ball of lightning and throws it at her head. The attack is even quicker than his punches from before and she can do nothing as it bounces of her forehead. Peterson executes this attack five times in succession before it is interrupted.

Georgia has had enough. She slaps the ball down towards the ground, narrowly missing a group of villagers. She holds her right hand out, gathering poison energy and moulding it into a sword. The sword has no hilt, she does not intend to use it for sparring. Instead, she casts her arm forward, launching the sword towards Peterson with incredible speed.

Peterson knows that if this sword is to hit him it will be fatal. This could be his last moment alive if he is not careful. He gathers lightning energy in his hands before launching it emphatically towards the sword. A continuous stream of lightning stretches from Peterson's fingertips to the sword, pushing against it, slowing its approach. Until the very last second it is still on course to hit him but by expending a great amount of energy, Peterson is able to push the sword off course, making it miss him.

A huge bang can be heard from outside the village where the sword finally lands.

That is the attack Peterson avoided, the attack that he exhausted himself to evade.

"I am disappointed Peterson" Georgia spits as she creates another sword of poison, "Despite making this breakthrough, you are still so pathetic".

Peterson knows that he cannot compete with Georgia for energy in this manner.

Despite that, Georgia doesn't mind, she is determined to battle with Peterson using this method. She knows that he won't be able to endure many more attacks like that. So she casts her arm forward again, to throw her sword.

Before she can cast her sword forward, she notices that someone has appeared next to her. They arrived so suddenly that they must have teleported. This man is Senju Tobirama and he is not alone.

Beside Tobirama is Minato. Tobirama takes hold of Minato's wrist and swings the blonde Hokage towards Georgia as fast as he can. In Minato's hand is a deadly attack, a rapidly spinning rasengan. It is not enough to kill Georgia but it would certainly hurt if it were to hit her. Minato thrusts the rasengan towards Georgia's face, distracting her from the sword throw she was previously executing.

Georgia sidesteps the incoming rasengan, comfortably dodging to its side. If she can avoid Peterson's attack she can definitely avoid that. Something catches her eye as she dodges, a slight grin on Minato's face, as if she is already caught in his trap.

As Georgia looks over her shoulder she notices that Minato wasn't her only assailant. From the other side, the 3rd Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen attacks with his fist clad in a thin layer of crusty earth.

Hiruzen's element is 'earth' and the overwhelming strength of this attribute is its raw power. The moment his fist connects with Georgia it creates an impact far greater than any rasengan could have done.

Georgia is sent spinning forward, taking three seconds before she can balance herself. She turns around to see what she is facing. These three are on Peterson's side and what's more, they are flying. There is only one way that they could possibly be flying.

' _These locals, they understand our power'_ Georgia starts as she looks back at Minato and Tobirama, _'The first one was so fast, I am sure that he was using the power of wind and that guy…'_. She looks back to Hiruzen, _'He definitely just hit me with an earth attack'_.

Minato notices that Georgia is trapped in her own thoughts, he creates a rasen-shuriken and launches it her.

Georgia wakes, her eyes showing her anger as she slams her poison sword into the rasen-shuriken, destroying it as if cutting through paper. Looking at her three new opponents she decides that discretion is the better part of valour and dissipates the energy that constitutes the sword.

"Consider yourself lucky. Your friends have saved you today Peterson" Georgia proclaims as she points at the colonel, "However, Lara has decreed that you will all die. It will definitely happen".

The generals gaze then lands on Minato, "You too monkey, all of you had better say goodbye to your loved ones because your days are numbered".

Leaving a threat behind General Georgia turns tail and flees.

She has gone.

Minato breathes a sigh of relief but Tobirama is slower to relax. "Peterson, what is going on?".

"If you haven't already worked it out, that general was connected to a former associate of mine" Peterson explains, "That was Colonel Martin's sister".

Minato now understands that familiar sensation from before.

Georgia is Martin's sister.

"Martin's sister" he mutters, "That guy who almost killed me".

"I don't really have time to explain this in detail" Peterson continues, "I have to report what happened here to General Clyde".

"You have to give us more than that" a voice calls from behind Peterson. The colonel turns around to see that it is Kakashi. "We really are in the dark here".

"Please, anything you can tell us would be a great help" Hiruzen adds.

Peterson groans, explaining the whole situation to the locals would take him longer than he has. "I'll tell you this much. You should prepare your armies and gather your greatest warriors".

"We thought that a war was coming but that's no longer true".

"It's already here".


	87. Our Total Loss

**WAR NEVER ENDS – OUR TOTAL LOSS**

 **Outside the Hidden Leaf**

Sarada stands looking at the ground, the fire gone from her eyes, no longer Rinnegan, Mangekyo, nor Sharingan, these eyes are simply Sarada's. This is the spot where her entire life changed just seconds ago. Where Boruto disappeared.

This night has been an emotional rollercoaster for the 9th Hokage. It started off poorly, she had believed that Boruto had once again refused to tell his family about their relationship. Then she rose from hell up to heaven, Boruto had told his father about them, he had asked her to marry him, she had said yes. All that euphoria, it should have dominated her life for months but once again, the rollercoaster twisted and turned and plunged her straight back into hell again.

"Hey" she calls out, her eyes still fixed to the same spot on the ground before her.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey" she calls out again and again cursing the world and imploring for someone to answer.

"Listen to me!".

Once more, the Hokage is greeted by total silence, the wind throwing her words straight back into her face. There is no answer to greet her calls, her pleas for a listener. Not even a squirrel, climbing up a lonely tree, or a bird, fleeing its nest in terror. It seems the world has taken great pleasure in reminding Sarada of her turmoil, of her loneliness.

"I know you can hear me" she mutters to the wind.

She laughs slightly to herself as she feels the last barrier to her heart break. The tears are coming again she tells herself, only this time is completely different to the last. "There is no way you would leave me like that".

"Not after coming this far" she whispers as she closes her eyes tightly and shakes her head, "Not after coming this far". Try as she might, she can't stop the outpouring of her soul, her tear ducts determined to convey the agony which she is struggling to do through words.

"You know, when I was growing up, it was all about the village, I wanted to be the Hokage" she recalls. Thinking back on it, Naruto was strange and to most people must have seemed a lot less cool than her father. She still admired him though, he had an important lesson that only he could teach, Uzumaki Naruto, a lesson that she valued just as much as her father.

"It was your dad who inspired me to be like that, to think of the village". That is what she has done, ever since that day, a shinobi who lives for the Hidden Leaf Village. "But then there were obstacles, so many obstacles that got in my way, obstacles that I couldn't overcome".

Sarada's eyes have dropped once again, looking at the last spot where Tao Ma's feet touched, the very spot where Boruto disappeared. Last time she raised her head and her cries went unanswered, no matter how desperate you are, sometimes this world just won't allow you to be at peace, sometimes nobody is there to help you.

"Your father didn't teach me the strength to overcome those obstacles" Sarada sniffles as she recalls the antics of her youth and one chaotic yet determined young man. "It was you who taught me to overcome them. I wanted to overcome them because it was all about the village".

"After that, I finally became the Hokage". Sarada's journey to becoming Hokage was perhaps harder than anyone's before her. Not only were the other highly suitable candidates to the post, Mirai, the fellow shinobi of her generation, Mitsuki and Boruto, but she was an Uchiha, someone feared in the village. "I overcame all of the odds and succeeded Konohamaru sensei".

"I became Hokage and it was all about the village".

The wind blows past Sarada, her hair strokes the sides of her neck, the only friend willing to comfort her in a world of nothingness. It doesn't help, those muscles that have helped her to become the 9th Hokage have started failing and as her vision has become blurred through her watery tears, her muscles have started to lose their rigidity as her entire body slowly becomes numb.

"Then this terrible invasion happened, it was so bad that even our fathers died". The first of Sarada's many losses, the sting feels worse each time and this time is no exception. "I had no idea what to do so I risked my life to bring help from the past".

"Again, it was all about the village".

A momentary rage overcomes Sarada as she continues, "And I trained". Her fist tightens as she thinks about it, her numbing sensation making her ignorant to feeling of her nails digging into her palm. "I trained and I trained and I trained!" she shouts.

Her entire body heaves as her breath accelerates to unhealthy levels. One thought calms her down. A thought of him. "But then you came along, you made me want to live for something other than the village. That's not something I had felt in a very long time".

"I wanted to live for you".

Sarada forces a smile as she thinks back less than an hour ago, to the happiest moment of her life. "You asked me to marry you and all the pieces seemed to fall into place. We had a future together, I had something more than the village to live for".

Tears drip from the end of her nose onto the otherwise dry ground below her but she doesn't notice. The blurred feedback from her eyes is replaced on its way to her brain, replaced by images of her dream future, together with Boruto. "For all the losses that I have suffered, I finally felt that I had gained something".

"I had so much to hope for, so many dreams". The sound of her own heartbeat echoes in her head as her last resistance against her own agony drops. "I dreamt of doing so many things together with you…".

And with her last defiant thought, she raises her head and screams to the world once again.

"And I still want to do them with you… Boruto".

Once more the wind throws the words back in her face. She no longer cares however, all she wants to do is rest with the dreamy vision she is witnessing. The vision of Boruto. She falls to her knees, wondering what she will do when she wakes up.

STOP!

She suddenly takes a deep breath and focuses on staying awake. The vision has moved. Boruto speaks two words to her in the vision, two words which remind her of her duty as the Hokage.

The vision says, "Go back".

Sarada wipes away a tear, the last tear she will allow herself today. She replaces her glasses and gets to her feet.

"Hashirama. I have to go back and see to Hashirama".

With that she turns and runs, as fast as her body will allow her. Into the cold harsh night. Once again, it's all about the village.

 **The Hidden Leaf Gates**

"Open the gates!" one of the still timid gate guards yells to his subordinates down below. "It's the students!".

Nearby shinobi, young and old breath a sigh of relief as the gates open, with all the drama the danger the students were in slipped to the back of their mind. However, now they know for sure that they are OK, they are here unharmed. It was likely that they would have died if they had encountered either enemy who threatened the village during their absence, fortunately, if they were to be attacked by such an enemy, they would likely have all died and not been coming back at all. That is why the return of the younglings is such good news at this time.

At the head of the students, Naruto and Mirai walk in through the gates. The looks on their faces are vacant and unfocused, as if they have suspended all of their emotions in a distant realm and are just focusing on getting to through the rest of the day.

The various Hokage and the Kazekage run up to the newcomers, they have been through hell and back since they were last seen.

"Naruto" Minato calls as he arrives before his son, "So much has happened here. You wouldn't believe how bad it's been, we…".

"It can't be half as bad as what happened out there, dad" Naruto interrupts, ignorant to the full extent of damage to the Hidden Leaf Village. The attack on the village will come to affect him more than most, the victims of the attack are very close to him personally.

"What happened?" Hiruzen asks after a moment.

The look on his granddaughters face, the looks of terror in the eyes of the students, they are so quiet. Each student is wide awake, their eyes fixed on the ground at their feet, possessed by the whispers of the devil, recounting their bad memories to them.

"Dan…" Tsunade mutters as she looks around the group, "Why isn't Dan with you?".

Mirai almost breaks as she raises her eyes to meet Tsunade's. The eye contact doesn't last for more than a second before she breaks it again, looking to her feet, just like the students behind her.

"I…" Mirai mutters. "I… I… he… you see…".

A hand on Mirai's shoulder wakes her from her babbling. Her glassy eyes look to her left at the young man who is comforting her. Uzumaki Naruto.

"Take the children home" Naruto says gently, "I will handle this".

Mirai's heart feels like it is going to escape from her chest as she looks at him. He is so young, just entering his twenties and he has to put up with this. She is older than him, the military leader of the villager who has experienced a brutal war and yet she is the one struggling. This young man however, has taken the weight of the world on his shoulders time and time again and now he is stepping up and taking another responsibility away from her.

Mirai nods before walking away with the students. This world is so cruel to them, so cruel to her, so she dares not consider just how cruel this world can be if you truly bear the full burden. That is what it is to be the Hokage. That is what it is to be Uzumaki Naruto.

"The reason I left in a hurry is because I received an emergency call" Naruto explains, unlike Mirai he has preserved an unwavering heart despite all of the pain, he keeps his eye contact with Tsunade. "The students came under attack from a general, a general with an element just as strong as Clyde's".

"No". Tsunade shakes her head, denying the reality that she has already foreseen from Naruto's words.

"Dan died, defending the students from this general" Naruto admits. "I am really sorry, grandma Tsunade".

Tsunade rests her head in her hand, "This can't be happening".

"Tsunade" Tobirama calls to his niece. "Try to keep calm, you can mourn his loss later, right now we have to maintain appearances for the villager".

"Right now" he continues, "You are not Dan's partner, you are the 5th Hokage".

Sometimes, being the Hokage hurts.

"Naruto". Minato breaks the silence. "You should know of what happened here".

"What happened?" Naruto asks, knowing it must be important if his father will still bring it up in this situation.

Kakashi knows that what has happened is difficult for his sensei to say, so he says it himself. "A group of people in black attire turned up, we think they were from Clyde's world. One of them took Boruto with him".

Kakashi pauses, the expression on Naruto's face is hard for him to see as well, "Sarada took off after them but I don't know if she was able to save him".

"Boruto…" Naruto says under his breath.

Once again, the guards call for the gate to be opened.

This time it is the 9th Hokage, staggering through gasping for air. "Naruto" she calls weakly as she stumbles towards him.

"Sarada" he starts. "Where is B…".

"It's Hashirama" Sarada explains as she reaches Naruto and grabs hold of his jacket. "Lord 1st was attacked by those people in black. He was hit by that same stuff that leaks from Boruto's body".

Naruto is surprised once more. He had almost forgotten about that, Boruto had found the condition manageable recently but if anything ever did go wrong it resulted in an almost fatal incident. A death that only Naruto himself could avert. Sarada was one such victim, during the captained six contest.

"He's on the rooftop" Sarada explains as she works to gather back any energy she can, "Please follow me".

 **The Rooftop**

Naruto follows Sarada to the rooftop that changed her life forever. The events that took place on that rooftop would have unforeseen consequences for everyone present. As Tao Ma had predicted, the events that took place here, today, would have a profound effect on the destiny of all of reality.

"Here he is" Sarada says as she runs over and points to Hashirama's body.

Naruto runs to Hashirama's side, looking over the body of his friend. Their relationship had certainly been strained over the years since they came here but every friendship has their ups and downs. Seeing your friend's dead body, seeing the death of a second friend in a single day, that will affect anybody, even Naruto.

Naruto gathers the power of 'life' on his hands. He couldn't try to save Dan but he can at least try with Hashirama.

As the others arrive on the rooftop, Tobirama is hit by what has happened here. This sight is traumatic to him. The body of the closest person in his world. The body of his brother. "Oh no…".

"Hashirama" Minato says the name to himself. It makes sense now, this is why he could not move to him using the flying thunder god technique.

Shinki analyses the situation calmly. The results of his analysis however, they won't allow him to keep calm. _'If we lose both Lord 1_ _st_ _and Boruto… Your power has saved people before Naruto, it's saved my uncle. Please, please save Lord 1_ _st_ _'_.

The worst hit of all is Tsunade. She is instantly overcome by tears as she looks at the body before her. _'Grandfather… you can't leave me… not you too'_.

Naruto pulses the power of life into Hashirama's body. Attempting to resuscitate not only his heart but his dissipated soul as well.

PULSE!

"Hey" he shouts at the body of the 1st Hokage, "What were you saying before, what were you talking about?".

PULSE!

"Ever since that battle with Peterson, you and have spoken freely with one another".

PULSE!

"We became so close back then, you and Mito, Hinata and I".

It was Sasuke's attack. When Sheer had brought him back from beyond the grave, Sasuke had attacked the survivors of the Hidden Leaf Village. Only two people realistically had a chance to stop him, Naruto and Hashirama, however, they were both injured.

It was during the period that they were immobilised that they realised how similar they were.

It was during the period following that they became the different people they are now.

PULSE!

"And even after Mito died, we spoke freely with one another. We may not have liked what each other were saying but every single word came from the heart".

PULSE!

"So you're not allowed to die, you old fool".

PULSE!

"You're not allowed to die because you're my friend!".

PULSE!

Naruto continues to pulse his power through Hashirama's body for several minutes. Much like Sarada before he is starting to lose feeling in his body. The real world feels like it is becoming an illusion, and it feels like his memories of the past are becoming reality. For that short while, he and Hashirama got along so well and now he will never have the chance to bring those days back.

PULSE!

"Naruto" Minato says his son's name gently.

"No!" the shinobi shouts back, knowing what his father is going to say already. "He's not allowed to die!".

PULSE!

"He's not allowed to…".

PULSE!

"He's not…".

Minato catches hold of his son's wrist firmly, breaking him from his near hypnotic mantra. "Naruto… that's enough… you've done enough…".

"He's not coming back".

The words pierce Naruto's very soul and he knows that they are true. This is meaningless now. To have the power of 'life' is not the same as transcending life and death. Sometimes, destiny must just be accepted for what it is.

Naruto stops pulsing the energy and rolls onto his back, exhausted.

Sarada shares his exhaustion, she sits down and leans against one of the walls at the edge of the rooftop. Resting her head in her arms, she drifts off to sleep.

"Tobirama, are you OK?" Kakashi asks.

The 2nd Hokage takes a deep breath.

"I'm OK, but we have to realise this day for what it is".

"Peterson was right, the war has already begun and the first battle…".

"… it's our total loss".


	88. Hokage's Burden

**WAR NEVER ENDS – HOKAGE'S BURDEN**

 **The Next Day, The Circle**

Shikadai looks around the room from his position in the circle. He sees Tobirama, Hiruzen and Minato. He sees Tsunade, Kakashi and Naruto. He sees Sarada and Shinki. It's the absences that cause his heart to darken. Next to Sarada and next to Tobirama rest two vacant chairs. The emptiness in the Kages hearts echoed by the emptiness of these seats. Two people are missing from this meeting, Boruto and Hashirama.

The teacher-student pair had a unique philosophy, a unique approach to the invader problem. Unlike the others, it had been their approach that the invaders should be killed and not spared. They had believed that their otherworldly presence could bring nothing but misery to the Hidden Leaf Village. While these opinions had been disputed, the masterminds behind them had been revered by the members of the village. To each and every member of the Circle, they were precious, close friends or even family.

A sigh escapes Shikadai's lips as he raises his head to look the others in their eyes. "OK, we got hit hard yesterday and I'm sure that all of us would rather take it easy right now. But you don't have that luxury, you are the Hokage and must continue to act as such".

In the wake of such devastating loss, anybody else in the village would be granted compassionate leave, they would be permitted to rest, to grieve, the Hokage are awarded no such privileges. To be the Hokage is to walk in front of the villagers, to take all of the pain onto yourself and to keep walking forward. It is a job that many strive for but so few realise how much it can hurt.

"You're right, Shikadai" Minato replies, forcing a small smile onto his face as he nods. "Please, proceed with the agenda".

"Food and water are the first on the list" Shikadai explains from memory. "That is always first whenever we have a situation like this".

Tobirama is one of the most logistically aware Hokage and has dealt with situations like this during the time he fought for the Senju clan. "We aren't going to have a problem with water, if nothing else I can create it for everyone".

"That isn't the problem though, Lord 2nd. Food is the true problem here" Hiruzen explains as he points to an imaginary map in front of him. "I don't know about the rest of you but I am not comfortable with asking the villagers to go outside the walls and go back to farming".

For the talented and powerful shinobi amassed in this room, going beyond the walls is not an intimidating prospect, even if they should run into trouble they are able to hold their own. In all but the worst situations, a Kage would be able to run away from an invading force. The same cannot be said for the villagers though, very few people outside this room would be able to survive if they encountered an invader.

"No, we can't do that" Sarada declares. She, better than anyone, understands the worries and fears of today's villagers, having grown up with and protected them all throughout her life. "Right now, what everyone wants is to be protected inside the Hidden Leaf's walls".

"Clones" Naruto mutters, drawing the attention of the room. "I am already at my limit but you guys could create clones to farm".

Naruto has been working to the utmost to maintain a calm in the village. The best way he can do this is to use his hundreds of clones to comfort people, to defend the walls. There is nobody more comforting for the villagers to see defending them. He is, after all, Uzumaki Naruto, the hero of the hidden leaf that they were taught of in their youth.

Minato sighs. "Farming is an odd thing for a Kage to do but I am sure that Lord 2nd and I can manage it".

The two other jinchuriki of Kurama, Minato and Tobirama are the only Hokage who can rival Naruto in terms of clone production.

Shikadai writes this solution on his electronic device. "Next on the agenda, we have a guest speaker. This is on the subject of the village's defence, I have taken the liberty of inviting the military's leader here".

As Shikadai makes a gesture to the door, Mirai enters. "Hello everyone" the military leader respectfully bows as she approaches the circle. Shikadai guides her further, to the centre of the circular table so that she can address the village's leaders.

Mirai takes a deep breath and begins her explanation of the defence situation. "Our military is at the highest level it can be outside of war. Every shinobi in the village is on active duty, patrolling, scouting or helping the wounded. If we are to come under attack, those who are taking a break or are sleeping can be up and defending the village within one minute".

The Hokage listen attentively, Mirai's voice is shaky but her explanation coherent.

"Our defence situation is about as good as it can be, but if the stories of our enemies' strength are true…".

"They are" Tobirama interrupts her to say.

Mirai lowers her eyes and nods before continuing. "In that case, I don't see what our military will be able to do. If we are to come under attack, the majority of the fighting will be down to the occupants of this room".

A silence descends on the room, what Mirai has said was obvious to the villagers but it has not crossed their minds until now. Last time they fought for the village in a captained six contest. This meant their numbers were equal with their enemies, that they had a chance. That won't happen again, their new foes will not be so generous. If a war is to break out again they will not be facing six opponents, they will be facing thousands, thousands of far fiercer enemies. As for them, their true force will consist of less than a dozen.

"Mirai" Naruto calls to her, "How is morale, how is the village feeling?".

"The shinobi have been through similar situations before. The last invasion had even greater losses than we have suffered so far in this one" she recalls. "We have experienced this before but the children…".

Mirai composes herself before continuing. "The children are scared Lord 7th and so are the rest of the civilians. Isn't there something you can do to assure them?".

All eyes on the room turn to Naruto. Looking not for what he will say but for what they want him to say. It is lonely, Naruto realises, so lonely, when even the leaders of the village, the heroes of legends turn to him for reassurance.

"I… I have the village surrounded by my clones" he explains as his voice cracks slightly. "Of course, they can't use 'life' so they are not as strong as me but even a general would struggle to get through that defence".

"Is that really all you can do?".

"I can only say that I will do what I have always done. I will never give up. I will never surrender. While there is still breath in my body, I will not let the Leaf die".

Mirai closes her eyes and nods, thinking back to the students who had to witness their teacher die. "I hope that is enough for them".

 **Outside the Circle**

Tsunade steps away from the building, completely silent as she had been for most of the meeting. As she begins to walk away from the building and back towards her house, a hand grabs her by the shoulder, slowly turning her around to look at its owner. It's her uncle, Tobirama.

"Tsunade, this situation has been difficult enough for me, I can't imagine what you are feeling right now" he tells her. "If you ever need to talk, to explain your frustrations to someone, I am always here, as your Uncle".

Tsunade bravely fronts a smile, as unconvincing a smile as can be imagined. "I know that, thank you Uncle".

With that quick and dismissive reply, Tsunade turns her back once more and walks slowly home.

Tobirama feels like he has been hit in the gut, he takes a deep breath and laments his situation. _'Brother, Dan, if there is an afterlife I hope you two watch over her. She needs help now more than ever'_.

 **Tsunade's House**

Tsunade arrives back home after twenty minutes, having avoided the popular streets and taken the back-alley route. She enters and closes the door gently behind her, as if in the most serene of states, something that is the complete opposite of the truth. She calmly takes her coat off and hangs it on the hook on the back of the door.

She takes a few steps into the room before breathing deeply. That is the last thing she does before the dam inside her breaks and the tears begin to flow. She falls to her knees and the sounds of her sobs fill the room. Over the last few days she has lost the most important things to her, the closest people to her in this world.

When all that is wrong with reality is stripped away, you are left with heaven.  
When all that is right with reality is stripped away, you are left with hell.

Due to no fault of her own, Tsunade has fallen into the latter of those two categories.

Tsunade removes her tear covered face from her hands as her agony festers, it begins to morph, switching from solitude to rage. A self-destructive anger she will direct at anything she can find.

She scrunches fist into a tight ball and raises it behind her head, ready to destroy anything she can with her mighty strength.

That's when she is snapped from her almost hypnotic state by a hand on her wrist and the familiar voice of the man she has adopted as her teacher. The voice of Mitsuki.

"What were you about to do?" Mitsuki asks.

Tsunade's anger boils over, her heart beats so fast that she can feel it thudding in her chest, like a thousand trapped criminals looking to escape through the walls of a prison. "You, all of you keep judging me, treating me like I am different, isn't it bad enough already?".

Mitsuki simply looks at Tsunade, not knowing what to say. Isn't it natural that people treat her carefully in this situation, where she has suffered such terrible losses?

"Just go away!" Tsunade screams as she throws her arm powerfully to her side.

Not even Mitsuki can withstand that sort of strength. He reluctantly releases his grip on Tsunade's arm. As the 5th Hokage's fist passes his head, a whooshing sound enters his ears. It is a good thing he did let go, or his head may have been knocked clean off.

"Why can't you people just leave me alone?" Tsunade asks as her tears return.

"I'm no good with people but I am certain that in this situation I shouldn't be leaving you alone" Mitsuki answers. Under present circumstances, there is no way he would leave her alone, no matter what she said. Mitsuki has encountered many great teachers in his life, Konohamaru Sarutobi, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi, from his experience with these great teachers he is sure that none of them would leave. Not in this situation.

"Why does this keep happening to me, Mitsuki?" the Hokage asks, desperate for a simple change she can make to turn her fortunes around. "Since I've come to the future, I've lost my grandmother, I've lost my grandfather and I've lost Dan. Why does this keep happening to me?".

"I can't answer that question" Orochimaru's son is honest in his reply. For all his boundless skill and knowledge, he is left feeling helpless, "I'm afraid, I really don't know".

"You're supposed to be my teacher, you're supposed to guide me" Tsunade says as she grabs at Mitsuki's robe for support, her former strength having abandoned her body. "What do I do now?".

Mitsuki pauses to consider how best to answer.

"I've never been in a situation like you are in but I was part of an incredible team, just like you" he recalls. There are indeed parallels between the sannin and the second incarnation of team 7. "In the same vein as your student, Lady Sakura, my sensei was the Hokage, one of my teammates was the next Hokage and the other became the shadow Hokage.".

"I may not be an expert on emotions but I feel I am an expert on Hokage".

"Then" Tsunade sniffles as she shifts herself to look Mitsuki in the eye, "What would the 5th Hokage do in this situation?".

"The 5th Hokage guided the Leaf through the most difficult war in its history" Mitsuki replies with a cheerful smile, "No matter how many times things looked hopeless, she stood up again, she walked forwards. That is what you are going to do now, Tsunade".

"Walk forwards because you are our 5th Hokage".

 **The Uzumaki Residence**

Naruto and Hinata refuse to be alone at a time like this. This is the best time for family unity. To that end, Kushina and Minato are also with them, as well as their daughter Himawari. The family has grown used to turmoil but this is certainly one of its darkest hours. Kushina had a troubled youth. Both of Naruto's parents died on his birthday. Minato shared the agony of his student Kakashi. Hinata grew up being pulled around by Hyuuga family politics. None of that has prepared them for this scenario though. Suffering is suffering, no matter the time, the place nor the experiences you have going into it.

"If I'd have been here, he wouldn't have been taken" Naruto notes, as he sighs and drops his head into his hand. Where he went, he failed to save Dan, where he didn't go, he couldn't' save anyone at all.

"You have no way of knowing that, Naruto" Minato assures his son.

"Even Hashirama couldn't stop the guy who took him" Kushina adds.

"I'm stronger than Hashirama" Naruto explains as he lowers his arms and opens his palms, "I could have stopped him".

Nobody present knows it but Naruto's absence from the village was part of Tao Ma's plan. It is because of Naruto's absence that he carried out his planned kidnapping of Boruto. He was the sole deterrent against the disaster waiting to happen. The moment he left, destiny began to move and a disaster struck the Hidden Leaf Village. Indeed, Naruto was stronger than Hashirama and that may be one of his greatest regrets. Sometimes being the strongest can be harder than it seems.

"You probably wouldn't have even realised what was happening" Minato argues, remembering his gathering with the other Kage in the wake of the incident. "If I had realised what was happening, I could have teleported to Boruto and maybe even saved him. But I didn't do that and do you know why?".

"Why?".

"It's because my first thoughts were for the village, just like yours would have been". The 4th Hokage leans forward and pats his son on the knee as he determines this. "We are the Hokage".

Naruto reluctantly nods his head. It is what he signed up for, what he always dreamed of. The entire village is his family, its occupants his children. He swore an oath to look after each and every one of them. To look out for Boruto instead of everyone else in the event of an attack would be a treachery of that oath, a betrayal of his dream. To walk the long road, the one with nothing but obstacles and obstructions, the hard road, that is what Naruto has always done and always will do.

"It would have been wrong to be worried for my brother's safety in that situation" Himawari comforts her father, "He would have been insulted".

Hinata nods in agreement. "Right, Boruto is among the strongest of our village's shinobi, he can take care of himself".

"Of course, he can" Kushina agrees.

Himawari smiles widely. "So, you think he will be alright?".

Kushina nods once more. "Definitely, there is nobody out there who is strong enough to keep Boruto down".

"That's right".

"Yeah".

As their family absolve them of responsibility for the incident, Naruto and Minato share an awkward smile, the feeling of personal responsibility they share will never dwindle, after all, he is family to them. However, the pair of Hokage can take comfort in the fact that they and their motivations are understood and approved of.

Knock Knock!

"Come in" Naruto yells to the door.

The door opens and Sarada steps through it. Still wearing the same clothes as she was the last time she saw Boruto, her hair dishevelled. The bags under her eyes as black as her hair show off the lack of sleep she has had since the proposal.

"N… Naruto…" she mutters the name of her master.

"Sarada".

"Sorry Sarada, I should have invited you around" Hinata apologises, realising that Sarada is now part of her family too, "I didn't think of…".

"It's alright, Hinata" Sarada waves the Hyuuga clanswoman off as she turns back towards her teacher.

The shared gaze of Naruto and Sarada is telling. They not only share the looks in one another's eyes but the emotions behind them, the agony, the pain, the misery. They know of the events of the last day but discussing them in this situation is still so painful.

"You know he asked me to marry him" Sarada chuckles to herself as her voice cracks, "I said yes… you guys were going to be my mother-in-law and father-in-law".

"I know" Naruto nods, doing his best to maintain eye contact with Sarada. "He asked my permission during training".

"That's what stings" Sarada explains, pointing in reaction to that final word Naruto said. "For all that training I did, for all the hard work I put in, I couldn't do anything. I was helpless as Boruto was taken away".

That sting Sarada spoke of isn't new to Naruto but once again it hits him in the heart. These words make him feel like a failure, like he has let her down. What was the point of all that training over the last three years? What has he been doing all this time? He was training Sarada, he was watching Hashirama and Boruto train, they always trained to combat this potential threat they would face in the future. What have they actually accomplished? He wasn't here to use his training, Sarada's training wasn't enough, Boruto was taken away, Hashirama died. Isn't all of this, his responsibility?

"I know… you're the…" Sarada begins before coughing into her hand. "I know I shouldn't be asking this but you have always been this village's omnipotent hero".

"Please do something… save Boruto… I don't care how you do it…".

"Please… help me…".


	89. Opposing Forces

**WAR NEVER ENDS – OPPOSING FORCES**

 **That Night, the Hidden Leaf**

Near the gate a brave section of guards patrol as usual. These guards are not alone however, the circumstances have brought a guardian angel to them. Standing near the gate, looking out for the slightest bit of danger is the 7th Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto has stationed clones around the perimeter of the village, perhaps the only one qualified to calm the villagers in this way. A few of the clones yawn, their sleep deprivation showing.

While they aren't on the same level as Naruto's true body each of them are elite-level and far surpass most shinobi. It is because of this that they are trusted to keep guard on the village. Their sensory abilities cannot compare to other shinobi who specialise in this area but they are good enough to detect any invading forces.

It is because of these clones and their round-the-clock watch that Tobirama finds himself sneaking around. From rooftop to rooftop, he leaps, focusing his attention to the utmost so that he can avoid the gaze of these clones. It has been a long time since he last had to sneak around but this unusual occasion and his current motivations call for it.

Tobirama has a unique advantage in sneaking, if there is any area in which he is likely to be seen, he can cross it using teleportation. The flying thunder god technique enables him to pass through space, the only visual clue being the kunai that he throws to execute the technique.

The 2nd Hokage arrives atop the last building. Now he only needs to watch the clones below and time his throw carefully. He can throw his kunai beyond the wall and leave the village without Naruto or his clones ever noticing. He waits patiently for that moment and when it arrives he pulls his arm back and skilfully launches the kunai towards the wall.

Put!

A hand catches the kunai, the hand of a man who managed to escape Tobirama's notice.

"Kakashi…".

The 6th Hokage looks at his friend with concern in his eyes. His trust for Naruto is absolute and he knows that lately Tobirama has been through a lot. For someone to sneak past Naruto, for someone to hide their actions from him, they are likely up to no good.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asks.

Tobirama normalises his posture, raising his head to look Kakashi in the eye. He takes a deep breath and admits the painful truth. "My brother is dead, Kakashi. I… I'm going to find my brother's killer somehow, some way, I will find him".

"What will you do then?" Kakashi asks as he hands the kunai back to his predecessor, "You know that you cannot defeat such an opponent".

A man who can kill Senju Hashirama. A man that can kidnap Uzumaki Boruto. A man that can elude even Uchiha Sarada. These three individuals all boast strengths greater than Tobirama's, so how could the 2nd Hokage hope to do anything to him. If someone outmanoeuvred these three individuals, how could anyone in the village hope to stand up to him?

"I know… but…" Tobirama stutters as he looks around awkwardly. He has never found himself in this position before, a position of not knowing what to do.

"Will you become an assassin?" Kakashi asks as he widens his eyes questioningly, "You need to get a hold of yourself, you are Senju Tobirama".

Tobirama sighs as he thinks it over, it is a hopeless situation, even for someone as skilled as himself. "You're right, I won't do anything drastic I assure you, I am still of logical mind".

Kakashi steps forward and lowers his voice such that it penetrates the 2nd Hokage's very soul. "Don't lose yourself Tobirama, think of Tsunade, think of the rest of us" the masked Hokage demands, "We need you right now more than we have ever needed you before".

"I know, I won't lose myself Kakashi, I promise". The events of the last few days run through his head as he ponders whether he is right to do what he is doing. "The deeds I am about to perform, I am doing them not only as Senju Tobirama but also as the 2nd Hokage".

"Good" the 6th Hokage sighs as he lifts his hand up and straightens his mask. "In that case, I am coming with you".

"Kakashi…".

"I am not coming on a revenge trip. I am not going for your brother's killer".

"Of course, you are coming for the other reason to pursue this individual" Tobirama realises. This man didn't only kill his brother, he also took someone with him, someone very precious to the village they call home. "You are coming for Lord Shadow 9th, for Boruto".

Kakashi nods and pauses for a moment. He then turns and looks at the village behind them. Marvelling in its beauty he considers everything that has happened in its history. It has been destroyed and rebuilt so many times. The attack of the nine-tails and Obito, the rampage of Pain, the first invasion.

"I am the sensei of the most famous team in this village's history" he explains, thinking of his two deceased students and the one that has been left behind. This is the same thing his own sensei once experienced. "Not only is Boruto the child of one of my students but he's also Sarada's fiancé".

Tobirama nods to Kakashi, recalling the news Naruto gave them previously. The 9th Hokage and 9th Shadow Hokage had been engaged, only for things to end in tragedy.

"He is someone important to every member of my team" Kakashi continues. "Given that, he is also someone greatly important to me".

"On top of that…".

"On top of that?" Tobirama prompts, seeing his friend's hesitation.

Kakashi simply smiles. "He's also our friend, isn't he?".

Tobirama smiles genuinely for the first time since his brother's death. "Of course he is".

In complete agreement and having understood one another's thoughts, Kakashi and Tobirama extend their arms and bump their fists together. As a team they can do so much that they could not do alone.

As Kakashi uses the gift left to him by Obito, the two silver-haired Hokage disappear in the whirlwind of the Kamui and slip past Naruto's clones without being noticed. They begin their search for answers, for Hashirama's killer and for Boruto.

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

General Clyde and his troops do not enjoy the same luxury as their Hidden Leaf counterparts in terms of accommodation. They reside in a very modest, frequently damp collection of tents. The largest of which functions not as a residence but instead as a headquarters. Here those who once fought to destroy the village aim their enmity at another.

Gathered in the headquarters, the many executives of Clyde's forces prepare to give their reports and collect information from one another. Each of them have many subordinates who are terrified for their lives, who are terrified of the divine retribution that may soon come to them.

Colonel Sisto, the master water manipulator, who has brought experience to Clyde's unit for many years.

Colonel Burns, with flame-like hair and a powerful control of ice, who earned their first victory in the captained six contest.

Colonel Grace, the young but talented warrior whom Hashirama once dominated in the same contest.

Colonel Sheer, the experienced scientist who brought Sasuke back from the grave only to have him fight his own daughter.

Colonel Dred, the newly promoted colonel who first accompanied the 'locals' to the contest.

Most of them remain silent while they wait but the suspense is too much for Grace. She sits tapping a map and looking at the distance between the Hidden Leaf and themselves. It's a long way by the standards of the locals, at least historically. A distance that would take at least a day of running to cross but they are different, for them this should take far less time to cross.

Then, they all feel a familiar power and hear the heavy sounds of footsteps approaching.

"He's coming" Grace says as she looks towards the door.

"At last" Burns sighs as she massages her skull, "He has taken long enough".

Sisto nods, his experience usually allows him to maintain his composure but this time even he has been slightly on edge. "He was starting to make me nervous".

"Quiet you three" Sheer snaps, "He is here".

The last Colonel arrives, if he could still be referred to as a Colonel. He peels back the door to the tent and enters, approaching the comrades he has served with for many years now. The scars on his face a clear identifier of the pain of his past and the battles he has endured to get to this point.

It is Colonel Peterson.

"You're still alive then?" Sheer groans with mock disappointment.

"I wouldn't want to disappoint you, Sheer" Peterson replies with a wry smile.

Clyde sits down in his chair, at the table with maps and charts. "So" he begins, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table, "What happened?".

"I went to the Hidden Leaf Village to see what was happening" Peterson begins his recollection of events, "When I got there, Naruto, Hashirama, Sarada and Boruto all seemed to be elsewhere".

The other colonels look at each other knowingly, that means the situation for the locals is critical. Their four mightiest warriors being unavailable during a time like this can only be bad news.

"The village was under attack, from General Georgia".

While the others exchange murmurs of concern and express their fear at this new arrival, Clyde keeps calm. "General Georgia is here within our expectations" he notes, bringing the others back to reality, "But it can't have been good if she attacked the village".

"I went all out" Peterson explains, "There were no casualties within the village".

Grace sighs in relief, drawing the attention of the other Colonels. It is unprofessional to show your emotions so clearly in a military meeting like this. Still, they understand her position, her lack of experience is causing her anxiety and frankly they are not so different. To hear that Peterson's new power was enough to withstand an onslaught from General Georgia is a great relief, a genuine boost to their chances of survival.

Clyde lowers his eyes to his feet and nods. He feels the weight of it on his back, of the thousands of lives depending on his every decision. To go against their own world, such a thing has never been done before in this manner. Nobody has survived through any act of rebellion.

"Good, perhaps that will be enough to help placate Uzumaki Naruto" Clyde notes. If there is one thing he doesn't need, it's the local who was strong enough to defeat him getting angry. "You defeated General Georgia?".

"No" Peterson admits, "I combined forces with the other strong ones like Tobirama, together we forced her into a retreat?".

Clyde's head snaps up in surprise, "You fought alongside them?".

"Yes sir".

"I see" the general smiles, he had not expected such cooperation between the two factions. "Well done Peterson, you have truly helped to avert disaster for the locals".

Peterson smiles humbly in return, "It was merely what I should do, sir".

Clyde leans back in his chair, now a lot more relaxed than he was before. He has perhaps fallen into the same state as the villagers from the Hidden Leaf, a blissful state of truly believing in an omnipotent hero who will save them all. "Still, I am curious as to where Naruto was".

"I know where he was" Dred declares, his downcast expression lowering the General's momentary joy.

"You do?" Sheer asks,

"Hurry up and tell us" Grace asks with a child-like urgency.

"Uzumaki Naruto was rushing to the scene of a fight between a local and a General" Dred explains. "That local fought valiantly but in the end, he died at the hands of a General. He had understood our power to the Colonel level".

A gasp of shock travels around the group. A local understanding their power was something they had never even heard of before coming to this world. If it had happened it was an event so rare that it would be the study of scientists and the subject of conspiracy theorists. For one to have understood their power to not only the captain level but the colonel level, such a thing is unthinkable. That rate of learning, that speed of understanding was something that hadn't even been accomplished by those from their world.

"I noticed it when I went to the leaf" Peterson adds, "They are learning our power. Our speed of learning has improved since we got here but they are going even quicker than us".

"Did Naruto fight the General?" Clyde asks.

"No, the General left shortly after his first fight and Naruto didn't want to fight because there were children nearby".

Children. It had been a long time since they had the privilege of thinking about children ahead of themselves, Clyde ponders. "Which General was it?".

"Bad news sir. It was General Elliot".

"Lara's second-in-command" Burns leans forward and unravels her crossed arms, "That means she really is coming".

"Bad things keep happening one after another" Clyde notes. "This situation, it is only going to get worse from here".

 **The New Portal**

Portals are the tools of teleportation used to reach from one world to another. It is the tool that Clyde and his followers used to cross into this world and begin their invasion. It is the tool that Boruto used to travel to their world when he first laid eyes on Lara.

Seeing an opportunity to prevent any further harm to their world, Naruto destroyed the portal bridging the worlds. Unknown to him, that actually caused the forces from Clyde's home to notice that something was wrong quicker than before. The portal was quickly rebuilt and this second attack on their world had begun.

Standing near to the portal, General Elliot draws out some plans on a table. He considers the general layout of the land that has been reported to him, the locations of certain key landmarks and does his best to formulate a plan of attack. Among the most important of his plans is a plan to flush out Clyde and his subordinates, for they can only cause trouble to them now.

Elliot respectfully and diligently dictates his plans and makes requests from the many colonels he has brought with him, as his pristine uniform suggests, he is a military man through and through. He understands the chain of command but knows that respect can inspire his subordinates to greater levels.

As he is doing this, General Georgia lands next to him and punches her hand down, violently through the table.

The surrounding colonels step backwards in fear. That punch would have likely crippled any of them for life.

Elliot simply sighs as he looks sideways at the new arrival. "You're making a nuisance of yourself, General Georgia".

Elliot's relaxed demeanour doesn't do anything to quell Georgia's anger. Instead, she continues to lash out at the table, she kicks it as hard as she can, sending it into the distance. The table almost decapitates a colonel who is sharp enough to duck out of the way at the last second.

This is all much to Elliot's annoyance. "What happened exactly?" he asks.

"I went and found the locals" she shouts into Elliot's face, "It seems they have built themselves a nice little home since Martin last saw them".

"Of course" Elliot nods gently, "You can hardly have expected them to remain homeless for three years".

"Oh but that isn't what has annoyed me" Georgian continues to shout, furious with those who dared to lay their hands on her brother, "I was there, just about to lay waste to their pathetic town and guess who showed up".

Elliot groans, "I have no idea".

"It was a colonel from Clyde's unit, a colonel named Peterson!".

"A colonel has put you in this bad of a mood" Elliot asks as he raises his eyebrows.

"He made a breakthrough" Georgia snaps as she points back in the direction she came from. "If he was still in the military he would be General Peterson right now".

Elliot looks at the floor momentarily. "You couldn't defeat a new general? I was told stories of your great prowess General Georgia" he raises his head to look her in the eyes, "It seems they were just that then, stories".

Georgia shakes her head as she paces back and forward. As a general she has no transcendent powers like Elliot or Clyde but she certainly has talent. Her years of experience as a general and the convenience of her powers as a poisoner have earned her a fearsome reputation amongst her colleagues. "He teamed up with the locals, Martin was right, these locals are stronger than the others, they understand our power".

Elliot smiles, he knows that far better than she does. "Don't worry, Lara is sending yet another ally to us".

At that very moment, a man steps through the portal. He is a giant, an enormous hulk of a man, at least seven-foot-tall with huge bulking muscles. His face is covered in the same short blonde hair as his head. His enormous hand strokes his thin beard gently and just masks the giant grin he has on his face. He knows what he is here to do and he knows he is going to enjoy every second of it.

"General Blackburn" Georgia sneers.

"You disapprove?".

"I approve of Lara's choices as always, I just don't like him personally" Georgia justifies her position. "Blackburn is more of a beast than a man, he is a true savage".

"Georgia" Blackburn shouts, a friendly giant as he approaches with a huge grin still plastered on his face, "Don't tell me you are still looking down on me, we are on the same level you know".

"I only look down on savages that I am qualified to look down upon" Georgia snarls as she looks away from her comrade.

Blackburn happily chuckles to himself, "You are as charming as always I see".

Georgia spins around to look at Blackburn again, angrily poking him in his chest which towers above her, "Don't try to be sarcastic with me, I don't like you Blackburn and I probably never will".

She takes a moment to think of how to act. "However, you are here now, you may as well try and make yourself useful". Pointing in the direction she came from she continues, "That way, the locals are that way, why don't you go and wreak havoc with them and leave the camp in peace".

Blackburn grunts, "I've been looking forward to this anyway".

With that, the behemoth takes flight and heads in the direction of the locals, hoping that at long last he can find a worthwhile fight.

"On the subject of leaving the camp in peace" Elliot speaks up, "Why don't you go and calm down before you come back".

"I don't have to…".

As Georgia begins speaking, she and the rest of the colonels realise that the temperature has started dropping rapidly in the last few seconds. As a clear aura begins to appear around Elliot's body, she realises that his patience has run out. Lara's second-in-command is not a man that anyone can afford to make angry.

"I… you… yes sir".

Despite her anger Georgia leaves the camp. She consoles herself using Blackburn's mission. If nothing else, he will make a mess of the locals village. They will continue to suffer for what they did to her brother.

She knows that eventually Lara will arrive.

Then their true suffering will begin.


	90. Pressure

**WAR NEVER ENDS – PRESSURE**

 **Kushina and Minato's House**

Red alert!

The situation in the village is dire. It's all hands on deck for every shinobi available. The village is surrounded by the finest barrier of warriors. The walls are walked by the available Kage and senior shinobi, while the streets and the alleys are patrolled by the others. If anyone were to attack the village from beyond the walls the Hyuuga would detect them and report them. The response would be so quick that the entire might of the village would be prepared before the attacker even reached the wall.

Kushina enters her house after a long and tiring shift. That's over 14 hours she has been on patrol without rest. Her closeness to various members of The Circle also an additional burden, the villagers frequently asked her what the situation is and whether they should be worried. It's a difficult thing to bear, being so close to a problem and knowing nothing of what will happen about it. The truth is that Kushina's situation is the same as her husband's, the same as her son's, she doesn't know what will happen with the village.

' _That's the most tiring patrol I think I have ever been on'_ Kushina notes to herself as she strolls over to her most comfortable chair and falls into it. Closing her eyes, she allows herself one last thought as she begins to drift to sleep. _'Could we even do anything if a General were to attack'_.

Just as she begins to lose herself to her dreams, a knock comes on the door.

Normally when this tired she would ignore anybody coming to her door but the situation is bad right now, it could be of vital importance. It could well be that the village is under attack. So, Kushina pulls herself to her feet and picks her kunai up as she makes towards the door.

Answering the door, she is met with a face almost as drained as her own, her son's. "Naruto" she starts as he returns her fatigued gaze.

"Hi mom" he replies with a sombre tone, "Can I come in?".

Kushina yawns, it's impossible to give your full attention to someone when you're this tired. She does her best to wake herself up though, if Naruto needs something then it is vitally important that she helps. If she oversleeps it probably won't be the end of the village. If Naruto isn't at one-hundred percent however, it could well be that all life in this world dies.

"Of course, come in" the mother gestures the 7th Hokage in as she opens the door to its full width. As Naruto heads in and sits himself on a sofa, Kushina closes the door, pausing as she looks at his pained face. This can't be good.

She approaches the sofa and sits down next to Naruto. She leans forward in an attempt to keep alert, "So, how can I help you, Naruto?".

Naruto claps his hands together, almost as if confessing his deepest secret. "I uh… I don't really know what I should be doing right now, mom, I feel kind of lost".

Kushina smiles faintly, "I'm not sure that I am very qualified to tell you that" she replies, comparing Naruto's heroic status to her own, "You're protecting the village with thousands of clones simultaneously. Nobody else in history could do as much as you're doing".

"I know that but…" Naruto tries to look his mother in the eyes but hesitates as he does so. He looks away, casting his eyes to his feet as Boruto drifts through his mind, "I just feel so useless".

The red-haired shinobi places a hand on her son's shoulder, "Naruto, you're the most useful person in the village, right now everyone is looking to you and do you know why?".

"Because I am the Hokage?".

She shakes her head. "No, you're more than that to them. Minato is a Hokage. Tsunade is a Hokage. Sarada is a Hokage. But you, you're something more".

Kushina gets to her feet as she continues, looking at the four walls of the room containing them. "Both you and Hashirama during your lives reached that status above the Hokage. You became the villages heroes".

"The people of this time still remember you, they still remember the stories they heard of your victories, of your heroism. They remember that you, Uzumaki Naruto, are the hero of the Hidden Leaf Village".

Snorting, Naruto laments his situation. "Being looked to for help doesn't feel very good right now".

"That's what it means" Kushina awkwardly admits. "That's what it means to follow your dream, to be the Hokage".

"I know" the 7th Hokage admits as he gets to his feet. He walks past his mother and to the nearby window. It doesn't have much of a view but through it he can see it, the panic, the horror, the terror that this latest attack has brought to the village.

"I'm supposed to be the strongest Hokage, you know that?" he sighs. "Senju Hashirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen, my father, all those who came before and after me, I'm supposed to be the strongest of them all. Yet I couldn't do anything as my son was taken. I couldn't do anything to stop Dan from dying".

"Am I really of that much worth to the village?".

"You are worth so much to this village, to this family and to me personally" Kushina insists, her passion acting as adrenaline, waking her from her own tired state. "I wasn't there for your birth but I am still your mother and I love you".

"Thank you".

"During these times, there is only one person who can give you better advice than I can and that is the you of yesterday" the 4th's wife admits with a smile. "The Naruto of yesterday told me that his ninja way was to never give up".

"As for the Naruto of today, what is his ninja way?".

The Hokage's response is delayed but resolute nonetheless.

"Never give up" he says.

"Never give up" Kushina smiles, nodding in return.

"I guess that is my ninja way".

"And that's the way it always should be".

"Thank you, mom, I've got to go now" Naruto says as he heads towards the front door. "It was, nice to have some encouragement".

"It's no problem".

As the door closes and the Hokage leaves his parent's residence, it as if an invisible wave hits Kushina, her former tiredness returning to her with only seconds delay. She heads back towards her comfy chair.

' _Don't lose your belief in yourself, Naruto'_ she prays in her thoughts.

' _Because if you are lost, the whole village will be lost with you'_.

 **The Hidden Leaf Streets**

Naruto walks through the back alleys, doing his best to avoid any attention that he may receive from the villagers. He knows that he should walk openly, that he should reassure all those who are worried but that right now his own mental state is more important. Despite the general panic in the village, it is surprisingly peaceful here, with only the rats and the garbage for company.

A discarded can in his path, he pulls his foot back and kicks it like a football. As it hits the wall a loud 'clink' is heard. It would have startled anyone who heard it. Naruto simply smiles to himself and shakes his head for a moment. The impact when it hit the wall, he's certainly a lot stronger than when he did this sort of thing during his childhood. Thinking back to that time Naruto realises how hard his path is. Most people with such a difficult childhood would want an easier adulthood, they would work hard for the things they never had when they were young, comfort, warmth, wealth. None of those things interested the Uzumaki clansmen, all he wanted was to be Hokage. He didn't leave the struggle behind him, he moved on to an even greater one.

Sliding his hands into his pockets he walks around a corner and down an even darker alley. _'Mom was right, yeah, of course she was. Mothers are always right'_.

Another thing he lacked in his childhood, a mother. Kushina died within hours of his birth, leaving him without maternal support until he would finally 'meet' her many years later. Some things can't change though, a mother's word is always a mother's word and it would be wrong to ignore it.

" _Hey Naruto, are you OK?"_ Kuruma asks, breaking his long-held silence.

" _Yeah, I'm OK Kuruma"_ he responds with a sigh.

" _She was right you know, you shouldn't forget your ninja way, never"._

The 7th Hokage is forced to smile. He never had a mother during his youth but he was never as alone as he had thought. Since the beginning someone has been watching over him, since the very beginning. That is the nine-tailed beast, the demonic fox, Kurama.

" _You never used to be like this in the past"_ Naruto muses as he continues to walk through the dark alleys, reminiscing about his past, _"You always used to be such a miserable tailed beast"_.

Kurama huffs and turns his head, shamed by his own historic treatment of his jinchuriki. _"Things have changed now, remember that even if everyone else goes, I will not Naruto"._ Though, they both know that this may be helped by Kurama's inability to leave his host. _"If ever you want to talk, I will be here with you, so long as you live"._

" _Thank you Kurama"._

Naruto is about to offer some more words of gratitude but overhears a conversation. The voices, one male and one female are familiar to him. Indeed, they are very familiar. He knew the parents of both these people and he has come to know them to.

Shinki of the Kazekage clan.

Sarutobi Mirai.

Two people he knows well indeed. He presses his body up against the corner, not wanting to be seen right now and concerned for their feelings on the situation. He acts as he always has done, putting everyone else before himself.

"How are keeping so clam with everything that's happening?" Mirai asks as she leans back against the alley's wall.

"That's a strange thing to ask" Shinki replies as he dusts off his Kazekage robe. "You seem to be keeping fairly calm yourself".

"I'm the leader of the military" Mirai asserts under her breath, as if keeping a secret from the world at large, "I have to maintain an appearance of calm to give others comfort but you are different. Even when it's just the two of us, you really are calm, aren't you?".

"Yeah" the Kazekage admits with a gentle voice, "I am calm".

This admission surprises Naruto, even he isn't managing to keep truly calm. This situation has flustered the villages population and not without good reason.

"Don't you have the same fears I do? The invaders this time are far stronger than last time. This time there isn't just one general, there are several. Presumably with one being stronger than Clyde" Mirai's voice begins to crack slightly as she watches Shinki's unflinching face. How? How could anyone be so calm in the face of such adversity? "Given all that, how can you be like this? How can you possibly stay so calm?".

Mirai is right. Naruto agrees with her completely. Perhaps it is because they have seen what they have seen, a mighty general like Elliot in action. They have seen the enormity of the task they are battling. They have collided with the brick wall head on. They are perhaps the only ones who realise just how hard the task ahead of them is.

Shinki takes a deep breath.

"After I was adopted everything was great for me. I had a home, a family, a father whom I thought the world of. Sometimes I would ask him, ask my father, how did he rise so far, how did he reach that summit in life". Shinki smiles as he remembers his father, Gaara had become a truly great man by the time they had met. "My father smiled, he said that sometimes it seemed like the world was so low, like everyone was sinking. However, he said that no matter how low everyone got, one person could rise to great heights. Heights never seen before…".

"That someone, was Uzumaki Naruto".

"Lord 7th…". Mirai whispers.

Naruto feels an aching in his chest. From Shinki's tone, he had been hoping to find something to grip onto himself, somewhere to look for hope. There is nowhere to look though, for the hope everyone is gripping to is him.

"That's not all he said" Shinki continues. "He said that Naruto had a way of changing things, of turning darkness into light".

"He said that Naruto's true power isn't his ability to rise from the pit of darkness, it isn't how far he is able to climb. His true power is that when he climbs he brings everyone else up with him".

Mirai nods reluctantly. It is perhaps for this reason that it is Naruto, not Sasuke, who was able to become the Hokage. "I admit it" she says, "Lord 7th is incredible, he does indeed bring everyone up with him when he rises from the darkness".

Shinki catches hold of Mirai's wrist, garnering her full attention.

"Believe in Naruto" he firmly demands, "My father believed in him, my uncle believed in him and I'm sure that inside, you believe in him too".

The military leader takes a moment before she reaches out into the darkness. She grasps the last light of hope just like everyone always does. She grasps onto the hope of Naruto. "Of course I do" she replies.

"He will rise from this pit of darkness" the Kazekage smiles, "And when he does, he will bring all of us with him".

Naruto rests his head in his hands.

' _Everyone is depending on me'_ he tells himself as he shakes his skull slowly from side to side. _'Gaara, did you really tell him those things?'_.

' _Can I really rise from the pit of darkness again?'_.

 **Outside the Village, The Last Place Boruto was Seen**

This spot will forever be a scar. A scar in the hearts of the hidden leaf's many citizens. Uchiha Sarada had done her absolute best in the fateful pursuit. She had pursued Tao Ma, she had tried to rescue Boruto, she had tailed them to this very spot. This is that spot, where with the gentle hums of that tune, Boruto had disappeared from this world.

Two silver-maned Hokage approach.

"This is the spot Sarada described to us" Tobirama asks as he struts over and examines the ground for any traces of the shadow Hokage.

Kakashi follows at his side, looking left and right for any significant features of this area. Without the trees and grass this area would be lifeless. It's as if all life that could run has already done so. "Yeah" he mutters, "This is the spot".

Between them they are perhaps the most qualified duo in the world to search for a missing person. Each Hokage has legendary sensory prowess, one able to find a trace of chakra on the other side of the world, one able to trace a shinobi for miles after several days delay.

"Can you smell anything?" Tobirama asks hopefully.

Kakashi tries but shakes his head. "Nothing. Less than nothing. It's as if the smells they left have been erased from existence. I doubt even the Inuzuka could find a trace of his smell here".

Tobirama nods his head before bending his knees and touching his forefinger on the ground. He stretches out his senses and searches, searches desperately, praying that he can find even a trace of their incumbent shadow Hokage.

"I can't find anything" the 2nd Hokage explains aloud, "Not even when I enhance my power with the invaders' energy, not a trace of him".

This situation is irregular, Kakashi knows that. For someone to disguise the fact they ever existed is difficult, from the two of them it is almost impossible. He activates his Mangekyo Sharingan, the eyes left to him by his best friend. The red eyes dart hither and thither, scanning for just a trace. Just a hint.

"Anything?".

"Nothing" Kakashi answers once again. "It's like he vanished from thin air. No, it's more like he never even existed".

"Sarada described a portal" the 2nd Hokage recalls as he taps his finger on his head protector. "Do you think that you could find any traces if he disappeared through a portal?".

"Yeah, I am sure that I could". Team 7s leader is flummoxed by the present scenario. Just what is going on? Evasiveness on this level shouldn't be possible, not even for the invading forces. "It's almost as if they were able to erase his scent and chakra as they moved".

"Just what was that power?" Tobirama murmurs to himself, "What has been plaguing Boruto all this time?".

"I don't know" the 6th admits, "But I get the feeling we are going to find out".

"Wait" Tobirama suddenly shouts, drawing the gaze of his comrade. "I feel something…".

Kakashi walks towards his predecessor. "Is it Boruto?".

"No but…" Tobirama winces slightly as he tries to focus on the new senses he is experiencing. "It feels like it is getting closer…".

Kakashi feels his Mangekyo Sharingan being driven upward, like diving intervention. Over Tobirama's shoulder he spots something, someone approaching. A giant hulk of a man, his uniform emblazoned with the number 1, his cape hanging from his back decorated with beautiful gold colours.

This man is surrounded by a golden cloak.

This is the new arrival, General Blackburn.

"Look out!" Kakashi shouts as he runs at Tobirama.

Blackburn's approach is quick, incredibly quick. He pulls his arm back and throws a heavy punch in Tobirama's direction. This sort of blow would be impossible to survive if you were unprepared.

Kakashi is prepared fortunately. He activates Obito's power, allowing him to run straight through Tobirama's relaxed body. He activates what little of the invaders' power he can control, coating his arms in the most terrifying lightning he can muster. He places both his forearms out before him, a shield of skin and thunder.

As fist and arm collide, Kakashi winces. The power of the punch is truly incredible.

' _This guy'_ the 6th Hokage curses, _'He moves so fast that he can almost nullify Obito's power'_.

Blackburn doesn't waste any time, he digs his feet into the ground and uses the great power of his tree-trunk legs to push himself forward. Twisting his hips, he launches Kakashi backwards. It is only thanks to a quick use of Obito's power that Kakashi can avoid hitting Tobirama.

The 2nd Hokage has now had time to react. As Kakashi is punched back through him, he turns to face Blackburn, throwing a kunai towards the behemoth as hard as he can. The force is only a deception, a sleight of hand to force the general into ducking.

As Blackburn dodges the kunai, the Hokage's chance has arrived. He activates his teleportation power, the flying thunder god. A technique which he invented. With a flash, he is behind his assailant. He uses his new-found powers, coating his leg in a swirling layer of water as he unleashes a powerful kick at the general.

To the 2nd's great surprise, the general outdoes him, his speed insurmountable, even by the mighty power that is teleportation. Blackburn catches Tobirama's leg before throwing him into the path of an incoming attack.

It's like a Tsunami of the earth. The ground rises like a wave and crashes into the Senju clansmen. The contact is a horrifying crunch, so tough that it cracks Tobirama's armour severely.

As Tobirama flies backwards he is caught by his saving grace, his partner in this endeavour, Kakashi. Digging their kunai into the ground and combining their powers, the duo manages to halt the incredible momentum they assimilated from that attack. Neither have ever felt an attack of that force before, not even during the captained six contest. Their situation finally sinks in, they don't have any reinforcements this time. There is no hope, there is no help. It's just them and a general. It's just them against this incredible might.

A bellowing laugh comes from the giant man they are facing. He looks happy, truly happy. Like a father watching his child ride a bike for the first time.

"So you really do understand our power" he shouts as he continues to laugh, "As I thought, you locals are impressive".

In their flustered state, Kakashi and Tobirama aren't so quick to agree. Seldom have they been made to feel like this during a fight.

"You guys really are worthy of spending some time on" Blackburn declares as he punches his two fists together.

"Come" he demands, "Let's fight to our heart's content".

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi Everyone,

I would like to apologise for the long period since my last update. I have had a lot to do elsewhere other than my writing.  
I _should_ have more time clear for writing now.  
I would like to assure you, I haven't lost any of my determination to write this story.

I would, as always, like to thank you for supporting me while I write this story, it's great to see that people are enjoying reading it.

Thanks for reading,  
Cbehrills. 


	91. A General's Power

**WAR NEVER ENDS – A GENERAL'S POWER**

 **The Spot Where Boruto Disappeared**

Formerly the two silver-haired Hokage had been confronted with silence. The only sound the voices they used to convey their confusion to one another. This is the spot where Boruto vanished but it has now become a more important spot in the course of their lives. They are now in mortal danger. The silence has been replaced, now they can hear their own heartbeats, such is the adrenaline pumping through their veins.

Previously they have encountered two generals and both situations posed serious risks to their lives. The first of those generals was General Clyde, the leader of the original invaders, who was defeated only by Naruto himself. The second was not so long ago, an attack on the village by General Georgia, the sister of the poisonous Colonel Martin. That attack was survived only with the help of the other Hokage and of the newly ascended Peterson. This time they are on their own.

Is there a chance of winning in this situation? Or is the goal simply survival?

"Kakashi, this guy is a general" Tobirama states as he holds his gaze on Blackburn, not daring to move it, "If we want to beat him we are going to have to work together".

Only one of them has ever defeated a general in single combat. Uzumaki Naruto himself.

Kakashi knows this as well as anybody. "Of course, that was my intention from the beginning".

They both know that Kakashi's powers make him an expert at retreating. If Tobirama were to offer a distraction it would be enough for the 6th Hokage to make a getaway. Neither are willing to take that option. They are both leaders of the Hidden Leaf Village and are duty bound not to abandon another citizen of that village.

Kakashi pulls two shuriken into his hands, slowly raising them while everyone else remains motionless. Everything is about to kick-off. Once the first attack is truly thrown it will be a relentless blitz before the first pause in combat arrives. Two space-time users with basic control of the invaders power, a master of that power. There is no way this battle won't be one of incredible speed.

A gust of wind.

A twitch from the 2nd Hokage.

A glare from Kakashi's Mangekyo.

A smile from the attacking general.

Everything begins.

Kakashi is the first to react, he infuses his shuriken with the power of lightning. Lightning is the element that he has understood. He has become one of the few locals in history to understand the invaders' power. As that lightning reaches incredible levels of intensity within a fraction of a second, he launches both shuriken forward.

The power behind the throw worthy of a Hokage, the two dancing stars separate and a tether of electricity appears between them. It's an impromptu lightning blade, cutting through the air, on course to behead the enemy.

Blackburn is unperturbed by the power of the attack, instead he is happy. This is what he has been waiting for, a local who can put up a decent fight. The behemoth claps his hands together, summoning two giant pillars of stone as he does so.

The pillars have been placed perfectly. The shuriken collide with the pillars at great speed, creating a sizeable dent but not puncturing them. As the shuriken slow, the lightning loses power. As they come to a halt, so the electrical tether disappears.

As the shuriken come to a halt, Tobirama has long since started his run. Half-way to Blackburn from his starting position, he has already completed the sign pattern he has been weaving. He has always had great control over water as a shinobi and that has only been enhanced by his understanding of the element with the invaders' power.

"Water dragon jutsu!" he cries as he sprints towards his opponent.

The dragon of water that results is enormous and pure, dark blue. The new powers which Tobirama has mastered have increased the power of this attack several times over. It launches at the general at a speed that eclipses even its makers.

Blackburn reacts quickly, throwing his monster-sized hand forward and slamming it into the nose of the dragon. In spite of all the dragon's power and might, it cannot overcome the unstoppable force of Blackburn's fist. It stops in its tracks, it is eviscerated.

As the dragon dies Blackburn notices another call from nearby. Kakashi has also moved from his starting position, straight into the blind spot created by the dark blue dragon. "Kamui" the 6th Hokage calls as a bridge between two dimensions opens. The spiral tear in reality materialises just a few yards before Blackburn's face and a heavy kunai emerges from it, hurtling towards him at speed.

In this battle of speed and quickness, this kunai is par for the course, Blackburn can dodge things like this all day. He comfortably shuffles both his left and right feet to the right, grinning as the sharpened weapon wizzes past his ear. This confidence is the greatest weapon of his opponents, whose tricks and skills he could never have expected, for they are unprecedented even by the locals' standards.

A hand clasps around the handle of the kunai. With a flash, Tobirama has teleported behind Blackburn. He has been presented with a golden opportunity. He coats his foot in high-density water, pulling out all of the invaders' power that he can muster. He swings his foot forward and kicks Blackburn as hard as he can in the back. While the general flies forward, he doesn't stop, the 2nd Hokage continues to attack, firing from his foot a high-pressure beam of water to push his opponent forward.

The kick wasn't without aim. Waiting in Blackburn's path is Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi has coated his hands with intense lightning, dwarfing the intensity he has demonstrated previously with his chidori and raikiri. Kakashi keeps an open palm to maximise the surface area of his attack and swings his arm. Three times! Three times he strikes his opponent without answer. Then the lightning increases its ferocity even further, it's a combination of the invaders' lightning and Kakashi's own raikiri. Kakashi pushes his hand like a knife towards the general's head.

Blackburn realises the power of the attack that is being levied at him, even he cannot afford to be hit by that. He pulls his enormous skull out of the way of Kakashi's attack and answers with a blow to his opponent's stomach.

Kakashi instantly falls to the floor, exhaling an entire lung-full of air as he does so. _'This guy, his element is earth, the way it enhances his strength is absolutely incredible'_.

The Hokage pair have met an earth user before. As it happens, Lord 3rd, Sarutobi Hiruzen of the circle also uses earth as his element. Lord 3rd however, has only understood the power to the captain level. While Hiruzen's raw power is remarkable he doesn't enjoy the same benefits from his element that this monstrous general does.

Blackburn raises his hand in the air, mimicking Kakashi's open palm from before with a mocking smile and chops it down towards the 6th Hokage. That flash of a grin was a mistake, it allows Kakashi enough time to activate Obito's power and hence the attack passes through his body and into the ground below.

"Now Tobirama!" Kakashi shouts.

General Blackburn looks over his shoulder to see a remarkable transformation to his rear. During his brief scuffle with Kakashi, Tobirama has used the powers he inherited from Mito to transform into the nine-tails. He executes perhaps his most powerful attack by gathering a huge amount of chakra and firing the tailed beast bomb.

The explosion rocks the area, ruining any chance of finding traces of Boruto. This is the furthest thing from Tobirama's mind now though, all that matters is surviving this attack. All that matters is surviving to fight another day.

Kakashi rises up from underground next to his partner in this battle and upon truly re-entering the realm falls to one knee.

"Are you alright, Kakashi?".

The masked shinobi's breaths are slow and pitiful. "Barely" he breathes as he looks at the explosion a short distance before them. "His fists feel like they have the weight of a mountain behind them".

"His element is earth" Tobirama notes, recalling Sarutobi's similar abilities. "He is a specialist in heavy hitting".

"Yeah".

As the explosion dies down a silhouette begins to emerge. It is as the Hokages had feared, that blow wasn't going to be enough to finish Blackburn.

The damage dealt has been minimal.

"He took it and he's still OK" Tobirama groans as he prepares another kunai. It looks like they aren't out of the woods yet.

"A general's power is no joke" Kakashi concludes as he forces himself up off his knee and back onto his feet. "Just how did Naruto fight against one three years ago?".

"Hahaha" Blackburn bellows out as he places his hands on his hips. Unlike his opponents he is fearless. "You two are indeed worthy opponents".

"Will you tell me your names?".

The leader of team 7 breathes deeply, taking every second his opponent allows to get his breath back. While he doesn't wish to talk with him he is willing to use any opportunity he is presented with. "Hatake Kakashi" he finally answers.

"Senju Tobirama" the Senju clansmen follows.

"Senju, Hatake. I will not forget the two of you". As Blackburn finishes his sentence he begins to emit a terrifying amount of power. He wasn't going all out previously. "Remember my name, remember the name Blackburn".

"He's about to fight seriously" Tobirama croaks.

"Don't drop your guard" Kakashi barks, showing his will to keep on fighting. "We have to win here, we have to weather this storm or we have no hope of winning in the long run".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hospital**

The white energy dances over the sick patient. The incredible medical staff of the Hidden Leaf Hospital cannot do anything. This is supposed to be a terminal illness, a death sentence. Some illnesses have to be dealt with within hours or they cannot be dealt with at all. Sometimes the patient will have progressed to far with their symptoms and the doctors can do nothing but watch. That is why this energy is so miraculous. It's the energy that defies death itself. The energy of life.

This power belongs to Uzumaki Naruto.

As the impossible happens before her eyes, Biwako can't help but shake her head. She smiles as she looks towards the 7th Hokage, finishing his rounds. He has saved yet another life.

"It still gets to me you know" she says with a wide smile.

"What does?" he asks.

"I've trained all my life to be as good at healing people as possible" she explains. The conditions Biwako learned to be a medic in were much harder than the ones she is presented with now. The technology and healthcare from the time of her tuition, far less advanced than that of today. "I've never seen a gift like the one you have, treasure it Naruto".

The blonde Hokage nods, "I will. I feel that I have this power for a reason. To help people".

"That's a good attitude to have".

Naruto knows that, there is no other attitude he can have in this situation. The entire village is metaphorically looking at him. Though it feels like they really are looking his direction most of the time. The villagers may have never been more frightened, more on-edge than they are now. With Hashirama dead and Boruto gone, now more than ever they are depending on him. In this situation what else can he do than help them. He would never be accepted back into society if he simply cowered, if he ran and left them to their own devices.

"Thank you for all of your help today" Biwako says as she politely bows. "These people wouldn't have pulled through if it weren't for you".

It is sad that he has become used to that now. Instead of receiving gratitude for curing people of their ailments or reliving people of their fears, it would be a greater reward for Naruto if they were no longer to be ill, injured or afraid.

"It's the least I can do" the Hokage answers modestly.

"However, I have to give you a warning".

"A warning?".

"Yes, not to Uzumaki Naruto but the 7th Hokage". After three years in which Biwako often called on Naruto or Hashirama for help she has come to know them both as close friends. She speaks to them informally under normal circumstances, unfortunately, those circumstances don't exist anymore.

"What is it?".

"The shear destruction caused by the last attack should speak volumes" Biwako explains as she raises her arms to her sides, gesturing the hospital full of people that Naruto has just witnessed. "All these injuries were caused by flying debris, by the side effects of battle. It's not just vulnerable citizens either, it's experienced shinobi, it's the workforce, the heart and soul of our village".

"I see" the Uzumaki clansmen admits as he gently tilts his head downwards. Right now, it feels as heavy as ever, "So, we have become so powerful that even being nearby to our battle is enough to hurt the villagers".

"Your battles are dangerous things Lord 7th" the medic details her issues. "This was just a single skirmish, with a single enemy battling a group of Hokage. If another battle is to take place in the Hidden Leaf Village, the results may be catastrophic".

"I understand how bad things are" Naruto replies. How could he not, he gets told about it by enough people. "I promise I am working as hard as I can to resolve things".

The 3rd's wife gestures Naruto over to the railings at the centre of the floor. From here they can see every floor of this hospital and many of the hard-working staff and desperate patients that operate it.

"I'm the hospital's director and perhaps that is why I can say these things. I'm afraid Naruto. If it gets much worse than this I don't know if the village can take it" she takes a deep breath, and turns with moist eyes towards the village's hero. "Please, please don't let that disaster happen. If anyone can stop it it's you so please… please…".

Naruto forces an assured smile to his face and places his hands on Biwako's shoulders. "Don't worry, I won't let anything bad happen to the village. Not while I am still the Hokage".

The hospital director is usually the one in control, she is usually the one assuring people. It is good for once to have the boot on the other foot. "I've got to get back to my other patients. Please remember that we are all routing for you".

As Biwako walks away, Naruto walks the other direction, searching for and finding the first vacant room he can. He slips into it, leaving the lights off and rests his head against the wall. He closes his eyes and relaxes his shoulders, he feels so tense, so stressed, more than he ever did in his youth.

If he were to know the jeopardy his sensei is experiencing, he would feel even worse still.

 **The Spot Where Boruto Disappeared**

The 2nd Hokage makes use of the nine-tails chakra within him, powering himself to the fullest. His skin changes colour along with his clothing, an orange tinge covering his entire personage as he lowers his posture to best match his teleportation-based fighting style. Once more, it looks like their battle will be one of speed. This time though, this time both sides will exhibit a power even greater than before.

Tobirama teleports, having previously marked Blackburn's back when he teleported last time. An expert battle analyst, he believed that this would catch the general off-guard. He has no such luck.

General Blackburn makes a quick turn and hits a thumping blow into his opponent's chest. Tobirama is sent backwards at a rate of knots, quickly creating separation between himself and his adversary.

As the 2nd Hokage is sent back, an opening appears for the 6th. During the brief moment of distraction created by his friend, he manifested a complete-body Susano. The complete body Susano brings its foot down, its aim Blackburn. Kakashi doesn't have any qualms with killing his opponent, he intends to crush him.

Blackburn is able to resist. The huge man raises his arms from his sides up towards the sky. As his arms rise, two arms made of pure stone, even larger than the general's own, rise from the ground up into the air, catching the dropping foot of the Susano. With his arms raised above him, Blackburn claps his hands together, forming a 3rd fist of stone that punches straight through the Susano's armour.

Kakashi begins to fall to the ground and Tobirama tries an old trick again. This time it is his clone that teleports to Blackburn's rear. The general has seen this trick many times and won't fall for it again, especially when his eye is caught by the bright orange glow of the 2nd Hokage's body. Blackburn turns and swings his fist right at the clone far quicker than the recipient can dodge.

Tobirama does dodge though.

Tobirama seems to dodge without moving his body.

This is the trick he developed during the last conflict with invading forces. He swaps his real body and his clone such that the attacking body is always in the right position to dodge the incoming blows. This works the first few times Tobirama employs it and the Senju clansmen is able to get a few solid shots in before he is countered. The bearded general grabs hold of the 2nd Hokage's ankle and slams him down into the ground.

The general attempts to follow with another blow but he is stopped at the last moment by a quick punch from Kakashi. The Hokage's are grasping at straws now, trying anything they can to desperately last just a few seconds longer. In hope of anything. In hope of a miracle.

Kakashi's stalling tactics don't work for long. Blackburn grabs him by the ankle similarly and before he can activate Obito's powers slams him into the ground next to Tobirama. They have both been crippled, a brief contact by their arms as Kakashi was slammed disabling them for the moment.

Victory belongs to Blackburn!

The invader lifts his fist one final time to deliver the killing blow.

' _I will remember your names, Senju, Hatake'_.

Blackburn's fist plunges downwards, the last attack in the fight.

"Wait a moment if you would, General".

All three combatants stop in their tracks. They all recognise that voice.

Tobirama strains himself to tilt his neck. He has heard that voice before, he needs to confirm its who he thinks it is. He needs to know if the miracle is about to come.

"General… Clyde…".

"Hahaha, this is exciting indeed" Blackburn bellows as he draws himself up to his full height and inspects the new arrival.

Clyde is an elite general with a transcendent element. He is famous to his pears as someone who greatly values his subordinates. A controversial figure who you either despise for his lack of ability to follow protocol or who you adore for his devotion to all those who work beneath him. Blackburn wouldn't mistake this man, this man who's power he has always admired and strived to surpass.

This is General Clyde.

"I see you have already activated your golden elemental cloak, good, it looks like you have come here to fight". Blackburn loves to fight, that is part of the reason he was sent to this world. The promise of fighting someone as powerful as General Clyde, such a thing is hard to resist for him. "I have always wanted to fight you but I have to make sure that it's true. Whose side are you on, General Clyde?".

Clyde is reluctant, there is one person he thinks highly of amongst the locals. That person is Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto is rare ray of hope that he wants to protect but he is not so sure about the others. The others had fewer resignations about killing his subordinates, it is hard to know if they can truly be trust.

Finally, Clyde comes to a decision. He raises his finger and points it at Blackburn. "Not yours".

Blackburn smiles widely, this should be far more interesting than his fight with the locals. He pulls his fist back and casts it forward as hard as he can, he intends to kill Clyde in a single blow.

Faster than Blackburn could have ever anticipated, his fist glides over Clyde's shoulder and their shoulder's touch together. Kakashi and Tobirama had believed their battle to be one of high-speed. The pace which Clyde just demonstrated to close the distance between himself and Blackburn was on another level. It was greater than even Blackburn himself had anticipated.

Clyde's counterpunch is less dramatic, he simply drives his fist as hard as he can up into Blackburn's gut. A punch so simple, yet so powerful that it causes blood to spew from the mouth of the victim. As Blackburn falls to his knees and looks up at Clyde he can't help but be shocked. He is sure that he had a gauge of Clyde's power. He is sure he knew what to expect. His opponent however, is on another level. This is the power of an elite general. This is the power of Clyde.

Clyde lowers himself to one knee, coming down to Blackburn's level and places a hand on his opponent's chest. He raises his head to look into the behemoth's eyes one final time. "Tell Lara, I'm waiting for her". Clyde draws darkness from the stone tablet in his inner world, pushes down his arm and blasts Blackburn into the distance, ending the fight in an instant. For Blackburn to continue would be pointless, everyone knows that Clyde has one this fight.

As the enemy general disappears from view Clyde turns cheerfully to the two silver haired Hokage.

"General Clyde" Tobirama repeats as he forces himself up onto his knees, "What is happening, who are all these people who…".

"Is Naruto back with your people?" Clyde asks, interrupting the 2nd Hokage.

Tobirama pauses, irritated that Clyde has no intention of answering questions. "Yes" he admits, "Uzumaki Naruto is in the village".

"Good… Good" Clyde mutters to himself. "The task he has before him is much greater than he realises. Much greater than anyone realises".

"Make sure he is ready" Clyde finishes, "He will need to be".


	92. The Hokage's Resolve

**Author Note:**

Hi All,

I'm back (again). This time I will be back to writing much more regularly, I promise.  
All the things that were causing me delays have been dealt with, so I have much more time to write.

This chapter isn't the most thrilling one to return with, so I'm sorry about that. (I'm not selling myself very well am I?).  
However, this story will really be picking up soon, so I hope you can tolerate it again.

Thanks for reading,  
Cbehrills

* * *

 **WAR NEVER ENDS – THE HOKAGE'S RESOLVE**

 **The Circle**

Looking around the circle, one could see the perfect representation it gives. The first seat, empty, it's occupant deceased. The second seat and sixth seat filled by two beaten and battered men. The third, fourth and fifth seats, filled with men and women racking their brains for ways to help the village even a little bit. Struggling with their own inability to do anything, their own incompetents. The seat of 9th Hokage filled with one struggling to overcome her grief, her own losses as she looked like a lost child. Lastly, the 7th seat, the seat they all looked to for guidance, the seat of hope, filled with the youngest of them all.

Shikadai sighs to himself as he looks around the table, forward or back, left or right, it isn't looking good no matter what direction he looks in. Tobirama and Kakashi particularly catch his eye. Neither the 2nd nor 6th Hokage had been particularly injured during the recent events yet each of them were sporting fresh wounds. Something had happened to them but it wasn't his place to pry. The two silver-maned Hokage were the quiet type but they were unlikely to withhold any vital information.

"OK" Shikadai begins. "I know it's not what anyone wants to talk about but we need to speak about damages today".

"There have been civilian casualties" Hiruzen explains, his eyes fixed to the table, "Biwako has been dealing with them".

"I've been helping at much as I can in that regard" Tsunade says, "I am in a situation where I have to switch between my Hokage duties and helping out, it's been a struggle. I believe you are in the same situation Lord 7th".

The eyes in the room all turn to that man. People swivel in their seats as his name is mentioned. Even the 4th Hokage and the 6th Hokage whom Naruto has looked up to before, they now look to him with those expectant eyes. It's as if people revere him, the fabled 7th Hokage.

Tsunade's question is answered with silence. Much like Hiruzen's eyes had been, Naruto's eyes are fixed to the table in front of him. In recent days he has seen so much, experienced losses one after another, very personal losses. He has endured the same look everywhere he has gone. He had first seen it in the children, looking to him after their academy's leader had died. He had expected the look to stop but it didn't, it persisted even when he returned to the village. A look from children, from villagers, from shinobi, even from Hokage, one look.

"Lord 7th" Shikadai called, "Have you been helping Biwako too?".

Naruto raises his head and sees it once again, those looks. "Yeah, it hasn't been easy".

Tsunade can't help but shudder internally. She has been working as long and hard as she can despite her tremendous personal losses and it has been truly draining for her. She looks at Naruto and it puts it all into perspective. He had been working even longer hours, thousands of times over with his clones, saving people that even she couldn't save. She sees a monster, a monster who can push himself further than anybody should be able to.

"Public confidence in us is low lately" Minato admits, "It's not hard to see why".

Sarada agrees, she too has experienced this. "Of course, if they are hurt because of enemy action, it's our fault".

"Indeed, this reflects our inability to protect them" declares the Kazekage. He hates this feeling, this helplessness, "After three years, to still not be too weak is our failing".

Tobirama feels duty-bound to make an announcement, to declare what he and Kakashi have done. "Lord 6th and I have bad news as well".

"Is it related to your injuries?" Minato asks.

"Yes. Yesterday we went outside the village to see if we could track Lord Shadow 9th".

Sarada's head perks up. "Did you find anything?".

"No" Kakashi answers, "Even with my visual prowess and Lord 2nd's sensory powers, we were unable to find anything. Instead we were attacked, another enemy general, a new one".

"Another one is here?".  
"A new one?".

The circle was engulfed in whispers and speculation for a few moments. The situation seems to the Kage to have a persistent ability to be worse than they thought possible.

"He claimed his name was General Blackburn. He overwhelmed us. He would have killed us if we weren't so lucky".

"What do you mean?" Shikadai asks, "How did you get lucky?".

"An old adversary" says Tobirama, "General Clyde saver oud lives".

"General Clyde saved you?". Tsunade rose to her feet, her hands flat to the table.

"That's right, he wasn't in the mood to talk though" Kakashi explained. "He only said that we should make sure you are prepared for what is to come, Naruto".

Once more the name is called.  
Once more the look heads in his direction.  
Once more he doesn't answer.

"Lord 7…".

"I get it OK!" Naruto shouts, rising to his feet as he slams his fist into the desk.

Silence descends. They haven't seen him like this before. He hasn't lost his temper in such a dramatic fashion in the circle previously.

"I get that you all think I'm this kind of superhero" he shouts, his eyes closed and his fists curled into a tight ball, "I get it, I get that you think I'm going to save you all".

He opens his eyes and the others present see him for what he really is. He is afraid.

"You're wrong about me. I'm not a superhero, I'm just the Hokage. The hero who can save everyone, that man isn't me".

Tipping his chair as he storms past Sarada, Naruto leaves the room. The 9th Hokage quickly leaves in pursuit, leaving the others to their realisations.

Air leaves Shikadai's lungs as he throws his papers to the side. "Perhaps that was too much".

"It's easy for us to forget he is the youngest here" Kakashi reminds his fellow Kage. "While he has been our hero before, he is only 20 years old. The pressure he is feeling right now must be insane".

The room full of the greatest shinobi in the history of the Hidden Leaf is left to ponder their own actions. They are left to speculate and deliberate, after all the attacks, have they destroyed their own hero? Will the downfall of the village be their own fault?

 **Outside**

Sarada looks around her in every direction, panicking, furious, enraged. After a few seconds she realises that things have changed since she entered the circle. While previously the sun was rising over the village, clouds now cover the skies. As the water pours down Sarada's skin she swears she can feel it evaporating. She feels so agitated, like her body heat could melt concrete.

She impatiently grinds her teeth before taking off into the village. Despite the bad weather the village is full of people. Shinobi watch her run past, trying to attract her attention to enquire about the situation. Villagers call out to her, begging for help, for assurance for their loved ones. Little do they know that she is just as lost as they are, she needs that consolation just as much.

Seconds pass, quickly turning to minutes. The 9th Hokage swears that she has run through the entire village, a much smaller place than it was in her youth. Shaking her head in realisation she activates her rinnegan, why hadn't she done this before? She looks left and right, examining the landscape, looking for her target, for that man who had run away. She espies him sitting atop the Hokage monument. Of course, he would be there, where else would he be, why hadn't she thought of that before?

As a child approaches her she ignores him completely, she doesn't even see him with the rinnegan, nor does she hear his call for help. With several powerful kicks from her leg she leaps from roof to roof, just as she had berated Boruto for doing in his youth. To get to the Hokage monument would take around 20 minutes for the average citizen but she manages it in seconds.

She approaches from Naruto's back, from the rear of the monument. She sees how he is watching, even now. While he has suffered and exploded in anger his clones have persisted, just as he has, to watch the hidden leaf. He keeps going, no matter what, even if others stop, even if she stops.

"Hey" Sarada shouts at his back, "What the hell was that in there? What do you think you were doing?".

Naruto raises his head slightly to acknowledge her. He had detected her previously but had hoped to maintain silence between them. Undoubtedly, they were the two who felt most responsible for Boruto's loss, he was hoping that would be enough to reach an understanding. That isn't the case, things aren't so simple when you are the Hokage.

"… I left because I should have done" Naruto says.

"Don't give me that rubbish. Are you just going to give up now? Are you just going to stay here and sulk? Do you think you have done enough?".

Naruto thought that was an interesting thing to ask. In recent years he had heard people tell him time and again that he had done enough. While other people told him to relax, to take a break, he kept moving forward. He fought one more enemy, he ran one more lap. Even Sasuke couldn't understand what kept his friend moving. Sarada was different though, she was someone who he had inspired, who adopted his philosophy of never giving up.

"No. I won't give up" Naruto begins, "But I can't be the hero you think I can. I can't be the hero that everyone needs".

Sarada's anger is rising by the second. She approaches Naruto and lifts him up by his jumpsuit, "Then who can?".

Silence!

"I'm disappointed in you. I thought you were someone worthy of calling my master, someone on par with my father". Sarada shakes him as she shouts, unable to control herself. "But what will happen now, what will happen while you are too miserable to act?".

Silence!

"… are you…" she continues, "are you going to let Boruto die!?".

"SHUT THE HELL UP". With a strong palm to Sarada's shoulder, Naruto sends her stumbling backwards.

They look into one another's eyes. The blue of Naruto's iris, so similar to Boruto's, a constant reminder of their father-son relationship. The purple of Sarada's, the rinnegan just the same as it had been to Naruto in the past. Looking at the rinnegan now, Sarada reminded Naruto more of Pain than Sasuke. She was probing him with questions that he couldn't answer.

When Naruto first met his son, he saw him fighting an enemy captain. It seems so trivial to him now. Back then he said words that pierced Naruto's very soul, 'welcome to despair good captain, welcome to our world'. Perhaps the youngest Hokage hadn't grown accustom to that truth yet, perhaps he is not yet part of this world.

"I think you are right Sarada" he says, "I am a disappointment, they are all right".

He sighs as he continues.  
"Do you know what I hear, everywhere I go?".  
"It doesn't matter how bad it gets, Naruto will save us".  
"I know it's bad but don't worry, Naruto will save us".  
"Please Lord 7th, it can't get any worse, please save us".  
"I'm not scared because Naruto will save us".

"Naruto" he mutters to himself, his voice getting louder with each repetition. "Naruto, Naruto, Naruto, NARUTO… WHY ME!".

Sarada's fist shakes as she listens. How could he say that? She had watched him deal with that sort of adoration her entire life. She had grown up watching him receive praise like that. She had craved to be the same, to be someone that people could look to in their troubles, to be someone that people could rely on no matter what. She couldn't be that person when it mattered, she was unable to protect the village against the invaders so she called on him and now he is just the same as her.

Even the Hokage has limits.

"Is that really going to stop you" she asks, "Is that really what is going to finish you?".

"I'm pathetic Sarada" he says, "I couldn't save Mito before. I couldn't save Dan. I couldn't save the villagers and I couldn't save Boruto. What sort of hero am I?".

"Then maybe you are right" Sarada says, her shoulders dropping. "Maybe you are pathetic. Maybe you aren't the Hokage I remember. In this state though, you are worse than pathetic, you are useless".

A moment of silence passes between the two of them. Neither knows what to say. Naruto cannot refute her, he himself recognised the hopelessness of the situation before she did. Sarada has nothing left she can say, all she can do is look to the heavens and pray for a miracle, for a saviour.

Then, a hand touches her shoulder.

"What the hell do you…" she begins as she turns.

She is stopped dead in her tracks as she sees who has arrived. It isn't a normal shinobi or a citizen as she had expected. It's her would-be mother-in-law.

"Hinata…".

Sarada, feeling relieved, empties the air from her lungs. If there is one person who can get through to Naruto in this situation it is Hinata. Still, the look on her face goes unnoticed despite Sarada's rinnegan. If the Uchiha were of logical mind she would have noticed Hinata's the same as she is, angry.

"Good" Sarada says, "Perhaps you can talk some sense into him".

Slap!

The stinging sound of Hinata's hand on Sarada's face, it stuns the raven-haired Hokage.

"I may not have known my son for as long as you have. I may not have spent so much time at his side" Hinata begins, "Perhaps even the bond you share with my son is stronger than the one I do. But, I know him well enough to say this…".

Hinata's next words would devastate Sarada, the truth stings, even for the Hokage.

"Boruto would be ashamed of you right now Sarada, as would Sasuke and Sakura".

The trio of names are enough to sober Sarada's attitude. Since this has started she has lost all three of them in some way. Her mother died at the hands of her father. Her father died twice, once at her own hands. Her fiancée had been kidnapped right in front of her eyes by an enemy who couldn't even be bothered to kill her. Sarada knows that Hinata is right though, all three of them had an unwavering belief in Naruto but they also respected that he was only human. All three of them had supported him when he was down.

"Go, you have to calm down before talking to him again" Hinata says.

Sarada takes a deep breath before nodding. Hinata is right. Even if Naruto weren't a hero in her opinion, the way she is acting towards him has been deplorable. This tantrum, this anger, it is not the way to get Naruto back to what he was. With a muttered apology to her master, Sarada turns her back to him and leaves Boruto's parents in peace.

Hinata walks up to the kneeling Naruto, his eyes have not risen from the floor since Sarada called him useless. She kneels in front of him and hugs him tightly, knowing that if it were required, she would never let go.

"I'm here Naruto" she says.

"Did my dad send you?".

"Yes".

"I assume you heard what we both said before".

"I did".

Naruto sighs. He regrets that he ever said what he said. Whether or not he is that omnipotent hero, he wants to keep saying the right things and doing the right things. For Hinata, for his parents, for the village, for his pupil.

"It's honestly how I feel Hinata. It feels like no matter what I try nothing can go right anymore".

"Naruto, there is no such thing as an omnipotent hero who can save everyone" she says, gently rubbing his back with her hand. "And while it may sound like everyone is expecting the world of you, that isn't the case".

"It isn't" he asks.

Hinata shakes her head. "Everyone knows that you try harder than anybody else. They are confident that if you never give up you will do better than anybody else could. That's why they place so much faith in you".

Many people had claimed 'never give up' as their mantra in life. This was because the most famous shinobi around, Uzumaki Naruto, had it as his ninja way. The blonde shinobi had never once considered that it would become such a curse, such a burden. He had expected it to make things difficult, he had expected it to help him become the Hokage but he couldn't anticipate what would follow. His ninja way would put him on a plateau above even the Hokage.

"Aren't they relying on me?" he asks.

"They're believing in you" Hinata says, she pulls her hand back and runs her thumb along Naruto's whisker marks, "They're believing in you just like I am. Just like Sarada is, deep down inside".

With a huff, Naruto gets to his feet. Hinata smiles slightly as she feels that attitude from him, that attitude she has felt many times before. She can hear the young Naruto shouting, 'one more time'.

"So, Naruto, what will you do, will you give up?" she asks with a smile.

"… I will never give up?".

"Then what will you do, Lord 7th?".

Hinata is curious to know but surprised when Naruto walks past her. He doesn't look back but at a steady pace walks in a straight line away from the village.

"I'm going to find out where our son is" he answers.

Hinata can't help but like that. She gets to her own feet and runs after him, slowing to a walk as she reaches his side.

"You know it may be dangerous what I'm about to do" Naruto says as he continues his walk, "I can't guarantee you will be safe".

"That's fine, I'm willing to risk my life to find our son".

"Let's go then" come the words of the resolute Hokage. Once more, Uzumaki Naruto has been found. "Let's find Boruto".


	93. The Strongest General

**WAR NEVER ENDS – THE STRONGEST GENERAL**

 **The Hidden Leaf**

Strolling through the streets, Sarada feels the rain dripping from her hair onto her shoulders. She walks slowly and thinks over what she has just done. That was Uzumaki Naruto she had criticised for giving up. The man she had admired throughout her entire youth, the closest friend of her parents, her teacher. While she had criticised him for giving in it was cloudy to her the hidden truth of the matter, everyone else had been looking towards the young Hokage for guidance and had given up trying themselves.

Sarada comes to a halt as she raises her head and looks at the establishment in front of her. A hamburger bar, she had been here many times with Boruto. She rubs her eyes, finding them to be incredibly dry despite the wet weather conditions. She enters the hamburger bar and makes an order she has made many times before. Number 9, Boruto's favourite.

After a short wait the hamburger arrives but the Hokage finds that she has little appetite, toying with the food, pushing it around on the plate. She's ignorant to the many stares in her direction. Ever since Boruto disappeared people have been calling out to her, crying for help but that isn't happening anymore. Nobody approaches her, as if they can feel the negativity, the suffering pouring from her skin.

' _In this state you are worse than pathetic, you are useless'._

The words sting as she recounts them. Hinata is right, her father, her mother, Boruto, they would all be disappointed in her. She has let the situation get to her and while she has berated Naruto for becoming useless that is because that can be said for her too. That is what hurts her more than anything, Naruto is not useless, he feels useless because she is relying on him. It is because Sarada herself is being useless.

Sarada rests her head in her hands, sighing as she restrains herself. She wants to lash out in frustration, to vent her chakra reserves in an instant, but she cannot do that, not here. Instead she can only internalise it and deal with the pain herself. At least that is what she thinks. This changes when a friend approaches.

"Yo Sarada, what's wrong?". It's a familiar voice, Akimichi ChouChou.

"ChouChou… how long have you been here" Sarada asks.

"Just a few minutes. I've been out on patrol all day and I've come to get everyone some food".

Sarada nods, "Right, of course you have, I should be working too…".

Her frustration gets worse still as she is reminded how hard everyone is working. Even as he suffers, Naruto is maintaining the thousands of clones he has throughout the village. Even as they worry for him, Minato and Kakashi patrol the village and look for problems that they can resolve. While they all do their duty, she, the incumbent leader of the village, sits alone in a hamburger bar, morning the disappearance of her fiancée, regretting an argument with her teacher.

"What's wrong?" ChouChou asks again.

"You don't need to be bothered with somebody else's problems right now" Sarada says, waving her hand dismissively, "You've got enough to worry about patrolling the village".

She knows that is a lazy excuse but she is in no mood to discuss her problems. The last thing she wants is for someone to judge her for what she did. Naruto is the most beloved Hokage of the villagers, their guardian angel who has saved them time after time. She cannot imagine that anyone would pity her after she treated him in such a way.

"Don't be silly. You're the Hokage" ChouChou says, "I'm sure you have a lot more to be worrying about than I do".

"That's right, I am the Hokage. I shouldn't be troubling my subordinates with my problems".

"Then don't. Just trouble your friends with them instead".

Sarada looks to her friend, smiling like all is well with the world. ChouChou has been like this to her for so long. Sometimes you want to be left alone but some people stick their nose into your business, they try and interfere with everything. Sarada initially dislikes this but then remembers someone she admires, someone who always sticks his nose where it doesn't belong. A man who became the shadow Hokage.

"… you know it was his favourite food" Sarada says, toying with the burger again. "Hamburgers that is".

"Yeah, yeah I know". ChouChou had often debated food with Boruto, she knows his tastes as well as anybody.

"Earlier, I just lost it".

"How do you mean? How did you lose it?".

"At Naruto. I just started shouting at Naruto. It was like he had given up, he said he couldn't do it" Sarada explains, lowering her voice as she notices people looking her way. "He said that he isn't the hero that we remember, that he couldn't solve all of our problems".

ChouChou nods. "The pressure he must be feeling is insane".

"Yes".

Sarada knows this all too well. For years people have looked to her for guidance. They have looked to her during the most challenging period to be a Hokage, on the verge of extermination. She is the first Uchiha to become the Hokage, the daughter of Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura, the student of Sarutobi Konohamaru. She was born with pressure on her shoulders, she was moulded by it, shaped by it, defined by it. Yet to her, even now, she cannot imagine the pressure he is feeling, it's too much for anyone to bear.

"It's just bee these last few days ChouChou. Everything feels like it's going wrong".

"Yeah" the Akimichi nods her agreement.

"I was wrong to shout at him, wasn't I?".

"He may be Lord 7th but he is still young. You can't expect too much of him, or at least, you shouldn't tell him that you do" ChouChou says as her order is placed before her. She pats her friend on the back comfortingly, "You were wrong to shout at him Sarada".

"What am I supposed to do now then?".

"Do what you have always done in this situation. Go and fix the problem".

Sarada removes her glasses, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. She puts the glass back on with a renewed determination, a fire in her eyes familiar to ChouChou. Sarada has always been like this since she was young. Everyone gets down, they feel depressed and sorry for themselves. It's how quickly they bounce back that matters. Sarada always bounces back quickly because that's required from her. Her resilience is a greater asset than her eyes could ever be, because that is what is required from the Hokage.

 **The Nara Household**

"Naruto really said that?" Temari asks, leaping to her feet.

"Yeah" her son answers, "Just before he ran out of the room".

Temari had been asleep, her head on the living room table before her son had entered. Any semblance of retirement she had before was long gone now. She and Shikamaru, along with the rest of their generation, have been helping to patrol the village, on red alert should they come under attack.

She clenches her fist in anger. The story Shikadai has just told her is damming. It's damming for Sarada and for the other members of the circle but more than anyone, it's damming for her generation. They knew how Naruto developed, they knew his behaviour and his mind in his youth. While they should have predicted that this would be too much for Naruto instead they did what every other shinobi did, depend upon him.

"Through all of this, even though he saved my brother, my nephew and the entire village" she says, pressing her clutched fist into her forehead, "I never stopped to think about how he felt. I never concerned myself with him".

The Hidden Leaf village has many powerful warriors. Or at least it did formerly. Sarada, Boruto, Hashirama, Mirai, Tobirama and more. The village was a powerful blade though and at the very tip of that blade was Uzumaki Naruto. Without him the village's power would be a fraction of what it once was. He was the centrepiece and the cornerstone, the one person they couldn't neglect and yet the one person they all had.

"Perhaps it's a drawback of the path he has chosen" Shikadai says, "He has gone so far down that path, further than anyone thought possible. Now he has become so dependable that it is hard to imagine losing him".

Temari agrees with her son wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, hindsight is twenty-twenty and it is too late for them to take back their negligence. It is good fortune that while they have been negligent in their old age, Hinata has been diligent in her youth.

"Despite what everyone is saying, this battle isn't Naruto against the invaders" she concludes, "It's all of us against the invaders".

Shikadai nods, "Dad, will Naruto be…".

"He will be OK" Shikamaru cuts his son off with a smile.

A confident smile that Shikadai and Temari have seen many times before, they can't help but feel it is out of place here.

"You seem confident?".

"That's because I have seen a side of Naruto that you guys have never seen" he explains, "I have seen Naruto at his lowest points, when he has fallen into the deepest of pits. While other people look up and notice how high they must climb, Naruto has already started climbing".

"I guess you're right" Temari nods, "He truly has never given up".

"No matter how low he falls, he will climb up once again and he will bring everyone with him when he does".

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

The headquarters is nothing fancy. They weren't designed to last forever. The headquarters was supposed to be temporary accommodation while Clyde and his followers continued their invasion. It mostly consists of large tents. The tents are used for many different purposes, sleeping, planning, training, medical and more. It would seem a very old-fashioned way of living to the people of the Hidden Leaf.

Normally this place is peaceful, now that the invasion has ceased. Very little happens in these tents. The medical tents are almost never used, little training takes place that requires supervision. When rebelling against your superiors, it becomes much easier to overlook the protocol they have forced upon you.

Today however, won't be so peaceful. Two people approach, parents of a common child. Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata.

The captains, talking to one another about the present situation fall silent as the couple approach. They know that this is the man who spared their leader but they maintain an air of caution around him. This is someone capable of killing anyone in the entire camp. This is not someone they want to find themselves fighting, never again.

Naruto and Hinata are also uneasy as they walk through the headquarters. The unfamiliar accommodation, the looks from entire crowds of people, the enmity palpable in the air.

"Are you scared walking into this place, Hinata?".

"Yes".

"Yeah, me too" Naruto admits.

Hinata is startled by this confession, as many of the captains would be. Even if Clyde himself were to attack Naruto the Hokage would be able to survive but he has a bad feeling, as if a small insect is creeping along his skin. The Hyuuga heiress looks in his direction, noticing that he is trembling slightly.

"But, we can do it for Boruto can't we?" the Hokage asks, forcing a smile to his face as he offers his hand.

"Yes. For Boruto". Hinata takes Naruto's hand.

Together they continue to walk through the group, enduring the stares and the silence. Hinata comforted that Naruto won't let anything happen to her. Naruto comforted by Hinata's confidence in him. Together, they will continue to move forward, no matter what life throws at them.

They don't know what to expect, perhaps an attack from behind from someone with a grudge. Maybe the invaders would tie them up and imprison them. Maybe they would kill and resurrect them, as they had done with Sasuke previously.

"So" a voice calls out, shocking them both. "You're here at last, Uzumaki Naruto".

Boruto's parents turn around calmly, it is Colonel Peterson. Peterson is the only person smiling amongst a sea of frowning captains. While they are all intimidated by Naruto, Peterson's voice makes it seem like he is expecting the Hokage to share a drink with him.

This is Hinata's first time coming so close to Peterson and she can't help but be amazed. She cannot feel the power he uses but he has a presence about him, the scars adorning his face make him intimidating, even with a friendly smile. To her he seems like he is constantly stalking his prey, waiting for them to be vulnerable before striking with unstoppable force. She tells herself repeatedly that it cannot happen, Naruto is beside her after all. However, people's minds can play tricks on them, even Hinata is not immune to this.

"I haven't come for a social visit" Naruto explains, "I am here to find my son".

"I'm not sure that I can be of too much help with that but it's not me you want to speak to, is it?".

"… I want to speak to General Clyde".

Murmurs start between the captains, Naruto can't make any of them out but he is sure they are not friendly.

Peterson gestures for silence amongst them and they respond instantly. The former colonel has a clear influence over them, despite their rebellion stripping him of any official authority.

Satisfied with the silence, Peterson looks back to Naruto. "If you would like to speak to the General, then follow me".

 **The New Portal**

"You lost" Elliot asks with a raised eyebrow.

"There were two locals there, they used the same powers we do" Blackburn barked as he waved his fist beside him, "They understood it at least to the captain level".

"That doesn't surprise me, I encountered one who had reached the colonel level".

Elliot's control over 'cold' places him at a level above normal generals. He, like Clyde, is one of the most revered figures in the military. His subordinates all respect him. While other people would still be taken back by the current situation, by the powers of the locals, he is unfazed. The consummate professional, Elliot doesn't ponder how the circumstances have arisen, just what to do now that they have.

"The colonel, these locals just keep getting better" Blackburn says.

Unlike Elliot, he doesn't look at the situation calmly. He looks at it with excitement, his grin betraying him to all his concerned comrades. While others complain of the situation's difficulties, he embraces them, another challenge he can sink his teeth into.

"Even if they did reach the captain level, for you to lose to them is embarrassing" Georgia says, "Aren't you supposed to be the feared General Blackburn, one of Lara's most legendary followers".

"They didn't defeat me, I beat them but then Clyde came along and attacked me. I had to retreat".

"Clyde came along and you let the chance slip through your fingers, why didn't you kill him?" Georgia snaps at her counterpart.

It is thanks to the actions of Georgia's brother, Colonel Martin, that this situation came to their attention. It is because he was cowardly and refused to fight against Boruto when their powers were equal. Relations in the military are very rare, as such Georgia is very protective of her brother.

"Clyde caught me unaware" Blackburn protests, "Next time we fight I will crush him".

"The two of you are being hysterical" Elliot says, resisting the urge to groan, "Would you calm down".

"That man was the one who forced my brother into a life and death situation. There is no way that I can permit him to live for a second longer than necessary".

"You are in no position to permit anything Georgia, I am in charge here".

General Georgia opens her mouth but immediately shuts it again. Like her brother, she is a coward at heart. She is strong, stronger than the average general. However, Elliot's element of 'cold' puts him a level above a normal general, she knows better than to argue with him.

Blackburn though, has no such wit about him. "Elliot, let me go back and…".

"No!" Elliot shouts, his temper exhausted. "I hope you aren't forgetting this but Clyde has unlocked a transcendent element. His element of 'darkness' is like my own 'cold', they both have the power to fight a level above your own".

"… that is true" Georgia admits.

"Clyde has always been exceptional; a large group of generals would struggle to take him down" Elliot explains. "Even I am not certain that I can defeat him, you obviously stand no chance, Blackburn".

"I was promised Clyde's head on a spike" Georgia says, "Now you are telling me that you aren't even certain that you can defeat him?".

"Of course, I am not certain that I can defeat him" Elliot admits, momentarily resting his head in his hands, "But I am certain that we will beat him here".

"You mean…".

Elliot smiles slightly. "I just received word… she is coming".

'She' can only mean one person. They all know the truth. If they want to defeat Clyde, 'she' is the only one they need.

Three people suddenly step through the portal.

On the right, a man with short blonde hair and a silver cape to cover his green uniform. As he passes through the portal he smiles knowing his vengeance is one step closer. If one were to look closely though, they could see the semblance of another emotion, fear. Fear at the people stood to his right. This man has been here once before, when he poisoned Minato and ordered Mito's murder. This is Colonel Martin.

On the left is a young girl. She appears to be a teenager despite having lived for hundreds of years. Her long red-hair is vibrant and striking, and her childish smile does little to hide the supreme confidence she has. Her long golden cape folds as it touches the floor, it also reveals her rank, this is a General. General Brooks.

General Brooks isn't the leader though. She is clearly one step behind the woman in the middle, the one who inspires Martin's look of fear.

While not a giant like Blackburn, the woman in the middle is taller than average, enormous compared to her subordinates who travelled through the portal with her. Sporting a wide smile and a crazed look in her eyes, she appears more animal than human. Her shaven scalp does nothing to hide those crazed features, she shows them to the world by choice, a means of intimidation. She is the only general with a torn cape, modified for comfort and ease of use, something only she would dare to do.

This woman has spread fear and terror everywhere she has gone and even without her distinct look, the aura she gives off is unmistakable.

Blackburn smiles, "Welcome Lara".

She wields incredible levels of power and when and where she wants.

This is the General who Boruto saw when he went through the enemy portal.

This is the strongest General of them all.

This is General Lara.


	94. Where is my Son?

**WAR NEVER ENDS – WHERE IS MY SON?**

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

Peterson leads Hinata and Naruto through the groups of captains. Every one of them gives Naruto the same look. Hinata believes it to be a look Naruto had seen in his youth. Hinata believes they are looking down on him, treating him like dirt, like a germ. Naruto knows different. There is a fear in their eyes, a respect that can only be earned on the battlefield. Each and every person here, whether they wish to or not, knows they cannot tangle with the 7th Hokage.

Peterson arrives at the end of a long stretch of tents. There is a walkway, flanked on either side by open-doored tents with one solitary larger tent at the end. The larger tent has a closed door, red triangular patterns outline the canvas. This tent is clearly special, just looking at it is enough for Hinata to know what is inside. This is General Clyde's tent.

The scar-faced colonel raises his hand to the front of his mouth and coughs, a deliberate, transparent cough. Taking this as a signal, tens of captains line the walkway, forming a guard of honour between the colonel, the two guests and the general's tent.

Lead by their former adversary, Naruto and Hinata proceed down the walkway, flanked by the captains of the enemy military. Each of their uniforms is perfect, as if they had been preparing for an important visitor. The former stares from the invaders have disappeared and the hidden-leaf duo proceed, as if an influential guest to a lord's castle.

Naruto and Hinata enter the tent. Inside is the most elite group of people to ever come to this world, people who once came so close to killing all of its inhabitants.

Colonel Sisto, twirling his short blonde hair as he takes in the guests' appearance.

Colonel Burns, her fiery appearance betraying her ice-cold nature.

Colonel Grace, a hit of fear in her eyes as she sees this terrifying man once again.

Colonel Sheer stands near the front of the group, the intellectual, the group's effective mother, the guardian.

The new colonel, Colonel Dred, the man who first led Naruto to the captained-six contest.

The leader, the only one in the room who smiles, the man who killed the Naruto and Sasuke of this time. General Clyde.

"General, I'm sure no introduction is needed" Peterson says as he gestures to the duo, "This is Uzumaki Naruto and…".

Hinata speaks her name allowed, noting that Peterson is at a loss. "I'm Naruto's fiancée, Boruto's mother".

"I see" Clyde nods, largely uninterested in Hinata, "It's a pleasure to finally have you here, Naruto, we have waited a long time".

They have waited a long time, Naruto has no idea what that is supposed to mean. While they have brought up his name in recent days they hadn't been pining for contact with him prior to that. He finds it suspicious but puts it down to paranoia, he has no time for analysis now that he is here.

"I'm sorry Clyde but my village is suffering, everyone is terrified right now" he says as an excuse. "But, if I'm being honest, I feel the most terrified of anyone, Hinata and I have so much to worry about. So, I need you to tell me, where is my son, where is Boruto?".

The colonels in the room exchange glances. Naruto and Hinata have no idea what the glances mean but are sure they can't be good. Coming here is a great risk, perhaps not even Naruto could defeat the entire invading force should hostilities erupt. Very few things could push them so far, could make them risk so much, Boruto is one of them.

While the colonels exchange glances, their leader maintains his analytical mind. "I seem to recall that Uzumaki Boruto is older than yourself, in that case how could he…".

"Answer the question!" Naruto shouts.

Part of the reason for his shout was his anger and urgency but there is more to it than that. As of yet, nobody outside the village knows that Naruto travelled through time. The 7th Hokage is unsure of whether he should reveal that information and certainly won't do it without consulting the circle. For his safety and for everyone else's.

"I'm afraid that I know nothing of your son's whereabouts" Clyde admits with a sigh, leaning back in his chair.

"A man showed up to kidnap him" Hinata explains. "He had a lot of followers with him, he wore a black cloak".

"A black cloak…".

Clyde looks around his subordinates, between them they are responsible for each Captain under the general's command. Patrols cover the majority of the lands, yet he recalls no mention in any reports about a mysterious intruder wearing a black cloak.

Indeed, he is met be a series of shaking heads. All of the apart from one. Colonel Dred.

"Sir, I did have one report from one of my subordinates previously but I didn't believe it at the time" Dred explains, "They were scouting and claimed they saw someone from our world out of uniform, it could have been this man".

In recent days Dred has been dealing with many reports of real damage, of real sightings of others from their world. He has been doing his best to collate reliable reports of the threat and how best to combat it. Amongst all that, he had considered a rumour from one of his more inexperienced subordinates to be insignificant. How wrong that would prove.

"Tell me exactly what happened" Clyde requested of the local couple.

"I wasn't there so I am not certain on all the details" Naruto says "What I do know is that the village was suddenly surrounded by people wearing black. These people were definitely not from our world".

"I was there, there were hundreds of them". Hinata's recollection is still chilling to Naruto. "They surrounded the village walls equally spaced. They didn't open hostilities but the way they stood there… it certainly wasn't a warm welcome".

"Apparently, this group dressed very similarly to the man who took Boruto. They all hummed a tune in unison, similar to a war cry but gentler. One of them, possibly their leader, showed up on the roof of one of our buildings".

Clyde has already begun to understand that this was a deliberate attack on the Hidden Leaf. He has already been notified of Naruto's encounter with Elliot, a general with a transcendent element. Clearly the assailants had been waiting for this gap in security, they knew Naruto wouldn't be there.

"Boruto was standing there with Sarada, assessing the situation and preparing to defend us". The Hyuuga heiress does her best to hold back from crying. "He took Boruto away and Hashirama gave his life trying to protect him".

"Hashirama died?!" Grace's eyes speak to the shock she feels.

Colonel Grace is a mighty master of fire, promoted to colonel when she first manifested the elemental fire cloak. She was Hashirama's opponent in the captained-six contest. She had won because the 1st Hokage had overexerted himself but knew that she had lost to him personally.

The remainder of the colonels feel the same as Grace. Senju Hashirama had impressed them almost as much as Naruto during that contest. While Naruto had defeated them by achieving what they fought to be impossible, Hashirama hadn't needed that. Not one of the colonels could defeat the wood-user one-on-one. Through chakra alone, Hashirama had become a mighty warrior. He had told Sarada that when only considering chakra, he was even stronger than Naruto.

"You mean that when I came to defend your village, that guy had already died?" Peterson asks.

"He wasn't that guy". Naruto's fingers itch as he is forced to restrain his anger, "He was Senju Hashirama, the 1st Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, as well as my friend. You would do well to remember that".

"I…" Peterson quickly silences himself, he cannot rebuke.

"This guy who kidnapped Boruto, apparently he used the same substance that leaked from Boruto's body to attack".

Back during the captained-six contest, Dred had felt it. He had felt the terrifying power within Boruto and had consulted with the then-colonels about it. They all knew how it felt, they all knew that if that power could be harnessed it would be deadly.

Clyde leans forward slightly, showing Naruto the severity of the situation. "Naruto, are you certain".

"I wasn't there but his fiancée, Sarada was there, she wouldn't make a mistake. It was definitely the same power".

The air in the room seems to change to Hinata. There is something in the way that everyone reacts, something that speaks to the seriousness of the situation. Clearly, that ominous substance that has followed Boruto is even more mysterious than it had seemed at first.

"Please, do you have any idea who it could have been? Do you know where our son is?".

Clyde disappoints them.

"I honestly have no idea".

 **The Portal**

The captains that have come as part of the second wave are near-silent as they bear witness to the arrival. They have been led by intimidating people before. They have been ordered around harshly by General Georgia. They have been sent into difficult battles by General Blackburn. They have been disciplined strongly by General Elliot. However, they have never seen anything like this. They feel as if the air in front of her bends. They feel as if the end of days has come. This is their supreme commander. This is Lara.

As she lifts a solitary finger they all step backwards, no idea what she will do. The crazed smile on Lara's face tell them all they need to know about her. She is insane, a maniac, a psychopath. That fear has been justified many times through history. Recently Uzumaki Boruto bore witness to Lara's temperament when she slaughtered thousands in an instant. That finger, it has enough power to kill them all.

This is the one general who can truly boast superiority over Clyde.

Her finger stops, pointing at a colonel who has worked with her previously. That colonel nods, knowing what Lara wants.

The colonel runs to a nearby chest while the captains remain as still as statues. They watch the colonel as she carefully rummages through the content of the chest. Eventually, she delicately removes a shot glass and a bottle. After closing the chest neatly, the colonel takes hold of both items and respectfully offers them to Lara.

Lara's attitude doesn't mirror this respect, with a strong swish of her hands, she snatches both the bottle and the shot glass before decanting the blood red liquid.

The captains are not the only ones who feel the change in the air. The colonels all feel it too, like all the oxygen in the world has been stolen away, like Lara is the only one the gods will allow to move. Even the generals feel it, Blackburn struggling to maintain his smile from before, Georgia dumbstruck by the presence, Elliot holding himself back despite the breach of protocol.

' _Is that…'_ Georgia questions whether what she is thinking is possible.

Lara drinks from the glass before violently smashing it into the floor. The red stains her teeth, fills her mouth in the way that only one thing could. Something that they have all seen through their entire career.

' _Blood'_ she realises, _'It's blood'_.

"The blood of the fallen taste's so sweet, wouldn't you agree Martin" she says, a drip of red rolling from the corner of her mouth.

"Y… yes ma'am".

Clyde's former colonel has to force every word out of his mouth. Martin prays that he doesn't have to be with her a second longer than necessary. Not even his sister's presence is enough to make him feel safe.

She laughs at his reply, well aware of his anxiety. "And I can tell after just a moment, this world was born to be stained with blood".

' _Clyde…'_ Lara thinks to herself, _'It's almost over, I've almost won'_.

As Lara's crazed smile returns, she barely restrains herself from laughing like an excited child. She and Clyde have a lifetime of history. Their association so insignificant, their interactions so seldom, yet they always meet at the most important moments. Their names seem to travel through history together. Thought it appears this will be the last time.

Georgia gulps before forcing a smile to her face. "Thank you for coming Lara, this mission has been lacking someone with your vision".

The others would normally berate her, not now. Not at risk of interrupting Lara.

"I wouldn't want to miss this, my… rivalry with Clyde is almost over" she says, sneering at the borrowed term 'rival'. "Ever since our childhood, he has always been right on my heels".

Elliot had heard the stories of this rivalry, passed down through the ages. Many people liked Clyde's attitude, he was popular amongst his followers. They had described him as the one who could rival Lara, the one who could lead the military. Those who didn't sympathise with Clyde often gave a more balanced assessment. Clyde was less of a rival to Lara and more of an annoying insect she couldn't get rid of. To these people, Clyde held the military back and stopped Lara from making the military reach its full potential.

"While I scored some of the highest results in the academy's history, he was always just behind me" Lara explained, "He was always acting like he was on my level".

Lara knows the truth, just as Clyde does in his heart. She was always the prodigy, the genius who paved the way for new era of the military. He was just following in her wake, doing his best not to let her pull away from him. He could only follow so far and by the end of their training, Lara was by far the stronger of the two.

"I will enjoy giving him the most brutal of deaths".

"Uhm" Martin steps forward. He has experienced his former leader's power first hand. "General Lara, do you really think it will be that easy?".

Without even turning to look at him, Lara reaches her hand out to the side and grabs hold of his throat, lifting him off the ground. Martin feels a tight squeeze from his new leader and grabs hold of her arm to try and relieve the pressure.

As Lara surveys the landscape her followers notice that her sadistic smile is gone, replaced by a frown.

Martin looks to his sister, his eyes pleading her to help him. Georgia declines though. Despite caring greatly about her brother, she values her own health too, she casts her eyes to her feet, avoiding any association with the dispute. If she had to let Lara kill him to survive, she would be willing to do that.

Seconds pass before Lara smiles once again. "If you are doubting me then perhaps I should send a message to Clyde's group".

She releases Martin's throat.

As Martin gasps for air, Georgia runs to his side, making sure that he is OK. She is unsure of what caused Lara to spare him, perhaps something he said proved useful. Perhaps she wanted him alive to rub it in Clyde's face. Or perhaps her rage against Clyde is so overwhelming that she lost her interest in killing Martin.

"I can feel him" Lara says, closing her eyes and letting herself be one with nature, "He is hiding but I can feel that he is out there".

General Brooks has the looks of a teenager and the laid-back demeanour to match. While all others have panicked she has remained calm. She takes a few steps towards Lara, stroking her boss's ego as she does so.

"After many years Lara, you are truly going to prove that you are the number one general".

"That's never been in doubt" Lara laughs. "I just want to make him suffer for daring to try and follow me. I want to bathe this world in blood like none that have come before".

"He won't be able to stop you ma'am. Not how you are now".

"I suppose you are right" the supreme general shrugs. "I still want to make him feel fear though, as his last moments approach".

The looks of fear on the faces of the captains turn to awe as they feel Lara's power begin to rise.

After a few seconds a brilliant white cloak appears, clinging to her back. Even in this state her power surpasses a normal general.

Then, following that, the white begins to change, switching to gold. A shining gold brighter than they have ever seen before.

While she has heard about it before, Georgia has never felt Lara's power in person so close up. She had no idea when she requested her help. With Martin's plea for help, with Georgia's thirst for revenge, the siblings have unleashed a monster on this world.

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

"I have more things I want to ask you, Clyde" says Naruto.

"Go ahead".

"I need to ask you about Dan. I want to know why he had to die. Why was he attacked first? Why would they attack children?".

The death of Dan was a traumatic incident for so many. For the children, they felt an enormous dread that may ruin their entire careers as shinobi. For Mirai, she felt a shattering of her confidence in her ability to defend herself. For Tsunade, she felt the person she loved leave this world forever. For Naruto, he felt his own helplessness.

"You speak as if attacking children is completely out of order for us" Clyde huffs, "However, that is not true, since coming here, I am ashamed to admit that we too have killed many children".

"Why was Dan killed!?" Naruto snaps.

"Your friend was killed by a man named General Elliot. Elliot is a man with very similar capabilities to my own". Both men are a rare breed, one of those freaks who understand what normal people never could, a transcendent element. "While he came up through our training academy years later than me, his reputation was similar to my own, if not greater".

Unlike Clyde, Elliot hadn't spent his younger years in the shadow of another. While Clyde was always chasing after Lara, Elliot had nobody he would chase after. He was the undisputed genius of that generation of the military. His genius was backed by an obsessive nature, a man who knew each and every rule and stuck to every one of them. It was because of this reliability that he was chosen as Lara's second-in-command.

"Is he just as strong as you?" Naruto asks.

"He also uses a transcendent element, he is also a general who stands above other generals. As to whether he is as strong as me, we shall see".

"Why was he here in the first place?".

"To confirm my betrayal. To confirm that I was merciful to your people by holding that contest".

Seldom could a head-to-head contest be offered as a way to avoid genocide and be described as merciful. That is just how outmatched the people of this world were and still are. The greatest warriors in its history gave everything and more just to survive.

"Our code dictates that the General should have killed you that day we first fought" Peterson explains, "Instead he proposed the contest to save my life. That was a betrayal of the rules, a capital offence".

"Elliot came here to confirm that one of my former colonels, Colonel Martin, had told him the truth" Clyde says, "Of course he had. The fact that he found you alive at all was enough to prove that".

"General Elliot came through the portal with General Georgia, Martin's sister". The new colonel, Dred, relays the events from his reports to Naruto. "They came here and were initially shocked by the strength you locals have amassed. That fight with your village's Dan likely opened his eyes".

"After they are finished executing us, their job will be to finish what we started" says Clyde, "But their discovery that I am a traitor has made things in this world… more serious".

"What do you mean, more serious?" Naruto asks.

"General Elliot is the deputy leader of our military, the second-in-command to its leader. However, he doesn't possess certainty of defeating me. Because of this, a string of generals has come to this world to try and assure their victory"

"And those generals are our problem too".

Clyde raises from his chair, taking a step towards Naruto. "If you and I were to work together, these generals would be no problem".

"Then why aren't we doing that? Are you refusing to help us after I spared you three years ago?".

"No, I'm happy for us to work together" Clyde says with a grim expression. "But it's not those generals that I'm worried about".

In an instant, everyone bar Hinata in Clyde's headquarters look the same direction. They look with wide eyes and wrinkled foreheads. It's a source of power. Power they have never felt before.

Naruto feels a shiver go down his spine. He looks onwards with an ominous curiosity. He can tell that this is what Clyde was speaking about just moments ago. This is not one of the generals the two of them could defeat easily. This is the one that Clyde is worried about.

The rebel general confirms it with two words that shakes everyone to their very core.

"… she's here".


	95. The Old Man

**WAR NEVER ENDS – THE OLD MAN**

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

Besides Hinata and Clyde, everyone in the tent is shocked. They look as if a dormant volcano has just exploded right in front of them. She quickly realises that it must be something to do with the invaders' power, something that only they could feel. The temperature seems to drop by a couple of degrees as their creases in their brows deepen. It's like somebody has just died.

Hinata understands that Clyde likely foresaw this. Either that or he knew about this power previously. Those are the only ways to explain the unperturbed look on his face. To her, he appears more annoyed than distressed.

"Clyde… what is that power, what is happening?" Naruto asks.

"It's all coming true it seems" he says in reply, raising to his feet, "I am really opposing her, after so many years of silent animosity".

Clyde leans forward, pressing his knuckles into the wooden table as if to support him. He looks down at the table. His eyes aren't depressed as one may expect but behind them there is an intense focus. Something has changed, like Clyde is no longer the same man he was three seconds prior.

"Hey Clyde! Who is it, who is here?". The Hokage is in no mood for hesitation.

Clyde looks up at his former foe. "The one who has come here is named Lara. Of all the generals in our land, there is one who stands at the very top, one mightier than all the others. Her name is Lara and she has finally come".

Hinata finally understands. "The strongest general".

It is hard for her to imagine that there is someone stronger than General Clyde. Just a few years ago she had felt protected by the Hokage, like nothing could threaten her. What she once believed to be true power had changed. She had a new perspective granted by the likes of Pain. By Obito. By Madara. By Clyde. Looking to her Hokage she laments that this seems to be part of his destiny. Naruto will forever be fighting stronger and stronger enemies.

"So, this the power of our strongest enemy" Naruto nods. The Colonels thought he would be more scared but he is surprisingly calm, showing a maturity beyond his years. "But why has she come here now? Why would such a strong general come to our world?".

"This is something we have discussed before Naruto but I want to make it as clear as possible before we talk about Lara".

"Something we have discussed before?".

Clyde nods. "My element is 'darkness'. 'Darkness' is stronger than other elements like fire and water".

"Making the breakthrough to captain will put you on a whole new level. It will turn a commoner into a fighting machine" Sheer explains, knowing what the General is attempting to say, "That is what happened to me and the others when we broke through".

"It was different for the General though. The moment he first made the breakthrough to captain, he instantly became as strong as a colonel. It was as if his elemental cloak was invisible".

Clyde's face was stone like as his voice fell quiet. He spoke as if he were in a museum, talking about the ancient history that is his own past. "That is the power of the element that is 'darkness'. It allows me to transcend a whole level".

He continues.

"As a captain I could fight against colonels, because of 'darkness'".

"As a colonel, I could fight against generals, because of 'darkness'".

"As a general however, I am part of an elite class that most could never hope to reach".

Naruto remembers just how impressive this man is. He remembers that it is only because of his talents as a shinobi that he could defeat him.

"This General, Lara, is someone who can defeat even me" Clyde finished.

"Lara is an anomaly, just like the general" Peterson explains, his voice quiet and his eyes downcast. "She is also someone with an element that could push her to higher levels".

Sisto speaks next, agitated as he steps forward. "I remember the first time I encountered Lara, it was terrifying. It's not just her power either, I've met many people with overwhelming power. It's her attitude and demeanour. It's what her body language tells you when she isn't speaking. It truly feels like you are going to die at any moment".

"But that's the thing about Lara, she isn't lucky or hardworking, she is incomparably gifted. She doesn't have a better element than me but she can still beat me. It's her technique" Clyde says, "Her talent, her movements, her… fighting rhythm, they are the greatest witnessed in our military or well… in our history. And now she has come to defeat me".

"… incredible… a monster" Hinata murmurs.

She has heard this kind of tale throughout her life. Constantly in her world people had risen and fallen, the talented and the hardworking. Recently Naruto and Sasuke had filled these roles. Naruto had worked so hard to get to the top, training relentlessly, walking forward while everyone else stopped for a break. Sasuke was incredible in a different way, like he was the gods chosen shinobi. He made everything look easy.

Lara and Sasuke are different though, Hinata can tell that without even meeting her. Lara is incredibly dangerous, just as Sasuke had been. However, Sasuke had been understandable, logical in a way. Whether he was attempting to kill you or whether he was threatening you, it felt like there was a reason behind his misguided actions. Lara is completely different, a loose cannon with no logical restraint, someone who kills as a reflex rather than having to think about it. The most dangerous kind of person.

"I don't believe that Lara nor any of her subordinates were behind the disappearance of your son" Clyde explains, his voice raising once more, "However, I do strongly believe that she is the greatest threat to this world".

Naruto's entire world feels like it has been twisted around in a matter of moments. He had come here looking for his son but by the end of the conversation it had slipped to the back of his mind. He feels guilty, he should be thinking of Boruto now but that power was incredible. He knows that it was a power different to Clyde's. Both sets of energy haunted him, they let him feel the raw killing intent behind them. However, there had been a difference in that last one, a greater magnitude, a lack of the desperation that Clyde had disguised in his.

Now all that Naruto can think about is Lara. Where did she come from? What does she look like? How did she become like this? How did she get this far?

Sheer is the eldest colonel, she has superior judgement to the others. While they look at Naruto and see fear, she sees something else. She notices that Naruto is not afraid, at least not for himself. He is assessing the situation, working out what will happen. He is not concerned about a potential loss, he only cares about how he is going to win.

' _It's only natural'_ she thinks to herself as she leans back against one of the tent posts. _'This man defeated the general at such a young age. There is no way that he could be someone ordinary'._

Clyde can see the same things in Naruto that Sheer can, it only convinces him further that he has assessed the man correctly. He has never seen Naruto function in a civil meeting before, his fighting style made him seem brash and childish, like he couldn't focus for more than a few seconds at a time. However, in person he notes that Naruto is impressive, when the cards are down he is subtly calm. He is the finest calibre of person, one who looks for solutions not problems.

Naruto lifts his hand to his chin and scratches it. "Your world is so hidden and mysterious to us. It seems like you know everything about us and yet we know nothing about you, or about the people of your world".

"General Clyde, exactly who are you?".

Clyde frowns. "You want to know about us, huh?".

"Yes".

"Before that I think we would all like to speak of what your people have done for us".

Hinata starts. _'What our people have done for them. Are they serious?'_.

The flame-headed Burns speaks first. "In the captained-six contest, you taught us the value of never giving up".

Of course. Naruto never gives up.

Next Sheer takes her turn. "In that contest you taught us that if something is impossible we should try anyway".

Naturally, that was the lesson he helped Sarada to learn.

Sisto expresses his gratitude. "You taught us that there is hope even in the darkest of times".

Naruto has experienced darker times than most. He has fallen deep into the pit of despair repeatedly and has risen every time.

Peterson is next. "Thanks to that contest, we learnt that even those who seem weak can rise up to be great".

That was the power of working together. It's unity with Kurama that helped bring Tobirama to new heights, that helped him defeat Peterson. He appreciated that unity with the hated tailed-beast because of Naruto.

Lastly, Grace takes her turn. "In that contest, you made us understand how you felt, what it was like to truly fight for your lives. And then you showed us mercy".

Their faces tell a story to previously. While they looked glum and downcast at different points, these clearly-rehearsed lines have restored their morale. Each of them wears a smile, a smile of true gratitude to the man who beat them, who forced them to become rebels. They look at Naruto not as their greatest foe but as their greatest liberator.

"These things are all true but they are all part of the same thing. Like nobody else you showed us the one thing we knew all along" Clyde says, "Uzumaki Naruto, you and your allies showed us that what we were doing was the wrong decision".

Naruto snickers, looking out the corner of his eye cynically. "I'm glad that you are willing to admit it". He wants to say more, to claim that it is too little too late but he can't. There's something inside him, stopping him, like a small voice reminding him that he is the Hokage. He wonders if perhaps this is the will of fire.

"Of course, I am willing to admit it. I think that each and every one of my subordinates is too" Clyde says, "Truthfully you terrify the captains and even some of us here are scared of you. But you also showed us hope for the first time. It's because of that I wish to speak to you, as a representative of your people".

The cold reception from earlier has disappeared. Hinata now understands that there was no resentment in the captains' eyes, only fear. There now seems to be a golden chance to not only alleviate their fear but to stop walking alone.

She pushes her fiancé in the small of the back. As Naruto takes two steps forward he looks back to see her smiling lightly. "Go and represent your people, Lord Hokage".

Naruto understands, these good relations, these words of help, explanation and encouragement, Hinata wants him to take the credit for them. It is because he made that decision. It is because he chose the merciful path. It is because he was right.

The Hokage smiles and steps forward, "What do you want to ask, General Clyde?".

"Uzumaki Naruto, representative of the Hidden Leaf Village, will the Hidden Leaf form an alliance with my division?".

The smiles seem to be wiped from their faces in unison. It's clear that they are nervous. Is it because they are doomed without the Hidden Leaf's help. Or do they have some ulterior motive? Hinata senses it, perhaps it is paranoia or perhaps she is biased. However, Hinata thinks that there is something in their eyes, a hidden motive, an unexplained sadness.

Naruto's mind is elsewhere. "You killed our friends, you slaughtered the people of this land and you made life hell for my village".

"I know and I'm sorry".

The blonde Hokage holds his hand out. "You have a lot of making up to do, General Clyde".

Relief. All around there is relief. Every colonel, even the hardened Peterson and the experienced Sheer. They are all smiles after just a moment. They are not alone, they are not helpless. Now they too can experience what the people of the Hidden Leaf has. They can experience what it is like to have Naruto protect them.

Clyde shakes Naruto's hand firmly. "Of course, Lord Hokage, I will do what I can.

"I still want to hear it. I want to hear the full story of why you are invading my world".

"Of course, I will tell you the full story. It starts over a thousand years ago".

Colonel Dred leaves the tent before returning with a collection of chairs. The chairs are foldable, cheap chairs in the Hidden Leaf. This sort of furniture was outdated during Naruto and Hinata's youth. Regardless the couple gratefully accept and sit with their new allies around the wooden strategy table. Perhaps somewhere in this story would be the secret to their salvation, or their son's.

"Now, I may struggle to explain this in a way that makes sense. I've never had to explain it before". Clyde claps his hands on the table, speaking like a teacher to a classroom. "Do you remember the details?".

"I couldn't forget if I tried. That is one of the most brutal fights I have ever been part of".

"And yet you won. You defeated me by controlling an element. Captain level power, no elemental cloak, certainly no golden cloak".

"I used that power to beta you and save Sarada's life" Naruto recalls. "I understood an element, just as you all did. A stone tablet appeared in my inner world and it was adorned with the word 'life'".

"I still struggle to believe that it is 'life' now but I have no choice. I was truly shocked when you understood it. I couldn't get over it, no matter what I did".

Hinata, being the only one who hasn't understood an element, is curious about the ins and outs of it. Leaning forward she enquires as to how remarkable this. After all, Clyde makes it seem like Naruto has won three lotteries in a row.

"Why are you so shocked" she asks, "Is it truly that rare?".

Clyde's looks through the corner of his eyes before refocusing. "My world… our world, is much bigger than this one. So much bigger You could fit hundreds of worlds like this in ours and still not match its size".

Sheer smiles, this sounds like hyperbole but it's actually an underestimate. "If you were to attempt to cross our world, you would struggle to do so within your lifespan. Most likely you would be able to get just under half way".

"Amazing…". Hinata is an elite shinobi, capable of moving quickly across the ground but she couldn't even get half way.

"Now, imagine a world of that size, filled with people in cities towns and villages" Clyde continues. "The path to greatness is the same for everyone. It's straight but challenging. Everyone hopes of living a better life and they can do that by working hard and understanding an element".

Naruto understands. "So, it is like a world full of students, just like the ones in our academy".

"Exactly".

It is a good comparison in Clyde's opinion. That world is an academy. A brutal one but an academy nonetheless. An academy where those who graduate reap the richest rewards available and live a life of luxury. An academy where those who fail… they don't live lives worth thinking about.

"Now image all these students, these uncountable numbers of students. Only one of them ever understood the element of life. One! That is until we came to this world and finally discovered the second one, a local, you…".

Now Hinata understands the looks he has received, she understands why those outside fear him. It would be like being born the second coming of the sage of the six paths. It is how people must have looked at Nagato his entire life. For these people who were absolutely terrified, Naruto had become Pain.

"The other person to understand 'life', you mentioned them before".

"I may have referred to him as the 'old man'. That is because we are not allowed to refer to his true title, such a thing is treason". The darkness general gives his best look of defiance. "I am no longer afraid of that. That 'old man' he was the previous emperor of our world".

"The previous emperor?".

"His name was Endou Akashi. He was a popular ruler who cared greatly for his citizens. He was an inspiration who cared even for the most helpless members of society". Clyde's smile, innocent and child-like, shows his thoughts as clear as day. This emperor is his hero. "He had a beautiful wife and a talented daughter. He rose to the pinnacle of society despite starting life with nothing. It seemed like there was nothing he couldn't do".

Hinata looks to her side. She notes the definite similarities. If nothing else, fate links Naruto and this emperor. For her, hearing the name of this former ruler brings an inexplicable pain to her heart, like she is hearing about Naruto's downfall.

"Something happened, didn't it?".

"Yes. He is our previous emperor".

Clyde sighs.

"Despite his great power and influence, the peace did not last. Something terrible happened".


	96. The Betrayer

**WAR NEVER ENDS – THE BETRAYER**

 **The Uzumaki Residence**

The immediate family has gathered to reflect on the missing duo. Following Naruto's outburst in the Circle, Minato found Kushina and told her what happened. Himawari was the next to find out. The three of them went to the home shared by Naruto and Hinata to wait for them, to see what was happening, but now they are nowhere to be seen.

They all feel guilty for not seeing the frustration building within Naruto. Himawari has known Naruto her entire life but didn't see it. Minato and Kushina, despite having missed his childhood, are still Naruto's parents. They have each known him for three years. In these three years they have watched him endure a terrifying battle for survival, grow from a teenager to an adult, get engaged to his wife and become the Hokage he was always meant to be.

"Where do you think he has gone" Himawari asks, her eyes shifting frequently between the door and the window.

"I don't know" Minato replies. "I sensed him leaving with Hinata but they left the range at which I could sense them".

Kushina raises her hand to her forehead, massaging her cranium. "So, we don't know where they are?".

"Yeah. Given the speed that Naruto moves at the two of them could be anywhere by now".

Minato is the king of speed, amongst those in the hidden leaf he is indisputably the fastest. It was formerly because of his space-time techniques but it has become more than that. As a shinobi, his true talent is moving faster than anybody else, fighting at speeds that others can't follow. The like of Naruto and Sarada are monsters of pure power, that is not his way of fighting.

"What if something bad has happened?" Himawari looks to her grandmother, panic clear on her face. "What if he is hurt?".

Minato shakes his head with a gentle smile, allaying her fears instead. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to Naruto. He is far too strong for anything to have happened to him".

"But you said before that you felt a really strong power, stronger than anything you have ever felt before".

"Himawari, don't worry, Naruto is strong, understand?".

Biting her lip, Naruto's daughter reluctantly nods. "You're right, there is no away he would lose when mom is there with him".

Minato's smile is part of his mask, it disguises his true feelings. He too felt the presence of a truly threatening foe in this world. He didn't know it but what he was sensing was Lara. Anyone using the invaders' power would have been able to feel it. The captains, the Kage who have understood the elements, the oddities like Shikadai and Mirai, they all felt it. In one moment Lara had put the entire world on notice.

Suddenly the door creaks open. All the eyes in the room dart towards it and Kushina and Himawari join Minato in standing. Out from behind the door pokes the head of Uchiha Sarada. The light reflecting off her glasses does little to disguise her downcast attitude as she introduces herself with a pathetic "um".

"Hello Sarada" Kushina sighs as she sits down. She had been hoping it would be Naruto.

"I uh… I wanted to apologise for what I said before, for how I made your son – your father feel" she says, stammering as she looks between Himawari and her grandparents. "I regret what I said and I want to make it clear that he is not in this alone".

Himawari sighs. Sarada let the circumstances get to her and became aggressive, it was uncalled for but not unexpected. However, she didn't hold sole responsibility for the issue, they all played their part.

"Don't worry about it Sarada" she says, "My father would never hold a grudge against his favourite student, no matter what she did".

"Himawari is right" Minato says, "You will always be welcome in this household. Naruto wouldn't have it any other way and nor would the rest of us".

Sarada nods, emotionally thanking the group that were supposed to become her family.

Minato knows that Sarada is thinking emotionally right now but he is thinking logically. He is willing to forgive Sarada but would have said as much even if he weren't. Right now, Sarada is the most important shinobi in the village, someone who can inspire people in the same way that Naruto can. As well as that Sarada is perhaps the village's mightiest warrior now that Naruto is gone and Hashirama is dead. Putting her at ease is the only thing he can do.

"What are you going to do now?" Kushina asks.

"I need to speak to him; do you know where he has gone?".

"He left my sensory range a while ago" Minato explains. They are no longer in a position where he can teleport to them. "He left with Hinata and I don't know where either of them are now".

Sarada's eyes light up, in a way that is promising for all of them. "His clones, his clones are still surrounding the village, protecting us. I will go and speak to one of them, I will find out where he has gone".

Naruto has begun to use his clones as part of an information sharing network, leaving enough chakra so that he can create one or two more. Whenever any clone receives any vital information it creates another clone before dissipating, sending the information back to the original body. This way emergencies can be reported to him from anywhere in the village.

"Sarada" Himawari calls as the Uchiha begins to leave. "Boruto has already been taken from us… please… please don't let my…".

"Don't worry" Sarada interrupts.

Himawari is surprised when she looks at the Hokage. The smile is back on her face, the smile that can assure anyone in the village. A smile that tells her 'everything will be alright.

Sarada continues, "I won't let anyone else be taken from this family".

Finally, she leaves.

"That's the 9th Hokage for you" Minato smiles. It seems he had nothing to worry about.

"No, that's Uchiha Sarada for you".

As Naruto's disciple leaves and runs towards his clones, his daughter is left completely confident that he will be returned without a scratch. It's not because they are the legendary 7th and 9th Hokage, it is because they are her family.

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

Naruto can feel the tension in the tent. Although for now everyone is getting along and at least maintaining a façade of being friends, Clyde's group seem to be unhappy. Peterson and Grace look slightly different from the others, maintaining a degree of silence like it is an obligation. However, Sheer, Burns, Sisto, the others are all visibly saddened. It's clear that this story of their failed world is tragic to them.

Hinata examines the colonels one by one. She cannot see any malice in their eyes, she can only see sorrow and in some cases a twinge of guilt. None of them appear evil be nature to her, despite what they did in the past. She concludes that this story of their once promising leader and the dissipation of their peace will likely explain why they are hear doing what they are doing. It seems that these people wouldn't be doing what they were doing thoughtlessly. Something terrible must happened to them.

"Why didn't the peace last, what happened?" Naruto asks.

Clyde takes a heavy breath, despite his vast array of experiences and many years passing since this story, it still hurts him.

"Our world has a history of conflict, just like I'm sure yours did before we arrived" he explains, leaning forward slightly as he speaks in a calm, reminiscing tone. "It was full of deceit, backstabbing and treachery. It took many years for us to finally achieve peace but we did. We unified as one people".

"Thanks to Endou Akashi?".

The general nods, "Thanks to Endou Akashi".

Once more the similarities between the two world's stories strike Hinata. Naruto and this man Endou Akashi seem to have a lot in common. They both saved their world from terrifying epidemics of deceit and treachery. They both went on to become powerful leader. They were both respected by the people of their countries and all those who worked with them. She considers that perhaps they are linked by fate.

"The old man, Emperor Endou, he was always cautious about the old times returning. He was always working hard to preserve the peace. After all, it was because of him that we achieved so much". Clyde can remember the days of that reign, he was relatively young back then, an up and comer in the academy, so much better than the situation is now.

"One day, the emperor heard a story. Many people claimed it was nonsense but he believed it. He was always a bit naïve like that. You know, the good kind of naïve, the type you want to preserve" the general can't help but go off topic, that man was so important to him. "Anyway, he believed this story about a fortune teller".

"A fortune teller?" Hinata repeats incredulously, "You mean someone who can predict the future".

"Yeah" Sheer nods to the young woman. "Supposedly, every one of her predictions came true. The rumour spread all through our world. That sort of thing never happens by coincidence".

"The emperor went to see this fortune teller. He took two people with him. One of them was his scientific adviser, who guided the empire's technology and inspired people like Sheer to become scientists. The other was the leader of the academy, a man who guided the education of everyone here". Clyde continues his story with a soft tone. "Apparently, he asked her what would become of us, of the empire. He asked her if it would survive and if the peace would last".

Naruto nods his head slowly, unfortunately already knowing the answer to that question.

Sheer continues the story, "The fortune teller couldn't see the future of an organisation though, she could only see the future of individuals. Such as the three before her. Emperor Endou was disappointed but asked her to go ahead. He asked her to look into the future. This is where the story becomes scary".

Clyde leans forward. "That fortune teller did as she always did, calmly going through the motions to take a reading. She looked at three before her and screamed a scream that pierced their souls".

"She screamed, why?".

"Because she was afraid of what she saw. She was the emperor and wasn't slightly intimidated by his overwhelming power but she was scared of the future that she saw".

"Then, what did she see that was so intimidating?".

"She saw a terrifying raw power that the world had never seen before" Clyde explains, his eyes flickering downward, "She was the coming of a god".

"A god?".

Naruto and Hinata are stunned, looking to one another in confusion. Just what is that supposed to mean, the coming of a god. To them several people had been described as gods, perhaps the most realistically of all, Otsutsuki Kaguya and her children. If the two entities are alike, that means that someone has arisen like Kaguya in their world. Someone who could only be stopped by the hands of destiny, or by a million coincidences occurring simultaneously.

"We don't know what she saw in any great detail" Clyde admits, shrugging his shoulders with a sigh. "She was killed shortly afterwards, presumably to keep her quiet but what that woman saw has become closer and closer to reality. She foresaw a traitor in our midst".

"Someone betrayed your emperor?".

A universal nod, shared by all but the shinobi duo.

"Yes".

Hinata is quick to make the obvious deductions. The circumstances surrounding this make it easy to determine what has happened. Only three people could be that foreseen god. Emperor Endou himself, although that would be impossible now that he has been betrayed. The science advisor, who guided the empire's technology, he was one of the two realistic prospects. Lastly, the leader of the academy, responsible for the education of an entire army of elite warriors. It would be one of those last two, the traitor, and presumably the foreseen god.

"Who was the traitor?" she asks curiously.

"It was the science advisor, Furst Jonas is his name" Clyde's brow wrinkles as he speaks the name and the light in his eyes changes. It wouldn't take a master psychologist to translate his body language. "As for why he did this, it became rather obvious as time went on. His intention was to fulfil the prophecy and to become the foretold god".

"Is he the foretold god?".

"He is the man who betrayed Emperor Endou, so, yes".  
"He is the foretold god".

Naruto leans back in his chair, far from relaxed. He puffs out his cheeks and lazily lets his arms flop to the floor, raising his eyes to look at the tent's ceiling. It seems that it is his destiny to repeat this loop of fighting against overwhelmingly powerful oppressors. Orochimaru, Pain, Obito, Madara, Kaguya, Clyde, Lara, now this man has appeared too. He knows just from hearing the name that it is their destiny to clash – that if there is an end to this saga, it will be settled with Furst Jonas. Then he can only pray that nothing like this ever happens again.

"What exactly happened to Emperor Endou" he asks, his eyes still fixed to the roof above him.

"I was young and naïve at the time but I admired Furst. He was a fantastic scientist, a true genius, a master of his craft" Sheer says, her admiration getting the better of her for a moment. "He spared no effort and put all his time into pushing himself to greater heights".

Clyde shakes his head, cracking a brief smile. As a scientist, even now Sheer struggles to separate that childish admiration from her true feelings on the traitor. He continues the story.

"Furst Jonas found a way of accumulating power for the empire. He told the old man that it was to defend them against the foretold god".

Sheer shuffles her chair forward, eager to explain the science. "He found a way, manipulating masses of our energy, to create pocket worlds. These worlds were smaller than our own and were stored in a different dimension. We would use these picket worlds to accumulate power".

Hinata begins to put the pieces together, she knows that Naruto is likely yet to do the same. He will need it spelling out for him. The connotation is shocking, enough to make her question her own purpose in life.

"How was power accumulated" Naruto asks, a single hand open to his side, "How did these pocket worlds gather power. Surely it couldn't have come from nowhere".

As Hinata suspects, Clyde's next words force a change to come to Naruto's face. Perhaps it is the greatest shock this conversation would bring to him, shattering everything they had believed they knew about their existence.

"Each world was given a kick-starter. Now, the kick-starter for us was a small amount of power, insignificant. However, that power was designed to snowball, so that over the years it would build into something much greater".

Naruto nods, listening eagerly to the explanation. He also begins to make the inevitable comparison.

"Each world was given… they were given a tree Naruto. Upon that tree would grow a single fruit. Whoever we would… allow to eat that fruit, they would unlock a great power within them. Eventually, one group found a way to travel between dimensions and monopolise the fruit".

Naruto understands just as much as Hinata now. The tree. The fruit. The clan that monopolises them by jumping dimensions.

"From then on, the descendants of whoever ate that fruit would also be blessed with this power. As the population exploded, so would the amount of power that could be harvested".

"What you're describing" Naruto stammers, "It's the birth of chakra".

' _The tree, it's the God Tree. The fruit, it's the chakra fruit that Kaguya ate. The clan with the monopoly, it was the Otsutsuki'_.

"Furst Jonas created the chakra trees and the pocket worlds. Every thousand years a fruit would bloom on the tree, one person would eat it and the cycle would begin".

"But that means…".

Clyde lowers his head, reluctant to deliver this shock to his new allies.

"You were born into a pocket world".  
"You are descendants of that clan with the monopoly on chakra".  
"You are the descendants of the artificial humans created by Furst Jonas".  
"And your home isn't here naturally…".  
"… we built it for you".

This is the moment that the Earth finally understands.

It is a fake.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi Everyone.

I am aware that the end of this chapter may be unpopular with some people. However, the deviation from the canon material is very minor, to the point where I'm unsure if it is actually a deviation at all.

I hope everyone can understand and appreciate that I feel this ending was necessary to advance the story as I have been planning this reveal for a **very** long time.

Anyway, sorry for trying to force my excuses upon you.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will enjoy the rest of the story.

Thanks,  
Cbehrills


	97. Two Worlds' Destiny

**WAR NEVER ENDS – TWO WORLDS' DESTINY**

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

Naruto takes a few moments to come to terms with what he is hearing. This world has always meant everything to him. He was in an unusual position in his world. So few people truly know the story of chakra and how it came to be. So few know about the story of Kaguya and of her two sons, about the Asura and Indra and the formation of the Senju and Uchiha clans. He and Sasuke alone have seen it all, heard it told by the people who lived it; they met the sage of the six paths.

The sage of the six paths, a man revered as a god by so many. The legendary ancestor which they all aspired to be like. A man who's two sons created two philosophies that would initiate a thousand-year struggle. His status to them seemed insurmountable, a figure that could never be outspoken. It had all been a lie though. Otsutsuki Hagoromo was simply a man, born to an artificial human, cultivating an energy invented by a mad man.

All their reality, is the invention of a crazy scientist.

"This Jonas guy, he really created the world we are standing in at the moment?".

"I know this must be a great shock but it is true" Clyde insists.

His group all feel a slight guilt as they look at the two shinobi. Their entire world has been shattered. They are like children who found out their parents have been lying. It's never been true, any of it. Are they heroes or warriors, champions or Hokage, or are they just toys for someone far beyond them to play around with. Trapped in an eternal genjutsu without even knowing it.

"We are here" Hinata finally says, taking hold of Naruto's hand. "It doesn't matter how we got here, just that we are here".

Looking at his fiancée, Naruto nods. "Yeah, that's right. We have friends. We have loved ones. It doesn't matter if we were created by a cruel god, we can keep moving forward".

Clyde smiles. These people have more resolve than he can imagine. For over a thousand years he has served the empire diligently, living through the reigns of two mighty leaders. He has never had the courage that this couple have accrued in a mere twenty years.

"I see" he whispers.

"What happened after he created these worlds" Naruto asks.

"At first the old man, Emperor Endou, agreed to the idea of creating these worlds. However, he had been misled".

Sheer takes over from her leader, her understanding of the process more detailed. "Furst told him that each world he created would be used to breed chakra based warriors, like yourself. The idea was that eventually we would befriend you and we would fight together against the coming threat. That we would fight together as allies".

Peterson sniggers, "Ironically, that now seems to have happened".

Naruto and the scar-faced man started this all. It was their battle. Naruto combined his might with Tobirama and Hashirama and together they fought this intimidating colonel. A man so talented his power has now reached the general level. That is how they realised how terrifying their fight would be in this new world. Back then he had no idea that they would become allies. It was unthinkable yet it has happened all the same.

"That wasn't the truth though, he created the fruits to do something else" Clyde says, "I'm sure you found out, each person who eats the fruit eventually becomes… compelled, to try and take all the chakra for themselves".

"Yeah, my teammates, Sasuke, Sakura and I, had to fight against Kaguya. She was the one who ate the fruit originally".

"You were very lucky to survive the encounter, many don't. It seems that you were beating the odds long before we even got here".

"What did the emperor do when he found out about the fruit" Hinata asks.

"He was a great man, of course he didn't want you all to suffer through that, so he demanded that Jonas stop. He said that all these fruits were to be taken back immediately. He said that we, the military, would go into each pocket world and save the locals. He said that no more pocket worlds should be made".

The Hyuuga heiress understands, he has done what she imagined. He seems like a man of true integrity who respects everyone. It's that unfortunate parallel with Naruto which gives birth to a horrible feeling in her gut, like she's going to see the same thing happen again.

"Emperor Endou claimed we did not need to gather power, at least not that way" Sheer explains. "He claimed that our people were above that. He was right, you certainly haven't seen us at our best".

"By that time it was too late, Furst told the old man that it doesn't matter what he thinks". Clyde gathers darkness energy in his hand, as if acting out what happened. "Furst attacked the emperor".

"He attacked him head on?".

"Yes. Our ruler was a good but naïve man who always trusted his friends no matter what. This was the first time he realised that Jonas was getting stronger. This was the moment he realised that he was no longer a match for him".

Naruto understands the limitation this presents him in fighting Jonas. 'Life' is supposed to be an incredibly powerful element, more powerful than even 'darkness'. However, that hadn't been enough for the emperor, a mighty hero, the only other man to control 'life'. Naruto would eventually have come face-to-face with the man who overcame that element and he would have to find a way to defeat him.

"The old man ran for as long as he could, knowing that for a lot of people he was their last hope. However, after a few months the most terrifying news possible was delivered to us all".

"The old man was dead".  
"Furst Jonas had become the emperor".

Naruto shakes his head, still unable to understand how this could happen. Surely there were signs, surely even a completely naïve fool would detect something.

"I don't understand though, you said before that your power is one that transcends a level. When you use your power, I can feel it, I really know about it. Given that I can sense it when I'm this inexperienced, how could the emperor not sense that Jonas was getting stronger?".

Naruto is a fool himself, always wanting to believe in his friends. He thinks of Hashirama, who has only died recently. While on the surface he appeared on content at the current situation, the village had a firm grip on peace. However, Naruto could tell that under the surface he was unhappy. He would have felt more secure if Naruto had killed the invaders three years prior, guaranteeing everyone in the village a safe sleep every night. Still, it's hard to know if that would have saved them. Would they have been spared the arrival of Lara and the other generals, would the forces of the heavens be bearing down on them, or would they have just sent a weaker general in to clean up Clyde's mess? Naruto trained every day for the sake of the village, but also to prevent Hashirama from going on a killing spree should his power increase.

"This is something you don't know about our world yet. We have more than one way to get stronger" Clyde explains.

"While we can train our understanding, we also have incredible rare manuals. Books if you prefer. If we study from them we can get stronger".

"As well as books there are also the legendary divine abilities".

"What are divine abilities?" Hinata asks.

Clyde raises his as if to stop Hinata. "Let me first explain the power which you are using. The power you are using has always been chakra. I imagine you have used it since your childhood".

"Yes, we both have" Naruto answers.

"But you, Uzumaki Naruto, have combined chakra with our own power. Our power is called divine energy".

"Divine energy…".

Naruto first felt divine energy during the captained-six battle. Upon the appearance of the stone tablet, he recalls the euphoric feeling of it flowing through his body. After reading the word on the stone tablet, an energy, divine energy had leaked from it, coursing through his entire being. From that moment, the energy has been his to do with as he wishes.

"We can both learn how to use divine energy up to the general level. The general level of understanding allows you to use a golden cloak. Like my golden darkness cloak or Peterson's golden lightning cloak. However, we cannot learn chakra and you cannot learn divine abilities or use strength training manuals".

Sheer points to her head with her right index finger, tapping it twice to draw Naruto's eyes. "There is a subtle difference in our biology. Our brains are connected differently. That difference is why we were able to resurrect your deceased warriors to fight on our side".

The revived warriors had been a pain during Sarada's period of leadership, an eternal thorn in her side. After victory in the captained-six contest they had been allowed to die. Before that Sasuke had been revived, he fought against Sarada and Boruto. That was the day that Sakura died and that Sarada became the last member of her family. Thankfully, Clyde's group no longer do that.

"Strength training manuals improve our raw power, using it you could transcend another one, or even two levels" Clyde explains. The effect is similar to his transcendent element. "Divine abilities are different".

He continues. "Divine abilities grant us supernatural powers. It could be the ability to stop time momentarily, the ability to camouflage ourselves, it could be anything. As well as this, divine abilities also fill our body with more power, allowing us to transcend yet another level".

Hinata holds her head in frustration, that could be why Boruto's captor was so strong. The people from their world have the ability to grow as well. Just when it seems they can see the top there is always an even greater height to reach. They are climbing a mountain of false peaks. Someone could be at the general level, they could have ascended another two levels from reading manuals, and again by absorbing a divine ability. How strong would such a person be. They would likely be able to destroy their entire world.

"So it was using one of these divine abilities that Furst was able to overcome Emperor Endou? He used one of these to surpass his strength?".

"That's right".

Sisto laughs as he looks between the tent's occupants. "Divine abilities aren't given to people like us though".

Shaking her head, Grace says, "No. Nor are strength training manuals. Our power is achieved purely through understanding our elements and upgrading our own divine energy".

"These abilities and manuals are only granted to members of the aristocracy" Peterson explains, leaning back and looking at the roof. He stares into the far away realm of his imagination. "Those people are all born rich and talented. They have curried favour with Emperor Furst. They are far stronger than us".

"Interestingly, Peterson and I came across a broken divine ability in this world" Clyde explains, a wry smile on his face, a child showing off his weekend adventure. "It had gained a consciousness of its own and referred to itself as a god. You might have heard of Jashin?".

"Jashin is from your world?".

"Jashin is simply a tool meant to grant us power. He was a failed experiment. Evidently it's construction went wrong somewhere" Clyde says. "Strangely it was almost able to merge with one of your own warriors, Shinki, something that shouldn't be possible".

An ominous silence arises, several of the colonels stroke their chins. The others look to Sheer, citing her biological expertise.

"It was probably because of an error in construction".

"Yes, that's more than likely the reason" Clyde concludes.

"But if these abilities are so rare that even you don't have one, how did it get into this world" Hinata asks.

A divine ability is incredibly rare. Given to spoilt children rather than the hard-working members of the military who visit the pocket worlds. If they never had one, how could it possibly get into a pocket world.

"That's a good question" Clyde says, leaning forward. "And I have absolutely no idea. It's as much a mystery to you as it is to me".

"It does seem strange" Sheer nods.

"This world is the only one I have ever seen where the residents have understood our power. While I have no idea what makes this world so unique, it's special, there is definitely something special about this world".

Hinata looks to her side at Naruto. He has his thinking face on. Not one of serious contemplation but one almost of irritation. She loves that face, he puts it on when he hears about bad things. It's a face that questions why things have turned out so stupidly. It's a face about the new emperor. Naruto has already rejected Jonas' reasons for doing what he has done.

It still bothers her, the similarities and his potential fate. She can't frown when looking at that face though. When everything seems like it is over, when darkness has fallen, Naruto keeps on going anyway. He can react badly when the pressure is on him but ultimately it changes nothing. The world has been dark for him since the beginning and while the sun rises and falls it changes nothing because he only ever goes in one direction and won't change no matter what's in his way.

"Now you know, Uzumaki Naruto, that is our story. Furst Jonas did indeed go on to replace Akashi Endou as our emperor. However, he is much more overbearing than our last emperor. Perhaps it would indeed be more accurate to describe him as our god".

"Were you forced into the military by him?".

"No. Most of us served happily before the emperor switched" Clyde explains. "Back then we had two names, just like you. We had clan names and family names, just like Akashi Endou, Furst Jonas and Uzumaki Naruto. We had our own families. But our names were taken from us and our families placed under constant surveillance".

Naruto has only recently truly had a family. Hinata has had one all her life but they have been distant. She understands though, the terrible burden of their suffering. When a child is hurt, the one who is truly hurt is the mother. That is the emotion she is feeling now that Boruto has gone.

"Is there no way you can find your families and help them" she asks.

Grace answers. "Even if we did find our families, they would be killed, probably along with us. Besides that we've been… conditioned to forget them, and our former names".

Hinata has no idea what this conditioning includes but comes to an obvious conclusion.

"… that's barbaric".

"Whereas before our job was to protect and defend our land, when the new Emperor took over, our job became something else".

Peterson takes a deep breath.  
"Our job is to head into pocket worlds, just like this one".  
"We kill every single person who has a shred of chakra".  
"Usually it is just the one, that would have been Kaguya in this world".  
"Once we have killed them all, we use a special method to create a new chakra fruit".

Naruto gets it, why their powers are as they are. Kaguya was an incredibly difficult foe to overcome. He is confident that with 'life' he could defeat her but as a shinobi alone, he never reached such a level. That is why someone like Clyde is necessary. The captains and colonels couldn't defeat Kaguya, someone truly powerful would be needed. A general, someone with a golden cloak. They could defeat a single mighty opponent.

"The final fruit is a lot stronger than the original one we sent to each pocket world. Through the generations, so much chakra is produced, so many warriors are forged by the flames of war. All for the sake of accumulating this power we harvest".

"We have no idea what he does with the fruit" Clyde admits, "But we do know that it can't be good".

"Is Jonas stronger than you?".

Clyde laughs aloud. Like he has heard the best joke ever. "You may think that I obey because I am scared for my family's life but that isn't true. I don't even remember if I had a family. I obey because I know that until now, we have had no way of defeating him".

"Until now?" Naruto asks, cocking his head to the side.

"Yes. Until now".

Clyde nods his head.

Suddenly, a heavy object is dropped. The ground shakes and a loud bang fills the surrounding area. It's like a small earthquake.

Sheer raises to her feet and using the power of wind, blows the canvas of the tent away, revealing the object.

Naruto looks back over his shoulder. It's a black cube with a single opening in one side. The opening is formed by the division of the face down the middle, each part to the side of the cube. Like doors. This is the unescapable prison from the captained-six contest.

"What is…".

Clyde instantly activates his darkness cloak, leaping over the table and kicking Naruto.

The Hokage flies backwards, not having prepared himself for combat. He lands inside the cube after his head violently strikes the rear wall.

"Naruto!" Hinata shouts as she runs after him, only to be stopped by Sheer.

Everything seems groggy to him. He hit his head hard. "Clyde… what are you doing… I thought we were allies…".

"We are allies, Uzumaki Naruto".

The doors begin to close, dramatically swinging inwards to trap Naruto. Only Kakashi can escape these prisons from inside.

"I did say that there was no hope for my world until now. A new hope for my world has arrived" he explains.

Clyde raises a single finger and points into the prison.

"The last hope for my world… is you…".

"Please… don't do this… don't shut me in here" Naruto mumbles. He wants to shout but can't summon his voice.

He tries to move forward but the second he instructs his legs; his head hurts immeasurably. He cannot move. _'I won't be ready to move for another few minutes, but I'm going to be trapped in here'_.

The strike to the head was deliberate. Naruto just about brings himself to notice that. This is the only thing Clyde could possibly do to him. A debilitating strike to the head when he has no power enhancement. No sage mode, no nine-tails chakra, no 'life'. This is the only state that he could be subdued in.

"Don't worry. Your healing ability is supreme. I know you will recover" Clyde says.

"After the battle is done here, my subordinates will smuggle you through the enemy's portal".  
"Uzumaki Naruto, I will keep your world safe, so you go and save mine".

"Stop!" Naruto screams, willing his legs to move.

He cannot do anything though. It is over. The doors shut. He is trapped in the inescapable prison.

Clyde takes a deep breath. "OK. OK, it's done. Let's go Peterson".

"Yes" the scarred man nods.

The two most powerful members of the Clyde group begin to walk away. They pass Hinata, still being held back by Sheer.

Clyde looks at her momentarily as he passes. "Don't worry, I will do everything in my power to save your world".

"It is Naruto's destiny to save mine".


	98. A Red Flag For War

**WAR NEVER ENDS – A RED FLAG FOR WAR**

 **The Hidden Leaf Village**

Sarada walks timidly through the village streets. She looks for Naruto as she does this, or more specifically one of his clones. She has resolved herself to apologise but an apology is not something that can be done casually. The clone is not the intended recipient of the apology, it is merely a signpost by which she hopes to navigate to the original.

Truthfully, Sarada has already passed three clones on her walks through the village. Each of Naruto's clones she has passed have been occupied. Each time it's been small matters, like telling people what to do in an emergency, or reassuring a squad of shinobi. She could have intervened, there is no way anyone would berate her, a conversation between Hokage could be vital after all. No, she hasn't stopped and spoken to any of the clones yet because she is nervous.

Nerves. She tells herself that she shouldn't be feeling nerves right now, at least not about this. With the entire village on red alert, an apology to your master is a small matter. Her master is no normal man though, he is a Hokage, the youngest in history as it stands. He is also their mightiest warrior. Uzumaki Naruto is the most powerful piece on the chess board, the nucleus around which their entire strategy is based. He was also meant to be her father-in-law.

She stops, she has arrived at the village walls. There is nowhere else to go. She takes a deep breath and lets the atmosphere soak into her body. Now that she is like this, not using the sharingan nor the rinnegan, the walls look quite relaxing, just as they had done in her youth.

One of the clones is to her left.

"Sarada…" he mutters.

It almost breaks her heart to look at him. Not with chakra, not with any other-worldly power, just with her own eyes. She looks into his eyes and she can see it, he is just afraid as the rest of them. Yet at the same time she can see what everyone else has always seen, a determination, a fire which refuses to stop burning, a man who won't let anything bad happen to you.

"Naruto" she finally replies.

"What is it?".

"I want to apologise for what I said before. I put all of my hopes on you and expected you to do everything". She clutches her fist and casts her eyes downward in shame. "I know that you are the Hokage but I also understand that you are not unstoppable. You have limits just like the rest of us. I'm sorry for putting too much pressure on you".

The clone pauses, wondering what he should do in this situation. He asks himself, 'what would Sasuke do' and comes up with a simple solution. There is one way to take that shameful look from Sarada's face.

He taps her in the forehead.

"It's fine, there's a lot of pressure on both of us right now". The clone's cheerful tone is a contradiction to his guilty-looking face. "Boruto has been taken from us. Hashirama and Dan have been killed, so the situation is clearly bad. But together, the two of us will pull through, right?".

Sarada shakes her head with a smile. Just who is this cheerful idiot. How can this be the same person as the one who left the meeting earlier? How can someone find their resolve so quickly after losing it? Is it coincidence that Uzumaki Naruto was where he was when he was, is it because of his hard work, or is it because of some sort of divine intervention?

"I guess you're right" she says, "I wouldn't be your student if I didn't get us through this".

The clone nods in agreement, a childish and boastful grin advertising that he is pleased to be complimented.

"Uhm, if it's OK, I would like to speak to the original. Do you know where he went?".

"He went to find General Clyde" the clone explains.

Sarada takes a single step backwards. "To speak to General Clyde?".

She thinks on it and it makes sense, he is the only person they can turn to for help. Ever since the captained-six contest there has been no contact between the two groups. Those they have been in contact with have had no clear affiliation with Clyde. As for the rare occasions when people from the two groups have met, they have separated without more than a few words.

Relations with Clyde may not be good but they are not bad at the very least. Naruto has the advantage of being the man who spared them. She concludes that going to see him was a rational decision.

"Do you know which way I can go to find them?".

"Oh yes it was…".

POOF!

The clone disappears.

Sarada blinks twice in quick succession, confirming that she isn't hallucinating. Naruto's clone just dissipated. He disappeared right before her eyes.

"He's gone?".

Manipulating her chakra, she leaps up onto the village wall before running to the top. Ignoring the calls and greetings of the shinobi she passes, she runs along the top of the wall to the position of the next clone.

She skids to a halt and looks down to where Naruto should be. Nothing, only the faint remnants of white smoke. A clone was here just seconds previous.

' _Idiot. He must know that this is the worst-case scenario, what does he think he's playing at?'_.

Curious as to what exactly is happening, she activates her rinnegan, scanning for each position she knows Naruto's clones should be.

' _Oh my god… something must have happened to him'_.

She notices that no shinobi are panicking, obviously they wouldn't know that multiple clones have disappeared. A few seconds pass before she notices one or two others beginning to run around. She recognises one of them as a member of the Hyuuga clan, she must have noticed the disappearances as well.

This confirms it. Naruto is gone.

Their greatest defender has disappeared.

The enemy have infiltrated the village before. They have sent people to kidnap Boruto, to kill Hashirama. They have sent people to try and massacre the entire population. They could definitely send someone to find out that Naruto is gone.

The walls of the city have crumbling down and the attackers-in-waiting probably know.

This is a red flag for war.

They will come under attack soon.

Sarada stands dumbfounded for a moment, watching as the panic spreads. A shinobi to her side calls to her, asking for instructions but she doesn't respond. If Naruto is dead, if he isn't here to defend them, that will likely mean the end of the village, forever.

She resolves herself, she must do as Naruto would do. She must do everything she can to save the village.

She runs along the wall, all the way to the Hokage monument. She activates her rinnegan and sets about tracking Naruto and Hinata. She failed to follow Boruto and she won't fail again.

' _I can at least figure out which way these two went. So don't worry everyone. I will bring the 7_ _th_ _Hokage back'_.

 **The Circle**

Hiruzen runs towards The Circle as fast as he can. He cannot remember any situation like this during his many years as the Hokage. Running towards a meeting of the villages most powerful people to discuss what to do when one of them has disappeared.

He feels so useless, relegated to just another member of the meeting. Once a mighty warrior renowned for his strength the world over. He won't shirk his duty though, he has always known that this will be his place in history. He is the stabiliser for this village, the builder, the calm foundation on which the likes of Naruto, Hashirama and Sarada could build.

He enters and sits down in a hurry. "I'm sorry, I couldn't get here any quicker".

He has been helping his granddaughter to reallocate the positions of shinobi groups. Naruto disappearing is an enormous pain.

"It's fine" Shikadai says, "We're all here now".

Hiruzen leans forward and looks left and right. He appreciates that they are low on numbers but he never imagined it would be this low.

"What happened to Sarada, is she not here?".

Minato is the last one to see Sarada. "I saw Sarada head up to the top of the Hokage monument. She had her rinnegan active, I think she was intending to track down Naruto. Wherever his original body went".

Shikadai looks up from his papers. "Does anybody know where he may have gone?".

Nobody does. The administrator knows it was a stupid thing to even ask but things are desperate.

"Hinata went with him wherever it is. Perhaps they went to the same place as Lord 2nd and Lord 6th" Minato suggests.

Tsunade looks to her right with wide eyes. "Are you suggesting that Lord 7th encountered resistance and was defeated?".

"I'm not suggesting anything and I hope that isn't the case. No, I don't believe he would be defeated so easily, I can't believe it, but we can't rule out the possibility".

"If Lord 7th dies, then that is about as bad as things can get" Tsunade adds, "That is a death sentence for the village".

She ponders the chaos around her, what her life has become? She has lost Dan, she has lost her grandfather, how much worse can it get? She can't help but think back to the things that her grandfather told her. He warned them all about the dangers of letting the invaders live, of accepting their continued existence in this world. If she had believed him back then, would everything be OK now?

"Lord 2nd, can you sense him?" Shinki asks. The Kazekage is perhaps the calmest man in the room.

Regrettably Tobirama has not sensed him. "Believe me, I have tried Lord Kazekage. I can't find him, it is like he has dropped off the face of the planet".

Hiruzen grew up watching Tobirama locate so many people with his incredible sensory techniques, he knows that something must be wrong if Naruto cannot be sensed at all. He cannot formulate a logical reason for such a thing.

"There must be some way we can tell if he is alive. The combined sensory prowess of this village is unrivalled throughout history".

"Perhaps, but is that still the case without Lord 9th and Lord Shadow 9th here?" Kakashi asks.

Minato crooks as his mouth as he looks at his student. He knows how Kakashi is feeling. The sharingan, legendary eyes, eyes that he inherited from Obito. Kakashi should be the undisputed master of locating people yet without a long drawn out search he is stumped. That is not something he has time to do at the moment. Only Sarada could act under these circumstances.

"There is another way" Shikadai says.

"What are you suggesting?".

"Hinata went with him. Lord 2nd, can you find Hinata?".

Tobirama understands the logic. Even if Naruto is gone from the world, he should still be able to find Hinata if she is alive. If they are together, that is a definite clue. He rises to his feet, the tension in the room rising with him and walks a few steps from his chair.

Everyone watches on eagerly as Tobirama places a finger on the cold ground.

"… Yes" he says, the pitch in his voice risen, "Yes, I can sense her. Hinata is alive".

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief, especially Minato. "What a relief, that means there is a good chance that Naruto is alive too. It's unlikely she would survive an attack if he didn't".

Just as everyone's mood improves slightly, the door bursts open.

"Shikadai!".

It is Shikamaru. The man who occasionally fills in for Shikadai as a backup administrator for The Circle's affairs.

Shikamaru clutches at his knees as he struggles for breath. Not unfit for a shinobi of his age, clearly, he ran here as fast as he could.

Shikadai's father should have known this was a bad time. "Father, not now. We're having an emergency meet…".

"There is someone really important to see you all!" Shikamaru interrupts.

Footsteps!

Footsteps are coming from down the corridor.

It's like the ticking of a clock, a countdown to either doom or salvation for the Kage of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Into the Circle steps a man who they thought would never do so. A man whose raw power inspired the fear that created the Circle.

He is here.

Along with Colonel Peterson, General Clyde has arrived in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Everyone gets to their feet.

"Clyde!" Tsunade yells as she prepares herself for a fight.

"Why are you here?" Tobirama asks.

"It seems this village is in a pinch" Clyde says to Peterson, as if oblivious to the hostile reception.

"We're in a bad situation right now" Tsunade barks, "If you have something to say then hurry up and…".

Clyde knows what is coming and has prepared a short few words to grab their attention.

"I just spoke with Uzumaki Naruto".

"You spoke with Naruto, where is he?" Minato asks.

Clyde smiles, he has their attention now. Just as he had suspected, Naruto's absence is a big worrying point for a village potentially on the verge of war. Of course, what they do not appreciate, is that the war isn't meant to be the village's, it's meant to be Clyde's.

"I can't tell you much about Naruto's whereabouts. I can promise you that no harm will come to him though".

"We need him" Kakashi says, his voice deep but urgent, "We need Naruto for the upcoming battles. Don't forget that three years ago he defeated you and spared your life".

"I know" Clyde admits with a smile, "When I spoke with Naruto, we agreed on alliance".

The words shake the room. A mixture of emotions passes between them. Shikadai is astonished, such a thing was beyond his calculations. Tobirama and Kakashi are also amazed, all they ever did was follow Naruto's lead and protect the village. Tsunade doesn't know what to think, can she really trust these people, was her grandfather wrong? Minato is proud of what his son has accomplished, seeing Clyde standing here, an ally.

Shinki however, Shinki is different than them all. He once tried to risk everyone's lives to kill the invaders. He was willing to kill Naruto in exchange for the power to defeat Clyde, deeming him an evil that needed extermination. He feels the sensation of his own foolishness. Is this what Naruto could see from the start, is this his emotional foresight that transcends common logic? Is this what his father had truly seen in Naruto?

"An alliance?" Shikadai finally asks.

"Yes. These new invaders pose a threat not only to you but also to us".  
"In Naruto's place, all of my captains, along with Peterson and myself, will march into battle alongside you".

Shikadai hesitantly smiles. This seems too good to be true. Losing Naruto had been a disaster. However, this represents a change in the winds.

Their odds have just gone up.

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

Hinata feels stupid now. She should have seen this coming. She should have kept her byakugan active and watched the people outside. They were being deceived. She knew how naïve Naruto could be and she should have protected him from it.

She slumps into Sheer's firm grip. "The others have all gone?".

This place was quiet before. The captains barely said a word as the Hidden Leaf couple walked through their encampment. However, now that there is nobody here, it has entirely different feel. It's like a ghost-world. The only person who could bring some life to this place is inside an inescapable prison, recovering from a head wound.

"Do you see what our general is willing to do? He is serious about this alliance" Sheer says, finally releasing Hinata now that she has relaxed.

Sheer walks around to the Hyuuga's front, the conflict on her face clear. "I know what you think about us doing this. But the General, Peterson and all the others are going to put their lives on the line to fight for your world".

"And Naruto must do the same for your world?".

Sheer dislikes this. In the captained-six contest, Sarada taught her that if something was impossible you should do it anyway. This battle seems impossible given how week the locals are. However, if there is one person who could tip the balance, it is Naruto. She wants to take that chance but then tells herself she should believe in the General's power. The conflict drives her insane.

Grace steps forward, speaking gently as if to a friend. "Naruto has a destiny that stretches far beyond this place. He is hope not only for this world but for every single world".

Hinata knows that they won't listen. They don't sound very confident. They sound like they are prepared to lose this war, and for everyone they know and love to die. She is not prepared for that. She understands, unlike them, that there may be an even greater force at play here.

She looks at the cube. A prison. That is what they had called it during the captained-six contest.

She revises it in her mind. _'That prison. To unlock it you have to touch the outside. If I can do that, Naruto will be free'_.

Suddenly, Hinata makes a break for it!

She ducks beneath Sheer's outstretched arm and leaps towards the prison. She doesn't care what happens to her, all she has to do is touch it and they win.

She is outpowered though. Dred runs at a modest speed and intercepts her full speed dash. Captains have defeated the elite shinobi of this world before. Someone on the Colonel level wouldn't struggle to fight Hinata.

Dred unleashes a reserved punch into Hinata's gut, sending her tumbling back along the floor.

The newest member of the group cringes as he watches her tumble. What they said before was no lie, they are allies now. To be forced to do this to an ally, it tears at his heart. Isn't he supposed to be a good man?

The colonels walk calmly towards the prison, creating a block which it would be impossible for Hinata to get around.

The shinobi still clambers to her feet though. She asks herself what she can do, how she can win. She has no answers, there is no way she can overcome this group. However, she will always take that one lesson from Naruto, about the one way to live her life. She will never give up.

Hinata runs towards the prison. Straight towards the powerful group who fought on par with the Hokage.

Sisto raises his hand, hesitating. He hoped for a moment she would stop but she doesn't. He fires a beam of water, pushing her back along the ground. It is painful but it is the most humane method of supressing her he can think of. He is not trained to keep people alive, he is trained to kill, much as he laments his fate.

"She is still persisting" Sheer says, screwing her eyes shut. "Despite us giving up everything to help her, she is still persisting".

As Hinata gets to her feet, Sisto momentarily detects something. A premonition of what's to come.

"Oh".

"What is it Sisto?".

"She seems to have understood water. She is controlling it look" he says. He is right, water is flowing according to Hinata's will. "However, it's only to the captain level. Even with her foundation as a shinobi, we can still easily restrain her".

Yes. Hinata's inner world has given birth to a tablet, the word 'water' engraved on it.

They feel it as her divine energy begins to swell.

Her understanding is at the captain level. She has no water cloak or golden water cloak. Her powers as a shinobi cannot help her defeat them. However, there is something they couldn't have foreseen.

The lifeless look in Hinata's eyes.

Hinata kicks the ground, firing herself at the prison like a bullet.

All the colonels react the same way. Shock. _'What incredible speed'_.

Burns just about reacts in time, positioning herself between Hinata and the prison at the last moment. In theory, her element of 'ice' should be ideal for fighting against water. Things don't go as she suspects though.

With a single punch, Hinata ricochets Burns off the prison and forces her into a messy heap on the floor.

Grace is the next to react, holding her hand out and firing a strong and steady beam of fire at the newly awakened Hinata.

It is no good. Even as Grace activates her fire cloak, she cannot overpower Hinata. Hinata uses a simple beam of water to overpower the colonel. It seems she defies their understanding; her power is above theirs comfortably.

What scares them most is that Hinata is barely even trying.

Sisto's legs move automatically, positioning himself to attack. _'This sort of power. Considering where she was before it shouldn't be possible. She's far too strong. Almost like Naruto'_.

As everyone panics, Sheer grabs Hinata from behind, pulling the shinobi's arms together. The colonel summons all the strength she can muster and wrestles Hinata to the ground. She forces her down like her life depends on it. She won't let her move.

Hinata struggles in Sheer's grip but cannot get free.

Slowly, the vacant look disappears from her eyes.

The other colonels are quick to pile-on. They all work together to hold down each of Hinata's limbs. If she is to display power like that again they may not be able to stop her.

"Please" Hinata yells. "You have to free him, otherwise all of our friends may die".

Sheer takes a few deep breaths. Considering Hinata's previous power, she seems to have given up rather quickly. "That is the sacrifice our General is willing to make. It's for our home. For everyone's home. We intend to honour him for that".

"Please, I'm begging you. Naruto hasn't agreed to this. We have to save our friends".

Deaf to her please, the colonels continue to hold her down. Their caution as extreme as if holding down a lion or a bear, not a pleading human.

"Please!" Hinata yells again.

The screams almost get through to Sheer, but the colonel holds firm.

"Don't let her up no matter what. If that strength returns, we may not be able to stop her again".

Luckily for them, they seem to have survived. That strength came out of nowhere, they have never seen anything like it. They can only put it down to adrenaline, or a fluke, or some other shinobi trick they know nothing of.

Their thoughts matter little though. If they could hear Hinata's thoughts it would scare them. It would show them a ticking time bomb.

' _Strength? What strength are they talking about?'_.


	99. The Senju Inheritance

**WAR NEVER ENDS – THE SENJU INHERITANCE**

 **The Hidden Leaf Village**

The people had thought the village was in a state of chaos previously. They were wrong. The village is now truly operating at full capacity. Shinobi who were promised their turn for a sleep have been woken. Weapons are being handed out. The arsenals are being drained and handed over to the military. Mirai runs around, barking orders on a scale she has never done before. Shikamaru tries to help her organise all the plans for action she has made. Of course the village has prepared many plans for situations like this, however, Asuma's daughter had never considered the logistics of implementing them all at once. It's like a nightmare.

The citizens are afraid, it's clear on their faces. Senior shinobi like Mitsuki and Inojin take responsibility for them. They are all crowded into the newly revamped tunnels. Frankly, if they are found there is no way the tunnels could protect them but in this situation, there is no choice. Clyde has confirmed the worst fears of the Hokage, a battle is coming. Not in the coming weeks, nor in the coming days, it will be in the next few hours. They have to throw everything they have at this battle, working hand-in-hand with their former adversaries. If they don't win here, it is over, they will all die.

An elite group walk through the streets, comprising of the villages Kage and the two highest ranked members of Clyde's force. Leaving the majority of his colonels to protect Naruto, Clyde has only brought Peterson with him. Peterson has reached the general level and can use a golden elemental cloak, he will be invaluable in the upcoming battle. As for the others, Clyde knows that they would likely not be too much help. They would be better served helping Naruto in the next world, guiding him in the toughest challenge he will have ever faced.

"How is your response time?" Peterson asks, leaning towards Tobirama as they walk.

"Our response time is good and always has been. Even before you arrived here we have endured years of conflict".

"Then your army is...".

"They are mobilising, just like you requested". Minato answers the question unwaveringly. "They should be fully for anything that can be thrown at them within half an hour".

In part he is still suspicious of the situation, of these men. He wants to know where his son is desperately; his grandson too. The 4th Hokage wanted to believe in the possibility of this alliance since the very start, he wanted to believe in a miracle that only Naruto could bring about. Now that miracle has happened he is delighted, he is only too happy to trust Clyde and Peterson. But he smells a rat. He knows that something isn't quite right but fears there is nothing he can do about it.

"Half an hour is an incredible reaction time. You should be pleased with your subordinates' performances".

"Ready for anything that can be thrown at them?" Clyde resists the temptation to tut as he shakes his head at the ground.

"What's wrong, General Clyde?" Kakashi asks.

He knows he shouldn't answer but he does.

"This battle isn't going to be like anything you have ever fought in before. This isn't one of your little shinobi skirmishes. This battle will be more intense than the captained-sic contest we fought against each other and that is only a step up for you. For your shinobi, for my captains, this will be the most devastating battle they have ever fought in".

Those who fought in the captained-six contest know all too well. The intensity that Clyde speaks of is no myth. To outsiders it may seem like it is a battle of greater abilities, of stronger energies and greater chakra reserves. There is more to these battles, once they have reached such a high level. Every time you attack or defend it hurts, it grinds away at body, mind and soul. This battle cannot be compared to anything they have experienced before. The captains have never fought on the level of colonels. The shinobi have never even fought on the level of captains. This will be an unparalleled shock for them.

"Is this really the strongest General we are fighting against?" Hiruzen asks.

"Yes".

"Without Naruto, can we really win?".

Clyde is about to speak, to reveal his true thoughts when Peterson interrupts.

"Hey" he passionately shouts. "I've seen how you all look at each other. How you put your faith in one another. And I think that's amazing, that belief. It's a quality Uzumaki Naruto extended to us".

"Now it's your turn to do the same" he continues.  
"Believe in the General!".  
"We can win this fight".

Kakashi is slightly taken aback. He didn't think that Naruto had such a profound impact on them. He thought they would be feeling just as scared as the people of the village, that they would anticipate their inevitable fate. Yet, without Naruto to help them, there is a genuine belief in Peterson's eyes. Has he simply discovered what it means to believe in a friend, or is there something more to his confidence?

"You talk about us placing our faith in you, what a joke". Tsunade spits the bad taste from her mouth.

Clyde looks at her, ducking his head slightly as if talking to a child. "Do we have a problem".

"You're damn right there is a problem" she answers. "Your military, every single time it has interacted with our people we have suffered. The people of your world have killed Dan, they have killed my grandmother, they have killed my grandfather. So, you tell me, how the hell are we supposed to trust you?".

Silence falls.

It's true, due to Naruto and Sarada's influences, the tolerance of the Hidden Leaf has already extended way beyond what is reasonable.

Peterson wanders how Clyde will react. Clearly Tsunade is a big player here, a very important player. Her cooperation and resolve is vital. He has to play it right when responding. Will he offer an apology?

"All I can do is apologise for the hurt we have caused to your people" Clyde admits helplessly. "I can't give you many reasons to trust us but I can give you one…".

"… Uzumaki Naruto does".

 **The Portal**

Brooks looks between the other generals. There seems to be a clear tension between some of them. Elliot feels mild irritation towards them all, other than Lara, thinking them a nuisance to deal with. Blackburn dislikes their attitude, annoyed that all the talk is of killing and not fighting. Georgia is eternally acting high and mighty, considering all but Lara below herself; she despises her own inability to get her younger brother's revenge.

Martin, she looks towards him. He is exceptionally lucky. He was born with talent that he didn't deserve. Early on his life he understood the element of poison, just as his sister did. The timing was impeccable, both could ascend to be members of the military. While they had been trained to forget their family at home, they had not been trained to forget one another. As such, Martin and Georgia are a rare breed, members of the military with family, family they hold onto no matter what. Unfortunately, this has also resulted in Martin getting spoilt.

"What are we going to do next?" Brooks asks, her high-pitched voice drawing the gazes of the colonels.

She scowls at them. Her child-like looks putting them off. This appearance of hers, understanding her element so young should have been a blessing, signalling her to the world as a genius. However, it has done nothing of the sort, it has isolated her and drawn the curious gazes of her inferiors everywhere she has gone.

"What do you mean, General Brooks?" Martin asks in a respectful tone. He thinks it obvious, they should kill Clyde.

"We are obviously here to punish Clyde and the other traitors but what is their punishment to be?".

Blackburn steps forward, his enormous frame and deep voice immediately irking Brooks. "Clyde has always been an honourable man. I think we should hear him out".

"Does it matter?".

"Brooks?".

"Many honourable men and women have fought and died because they didn't know what was good for them. Why should Clyde be any different?".

With the exception of certain generals such as Clyde and Blackburn, colonels and captains always treated their superiors with respect and caution. Lara is a good example as to why, she could kill you out of boredom if nothing else, it would be a good idea not to anger her. Brooks youthful looks also exclude her, robbing her of the initial aura other generals carry. These words change that. They are words of someone who has lived for many years and travelled the world. She has fought many fights and killed many people. The colonels quickly realise they must change what they are doing. They must not catch her eye.

"Clyde is a great asset to the military, not only in terms of power but also in terms of morale" Blackburn declares confidently. "He is popular with those he leads and he has always produced good results".

The military life has been good to Blackburn. He has never cared much for honour nor valour. All he wants to do is fight. He considers that is the last true leisure that can always be guaranteed. Even if the gods chase after you and kings and emperors pursue you, you can always turn around and fight. That is fun.

Nevertheless, Blackburn has a great respect for Clyde. Clyde is just behind Lara on the list of people he wants to fight. Both are incredibly strong, pioneers of the modern military. However, unlike Lara, Clyde is popular amongst his followers, he's easy to talk to and very likeable. Over the years Clyde has been Blackburn's superior. Clyde has earnt from Blackburn a respect that can never erode.

Georgia snickers. "What nonsense. Popular with those he leads? He nearly led my brother to his death when he should have left Peterson to his".

"If I recall your story Georgia, Peterson has reached the general level now. It seems that it was more worthwhile saving him than your brother".

"And what was that other thing you suggested? Good results?" Georgia laughs aloud, mocking Blackburn. "What a joke. If he produced good results, none of these monkeys would be alive. Instead, not only are the monkeys still alive, they even went so far as to fight against you".

"Shut up" Elliot says bluntly.

"But Elliot…".

"I said shut up, need I remind you two who is in charge here? The final decision rests with Lara".

Blackburn doesn't have much confidence of a merciful decision upon hearing that. If a lost child approached Lara, the general would likely hit the child and blame them for wasting her time. Mercy towards her rival of many years, a man she considered to be a hinderance, who hung onto her coattails, that is something very unlikely.

She gestures to one of her colonels who quickly runs over to the chest and gets the items she requests. Many look away as she indulges in her disgusting habit.

She knows they find it disgusting but that's the best part. Blood doesn't have to taste good to enjoy drinking it. What tastes sweetest to her is the reminder of past victories and the terror of those who would even consider standing in her way.

She swigs the blood of her fallen enemies from a shot glass before smashing it violently on the floor, just as she did previously.

She smiles, a red-stained smile, "I want to hear him scream as I crush him beneath my boot. I went to add his blood to my collection, to enjoy its taste in my finest moments".

"We're going to march on Clyde and we are going to kill him".

Georgia smiles, just the result she wanted.

Brooks and Elliot care little about the decision. They would be content regardless of what she chose.

Blackburn is the most reluctant recipient of the news. He sighs, stepping back from Georgia and preparing himself for action.

"So be it".

 **A Long Way Outside the Hidden Leaf**

It's a large force. Not as large as the one assembled for the 4th great shinobi war but certainly stronger. Gathered are large groups of shinobi. Shinobi who have trained harder in the last three years than they have in their entire lives. Also present are captains, veterans of several campaigns. Each time they have successfully eliminated all chakra holders in the corresponding pocket world, except this time, except these people.

There is a good distance between them and the hidden leaf. This is the spot Clyde has chosen for the battle. They don't want the proximity to be close enough to endanger the villagers. The backlash from the clashes of raw power in this battle may be too much for them if they stood close. Everyone knows the truth though, if they lost this battle the distance won't matter, everything will be lost.

The crowd is restless, as anyone would expect. They are former mortal enemies.

"I don't like this Inojin" ChouChou says, their comrade Shikadai having taken a place at the front.

"I know what you mean. Fighting alongside these guys seems wrong".

"Hey, do you think they are going to stab us in the back" one captain asks her friend.

"I wouldn't put it past them, we have to be on our guard" he answers.

Shikamaru stands with his wife. Shaking his head at the familiar scene. "Nobody here trusts one another".

"Of course they don't, can you blame them?".

"I'm not sure I trust any of these people" Biwako adds.

One of the enemy captains takes offence at this. "Hey, we've come here of our own will to fight for you".

"Before that you spent years trying to kill us" Kushina retorts.

"Why can't you focus on the now?".

"One of you guys took our shadow Hokage, that's why".

"Idiot, that wasn't us".

The bickering spreads like a pandemic. Who could blame either side? One of them is risking everything for the sake of smuggling one person through a portal. They are selflessly forfeiting their lives so that everyone in their home world can live. The other side are having to ignore years of suffering and turmoil; they have been tortured by these invaders for as long as they can remember.

At the front of the force are the leaders, closely followed by Shikadai and Mirai, the strongest shinobi they have at their disposal.

Clyde and Peterson represent the former invaders.

Representing the shinobi alliance are Tobirama, Hiruzen, Minato, Tsunade, Kakashi and Shinki.

These representatives alone are enough to cause tension. They have nearly killed each other in the past. Additionally, the three most recent Hokage, Naruto, Konohamaru and Sarada are not here; something most attribute to the actions of the invaders.

"Nobody is going to get along in this fight" Clyde notes.

"Of course not. We have spent years trying to kill one another". Hiruzen has dealt with this before. He spent so much of his tenure as Hokage trying to mend bridges whilst they burnt. Sadly, it often wasn't as successful as he would have liked.

Most of those burning bridges have been attributed to Tobirama at some point in history. The 2nd Hokage knows that. That is why he surprises even himself when he feels he has a solution to their problem. Lead by example.

He approaches Peterson, "Hey".

"What is it?".

The two of them battled in the captained-six contest. Retrospectively, Tobirama realises it is a miracle he was able to win.

"My brother wanted to kill all of you when we won the captained-six contest. A lot of people here agreed with him but I am not among them".

Peterson doesn't know what to make of Tobirama's speech, he allows the silver-maned Hokage to continue.

"I honestly believe that neither of us have a chance of surviving if we don't work together. So, let's work together to survive this battle".

The 2nd Hokage extends his fist to Peterson in respect.

Peterson sniggers. He feels far too old for this. He is far too old for this. "After we have fought each other so much, I guess that goes a long way towards building a level of mutual respect".

The scarred-man bumps fist with his shinobi ally. "Yeah, let's fight together".

As if sending them a lightning bolt of energy, Peterson and Tobirama seem to inspire a unity amongst the arguing forces.

"Did you see that?".

"Yeah, Colonel Peterson is willing to work with that guy".

"If that guy isn't going to stab us in the back then there is no way the others will?".

One captain looks to Kushina, "Do you see what I meant?".

She nods. "Yeah. Let's focus on winning this battle together".

"That's right, we can win if we fight together".

Shikamaru knows this is a deliberate manipulation by their leaders. He also knows that the best action is for him to deliberately fall into their trap. "Yeah, we only stand a chance if we work together".

"Alright, everyone, let's beat these guys".

"Yeah".

Hiruzen looks back at the crowd and smiles. He hadn't anticipated that such a small action would be able to move people in such a profound way. It is something he has seen before, a unification of enemies. He has seen this incredible gift granted to another person, to Senju Hashirama.

Hiruzen smiles cheerfully, _'I guess it must be a gift of the Senju clan'_.

' _Look at this power you have to move people'_ Minato thinks to himself, _'Tobirama, your brother would be proud of you'._

The Kage share a common thought.

' _Now all we have to do is win'_.

Sadly, the action is never quite as easy as the thought.


	100. Eight Backs

**WAR NEVER ENDS – EIGHT BACKS**

 **Outside the Hidden Leaf**

This will be the scene for the greatest collision of powers this world has ever seen. It's a backwater world, a pocket world, created by a mad man as little more than a puddle in the hope it would grow into a reservoir. It is not designed for battles of this magnitude, it is designed for mass slaughter. A fight between colonels is something that may draw attention in Clyde's world, news of a fight between generals is rare but it does happen. Aristocrats may even turn it into a spectator sport if they can arrive fast enough. A pocket world though, that is designed as a realm with limits; limits are designed so that a general won't lose in such a world.

There was a brief period of determination just a few moments ago. The people had seen two leaders of their combined armies show each other mutual respect. That respect did rise their morale but not for long. Now an almost deadly silence has fallen on the battlefield, as if they are waiting for the enemy to emerge from the ether, ready to fight.

Various people give silent gestures to one another. Some nod their heads, as Mitsuki does to Tsunade. Some pat each other on the back, knowing that they are afraid. Amongst the forces of the Hidden Leaf there are many who share romantic relationships, they take hold of their lover's hands, perhaps for the last time.

At the front of this eerie scene, eight people must stand strong. Clyde and Peterson, Tobirama, Hiruzen, Minato, Tsunade, Kakashi and Shinki. Eight people to represent two combined armies. Theoretically, this is the second strongest force ever amassed in this world; unfortunately, it is second only to the one they are facing.

Looking at the faces of the Kage, one could tell that they are whispering between each other, the only ones who dare to talk. They twist slightly and lean to their side, anyone could tell that Clyde is the target of their questions. Despite this, Peterson is usually the one to answer, often requesting they stop talking and allow the general to think.

Clyde has never beaten Lara. However, that is the battle that will likely determine the outcome of this fight. They are the two mightiest warriors in either force who only Elliot could rival. If one could defeat the other early on then they would have practically guaranteed victory for their side. Clyde knows this is unlikely, knowing Lara, she will send in the others first. She will want to watch the blood and the gore as the weakest of her enemies die. She will enjoy her appetiser before moving onto the main course, him.

He feels what Naruto was meant to feel in this moment. The eyes of so many looking at his back, pleading with the divines that he can rescue them. He is the unlikely hero of so many, the gallant captain of so many more. He doesn't even give it a second thought. Naruto is in his early twenties, more inexperienced now than when he was supposed to become the Hokage. Clyde has a thousand years of experience, hundreds of them as a leader for a military force. It is only natural that the elder of the two leaders would be better accustomed to this situation, to these eyes.

There are two sets of eyes on Clyde, that he doesn't realise.

The eyes of someone he doesn't even know the name of.

The eyes of one black-cloaked lackey and his leader, Tao Ma.

"Well, well, I've never seen anything quite like this before. A full-scale rebellion by one of the generals, not a weak one either. These locals as well, they're remarkable, the strongest I have ever seen. This will be interesting".

Tao Ma's mannerisms fail to match his word. He sways around like a drunkard, interlacing cackles into his words as he watches. He speaks the words of an intellectual in the manner of a crazed-hermit.

"Yes. This is a first for me too" his lackey admits.

"This battle. I wonder how they will lose it. Perhaps it will be even closer than I thought" Tao Ma notes. "There is a pain coming, that's for sure, but I wonder who will feel the most of it. Will it be those who lose, or those who win?".

"I've assessed the strength of both sides".

"And what did you think?".

"The others are more powerful than this lot" the lackey says, "The difference isn't just marginal either, the difference is substantial but…".

"But?".

"There is a chance the rebels may do OK, all by themselves".

Tao Ma begins to laugh again. His booming voice would give him away to the shinobi if he were a bit closer. Still, he remains hidden to them, just out of earshot, perched on the branch of a tree. He rocks back and forward, seemingly the only one in on the joke. He has a mad sense of irony, a sense of irony that requires so much knowledge he shouldn't have.

"Did I say something funny?".

"Not at all, it's fascinating to finally see some locals… stand a chance… but this isn't the battle I was talking about".

The lackey turns to look at his leader, away from the stationary army. "This is unprecedented, are we still going to proceed?".

"Of course, we have nothing to fear here, not now. Go, join the others again, I am going to stay here".

The cloaked lackey nods. He then hums a tune to himself. The same tune that follows Tao Ma around like a bad smell. He slowly lifts his fist into the air and his song reaches a crescendo, he opens his fist and disappears.

Tao Ma looks over the battlefield again. Not a chance as things stand, not a chance of things going against plan. The battle will pan out exactly how he is anticipating, exactly as predicted.

"Uzumaki Naruto is not here. Instead they are being lead into battle by a rebellious general. This general of the people, someone who understands darkness. It will be interesting, perhaps he will surprise me. It will be a pity, putting a light out when it is at its brightest".

At the head of the army Clyde is beginning to feel something he hasn't felt in a long time; flustered. Previously he was calm, enduring the weight of so much expectation. Now though, the time is approaching. He cannot even feel the gazes of those behind him anymore, what he feels are the gazes of millions of times more people. Those of his home world, those suffering oppression who are depending on him, here today. He must make the way for Naruto to escape, to win.

Taking several deep breaths, he tries to make a quick excuse in his head. He tells himself that he should wait for darkness to fall, then he would have the advantage. He knows that is nonsense though, his power holds no such correlation with the time of day. There are people behind him in peak condition, they are fully alert and even a bird would cause them to react violently. They are operating at peak capacity, he cannot delay any longer, he must act now before they cool off.

A hand touches the shoulder of the general, something he wasn't expecting. He looks to his side, there is his faithful companion, Peterson. Despite Peterson's scarred appearance, right now he looks so calming to the general, such a reliable figure. Peterson is a new golden cloak user, he will be helpful in this battle but won't be on the same level as the enemy generals. What is more important now is his value as a friend, as that mental support that Clyde needs.

"Relax" Peterson whispers, keeping a strong grip, "You were born to do this. We all believe in you".

Clyde takes one final breath and smiles. He tells himself it's an act of defiance and nods to his subordinate, "thank you Peterson".

"So, it's finally time".

"Yeah, I'm going to do it now".

Clyde takes two steps forward, sending a soundless pulse of energy through all those behind him. They are more alert than they ever realised possible, they fail to even realise the increase in sound amongst them as their breathes collectively deepen and their pulse increases.

Clyde slowly draws his divine energy out, just as he did the very first time he saw that stone tablet. He remembers it now, the thrill and exhilaration he felt as he saw that word for the first time. 'Darkness'.

He ramps it up.

First he activates his 'darkness' cloak.

For many of the Kage, this is their first time being able to feel his power. They have seen him fight before, felt the after-effects of his attacks but they have not been able to sense his divine energy. Now they can and they realise just what Naruto was up against.

This is not his limit.

He activates his golden 'darkness' cloak and leap in power is incredible, beyond what they thought was possible just moments ago.

Even those who can't feel divine energy like Tsunade and Mitsuki can feel something. It is purely a product of their imagination but they can both swear that it is real. The captains all start as if they have never felt strength like this before.

Most of the shinobi haven't, their reaction is one of even greater terror. It is a nightmare from their past and even now that Clyde is on their side it is frightening. He is so far above them, they question how someone can possibly climb so far.

As a golden beacon of pure divine energy, Clyde is very detectable, just as he wants to be.

He is screaming, 'here I am'.

 **The Portal**

Stood around doing nothing much, the leaders of Lara's forces await her orders. That is until they are given an external stimulus. It's an energy that surpasses their own, an energy that only Lara can rival.

Brooks jumps a little, if those present didn't know about her power they may label it 'cute'. "That must be him, right?".

"There is no doubting this familiar power, it is Clyde alright" Elliot answers.

As if it could be anybody else. As far as they are concerned there isn't anybody else in this world who could produce this kind of power, at least outside of their group. Unfortunately for them, they are ignorant to the truth, to the many people and their many abilities. They may be the queen on this chess board but they are a blind queen.

Lara smiles maniacally though, her sharp teeth showing through the gap in her lips. "Clyde, we're finally going to do this after all these years, a fight to the death… I'm finally going to crush you".

She partially wants to rush there in the next few seconds but there is something she must do first, she must cement this moment in the military's history, she must make it glorious, she must answer the challenge.

Stepping forward, the others watch Lara as she does exactly what Clyde did. She draws on her divine energy, recalls the stone tablet in her inner world and ramps her power up.

Of course, she goes all the way to the golden cloak stage.

This moment represents the greatest demonstration of power in the history of this pocket world.

Both Clyde and Lara call to one another. They each tell the other, 'let's do this'.

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

Sheer sucks in a breath of cold air as she feels the two powers diffuse through the atmosphere.

"Here she goes again" Sisto announces.

Grace closes her eyes, "General… Peterson…".

"You can't pretend to me that you don't feel that" Hinata shouts at them as they hold her down, "Are you all going to tell me that you aren't worried".

"The general can win" Sheer says through gritted teeth.

"I can feel their powers from here, she is stronger than him".

Sheer leans in close to Hinata, shaking the weaker woman as she does so, "The general will win! He will!".

"Let Naruto go, or everyone will die".

Sheer's argument seems so certain yet she doubts herself, as if she has been betrayed, like she's had a promise to her broken.

"Sheer" Burns calls after a moment, "Should we…".

"Shut up".

"Sheer…".

"The general, Peterson, everyone else, they are all giving their lives to keep Naruto from this battle. So, don't you dare let him go".

They all nod, reminded of that common cause once again. It binds them, a firm resolve built up through many years of being oppressed, a fire rekindled by the attitude of the same Uzumaki Naruto they keep confined.

"You have to let him go" Hinata says, "Please, I'm begging you… PLEASE".

Her struggles are futile though. That power she displayed before is showing no signs of resurfacing.

Naruto is trapped!

 **Half an Hour Later, Outside the Hidden Leaf**

Lara floats behind her army, a figure higher than everyone else. Other than her only her generals dare to fly, even then slightly below her. Not even Brooks is willing to float alongside Lara in this situation, despite her life of being hailed as a prodigy, she realises that this is a realm she cannot reach.

The eyes meet of the two fated generals. The duo who will go down in history. The academy's golden student and the one who just wouldn't stop following her. The chosen one and her understudy.

Lara smiles, she has waited so long for this and it will come any moment now. The start of her most anticipated meal.

Clyde is less upbeat, _'Now that she is here, I must admit the truth, I'm intimidated by this woman'_.

"Look at him there, pathetic, he doesn't stand a chance and he knows it" comes the boast of General Georgia.

"I will finally have my revenge on him, on Clyde" Martin echoes from his position amongst the colonels.

Blackburn is saddened by this situation. _'Is this really what it has come to Clyde? You are really going to fight against Lara? Do you honestly believe you can win?'_.

On the other side, the formerly alert shinobi have had their senses dulled, fear has found them as it should have done previously.

"Mitsuki" Inojin begins, "Do you really think we have a chance in this battle".

"No".

Inojin sighs in resignation, at least his dad has bought them 3 happy years. For that alone, he would always be a hero.

Clyde grits his teeth. He will not accept this mood.

He takes three steps forward, gesturing to his fellow leaders to come with him.

This is his final chance, he must do something to rally them.

"General…" one of his captains calls after him.

"What do you see?!" he shouts, refusing to turn back to look at his soldiers.

The men and women of two forces look at him in stunned silence. Why won't he face them, is he afraid to look away, just as they are.

"Over there is the most intimidating woman any of us have ever faced. She is ruthless aggressive and powerful" he begins.

"Over here you see eight leaders, representing two groups, but there is also one big difference".

"You are looking at eight backs!".

The realisation hits like lightning.

"That's right, I'm not turning to face you even now because it is important you know this difference".

"Whether you are a captain, a colonel, a shinobi or anyone else…".

"In this battle you have a leader who represents you, a leader who is stood in front of you right now".

"You have eight backs!".

The silence for his speech is broken by grunts of approval, accompanied by nodding heads.

He is right.

"The difference between us and our enemy is more than our ideals, it is what we are showing you right now".

"Lara is showing her followers her front, we are showing you eight backs".

"So, remember this as you charge into battle…".

"We are stood in front of you and we will never ever turn around".

"You will always have these eight backs!".

"You don't need to be afraid as you charge into this battle".

"You don't need to worry about what will happen".

"You can be courageous because have these eight backs!".

"You don't need to fear this battle…".

"… BECAUSE WE WILL LEAD YOU INTO IT!".

The silence is broken once again.

This time it is a cheer.

Judging from the volume he has helped them find their resolve.

Peterson smiles, he can't even turn his head to speak to his leader. _'The old man would be proud of you, general'_.

Mitsuki suddenly feels a lot better about the battle. _'Well, I guess these guys need not worry. It will mostly be up to those eight'_.

' _Cousin, Lord 6_ _th_ _, Lord 2_ _nd_ _, everyone, go for it'_ Shikadai shouts in his head.

With a merciless soundbite, Lara orders her followers to "kill them".

She wanted this to be perfect, she was enjoying their fear. Clyde has started to spoil her meal already.

Clyde's mood is different entirely, he feels the vibration of the earth as the feet begin him begin to hop and down impatiently.

"Follow me!" he shouts as he charges into battle.

He has done everything he could, taking inspiration from the old man and from Uzumaki Naruto.

Lara at the back waiting until she is ready.

Clyde at the front charging into battle first.

The battle for the fate of the pocket world begins!

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi All,

We have reached 100 chapters!

Now 100 chapters and over 300,000 words since this story started 14 months ago, it has been really fun to write for you and see that so many of you continue to read and enjoy 'To the Future'.

This story has taken up a lot of my time and I don't intend to stop any time soon. There is a long way to go yet and I hope that I can continue to entertain you.

So, thank you for reading everyone, it means a lot,  
Cbehrills


	101. Old Enemies

**WAR NEVER ENDS – OLD ENEMIES**

 **The Battlefield**

Charging into battle at the head of his army, Clyde feels the adrenaline rushing through his body. He looks into the crazed eyes of the incoming captains and knows how heavily outmatched his side are. All of his subordinates here, except Peterson, are captains, this is the level they will be fighting at. The shinobi will have to work together and coordinate their attacks to even take them on. That is why he must take this opportunity.

To those behind him, Captains are tremendous obstacles.

To Clyde, they are nothing.

He dashes into the group that arrives at him first, the first combat the battle would see. As they volley their various attacks at him he jumps into the air, dancing through their pitiful attempts at an offence.

He can see so clearly, despite their massive numbers he can see the path of every attack. He can see the cogs turning in their minds, he can read their thought process like a book. With a few casual waves of his hand he snakes 'darkness' between them like a rope. He ensnares them all in one go and pulls the rope tight, taking out the first group in one fluid motion.

Many others would be amazed but the enemy generals are not, they could all take apart an enemy like this, it is nothing impressive for someone on their level.

The shinobi take heart in this though. Every captain down is one less they will have to fight, it's an enormous boost for them.

"Here he comes, Lara" Elliot remarks plainly.

Lara nods, her smile returning slightly after the eight backs speech. That damn speech was annoying but now she can enjoy herself. "Send in the colonels".

Prior to the battle Elliot had been putting a lot of effort into these colonels. He used hundreds of years' worth of intelligence gathered from the academy and Clyde's former subordinates. He used that intelligence and now understands Clyde's fighting tendencies perfectly. Using these tendencies, he trained the colonels for this. Their job is to do some damage. It's unrealistic to expect them to kill Clyde but Elliot knows that with such perfect information they are not hopeless.

Clyde spots the group of silver caped warriors running at him, each uniform marked with a different insignia to his own. This is a group of colonels, presumably some of Lara's elite.

The colonels activate their elemental cloaks so Clyde responds in kind, the darkness gathers around him.

The first colonel is a 'fire' user. He holds his hand before him proudly like the head of a dragon, he unleashes a torrent of flames upon his foe.

Elliot feels a slight irritation as he sees the dumb head-on attack. Despite all his training these colonels are panicking in the face of Clyde.

An attack like this will be all too easy for the general.

Clyde sidesteps the attack and immediately kicks the floor beneath him. Before the 'fire' colonel can even react the gap between them has closed. Clyde hits a palm strike to the colonel's chest, knocking him back with such ferocity that is guaranteed to be incapacitated.

The next duo is smarter, they try a combined attack from behind. One throws a kick to the right of Clyde's head, one throws a punch to the left.

Elliot notes that the locals of every pocket world tend to be tenacious. The only victories they get over the mighty invaders are sneak attacks. The military has always been weak to sneak attacks and Clyde is no different. This one may work.

It should work.

It might work.

It would have worked on the Clyde of yesterday.

It doesn't work on the Clyde of today.

He crosses his arms, reaching over each shoulder and catching the two incoming blows. The colonels try to counter by concentrating their elements into the attack but it has no effect. Their control over 'water' and 'lightning' is insignificant compared to Clyde's superior control of 'darkness' and he rams this home by pulling them over his shoulders and slamming them into one another.

Three colonels and barely ten seconds has passed.

A group of three are the next to try, they line up next to one another and prepare a combined barrage. They concentrate their elements on various parts of their body, their legs, their arms, their mouths. In one ferocious moment they unleash it all upon Clyde.

Clyde pulls the 'darkness' energy from his body and forms it into a shield. He holds it out before him and uses it to direct the morphed divine energy away from him.

As soon as the attacks finish he is quick to react. He leaps into the air and - like a frisbee - launches his shield into the group, taking them down.

"Look at him go" one shinobi notes.

"Yeah" her friend nods, "I'm really glad that he is on our side".

Kushina fights in the battle alongside her fellow shinobi. She deflects an attack away from her friend before marvelling at the fighting ability of Clyde. _'Naruto… you really managed to beat this guy?'_.

Lara's emotions are conflicted. She wants to make Clyde understand that she is his superior in every way, she wants those to be his last moment's thoughts. In that sense she is glad the colonels aren't doing much damage. She is also slightly disappointed though, given the effort her deputy put into this, _'I had expected them to hold up better'_.

' _I don't need to activate a golden cloak to stand up to people like this'_ Clyde shouts in his mind. If he is going to fight Lara he must conserve his energy while fighting small battles like this.

A whole group of colonels attack Clyde next. This is not the sort of group he can take out all in one go. They synchronise their attacks in a way he greatly admires, few groups are drilled to perform so well together and he has worked hard for years to make his colonels function so.

Still, it is not enough.

He avoids each of their attacks, not wasting a moment as he dodges elements hot and cold, light and heavy. After each dodge he checks for an opening and finds it, knocking out his opponent with a single kick.

The colonels fall before him like skittles.

It's an awe-inspiring demonstration of strength that stuns even Peterson.

One colonel. One more colonel dares to approach Clyde but this one is different.

This one also has 'darkness' as his element. His elemental powers are equal with Clyde's.

' _This man has 'darkness' as his element, just like you do'_ Lara thinks to herself, _'What will you do Clyde?'_.

The two stand facing each other. The battle of 'darkness' versus 'darkness'.

"Aren't you going to activate your golden cloak" the colonel taunts, hoping to make Clyde use a fraction more of his divine energy.

Clyde doesn't even flinch and begins walking slowly and calmly towards the colonel.

The message is clear, it's a show of strength.

"Don't regret it" the colonel yells as he leaps at Clyde and throws a punch at him.

The punch is clearly on a different level to the ones before, the level of a normal general. Clyde should be concerned about this, everyone else who watches him is.

However, things don't go that way.

Clyde dodges without even moving his torso, he simply tilts his head to the side to avoid the punch.

As the colonel's own momentum carries him towards his opponent, Clyde grabs him, catching hold of his face using his palm and slams his head down into the ground.

He does it in one attack.

Clyde doesn't even see how everyone reacts, despite their enormous surprise. His eyes go straight where he wanted the message to go. His eyes find Lara's.

She smiles, feeling inexplicably euphoric after seeing his power.

They are alone for just an instant, in their own pocket world.

They both realise that this is where their fate will be decided.

They realise that their actions will affect the destiny of one another and that they are a true pivot point around which all of reality will move.

Elliot feels the irritation coursing through his body, only this time it is more intense. He is certain that Clyde had not met that colonel before. That colonel knew almost everything about Clyde. Both were using normal element cloaks, both had roughly equal divine energy in the states they were in. It doesn't make any sense, for Clyde to defeat him in a single hit, that is unthinkable, it's impossible.

"Lara" he says.

"What is it, Elliot?".

"Please allow me to fight against the traitor. I know that you wish to fight him but if he cannot even defeat me…".

"Of course" Lara concedes, "Clyde should prove he is worthy to fight against me, that will make crushing him much more satisfying".

She frowns slightly, her voice dropping in pitch. She doesn't want Elliot to win, it would ruin everything for her if he does. "Go, fight to your heart's content".

"Yes".

Elliot flies towards Clyde at full speed, traversing the enormous gap between them very quickly.

' _Fight to your heart's content, what a joke'_ Lara muses, _'Just try and last a bit longer than those colonels you trained'_.

Elliot arrives before Clyde. "It's about to get real for you" he boldly proclaims as he brushes some dust from his pristine uniform.

"General Elliot…" Clyde smiles nonchalantly.

In truth, Clyde is bluffing with this confidence. He had been hoping not to face Elliot. Defeating both Lara and her second-in-command would be almost impossible, even for him.

"You must be feeling pretty smug after defeating our colonels, however, you should know that they are nothing compared to me" he says, his powers of 'cold' slowly rising through his body. "I have mastered the element of 'cold', a transcendent element just like yours. After years of fighting under Lara's command, under the strongest general, do you really think you can defeat me?".

With a whoosh, his golden cold cloak activates.

Clyde replies in kind, activating his golden darkness cloak.

"Perhaps it is you who is feeling too smug, Elliot. Did you really think I would come here if I had absolutely no chance at victory"?

Elliot lifts his hand; the temperature drops dramatically and the air itself freezes at his command. A spear made from solid air, a golden ice-like substance condensed in his hand, brimming with divine energy.

He casts the spear forward. It flies towards Clyde significantly faster than the attacks of any colonel, this time he will have to act seriously.

He creates a dart from golden 'darkness' just as did against Naruto during the captained-six contest. He too casts the projectile forward, throwing it at Elliot.

As the two weapons clash there seems to be no contest. Without even slowing down, Clyde's dart pierces Elliot's spear straight down the middle, continuing on towards the most dutiful general in the military.

Elliot dodges at the last second. If he hadn't kept his hair so short he is certain that dart would have taken a good fraction of it.

' _What is this speed?'_ he asks.

Taking advantage of Elliot's shock, Clyde rushes him, arriving much quicker than the chilled general believed possible. With a single strong punch Elliot is sent tumbling down to the ground. The deputy leader is forced to concentrate to maintain his balance and keep on his feet.

' _This power, how could he be so strong?'_.

Lara laughs loudly, clapping like a child at the zoo. "He never stood a chance, he really thought he could beat Clyde, what a fool" her face quickly turns more serious, "Only I can defeat Clyde. Only I can crush him".

Elliot cannot hear Lara's taunts from so far away, even if he could he would ignore them, he is flustered so. _'There is no way, that can't be Clyde's power. There is no way I am going to lose that easily'_.

Elliot forms a spear once again, this time he will be more vigilant. He will test how strong Clyde really is, or whether that was just a fluke.

He throws the spear forward.

BOOM!

The spear explodes in mid-air.

' _I felt the power of 'wind'… and then it exploded?'_.

Elliot looks down from Clyde's floating position to a woman approaching from his front. It's a shinobi, she must be extremely confident to approach him.

After a moment, he recognises her.

It's Mirai.

She was there, when he killed that local.

"I'm here to avenge Dan's death" she proclaims. "Kato Dan, that is the shinobi you killed when you first came here".

"Your opponent is not him… it's me…".

Against all the odds, Mirai decides to fight the general with the transcendent element. This is a fight that only one shinobi has won before. Can she truly be the second one?

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

General Blackburn walks through the crowd of shinobi and captains that Clyde has amassed. His face is blank, his eyes vacant. He seldom bothers to even attack his enemies, only thinning their numbers with counterpunches necessitated by the opposing captains. The shinobi pose no trouble at all, other than sneak attacks, all of their efforts are easy to dodge for him.

"Boring" he mumbles as he punches one captain so hard his ribs break, "Too boring".

Something comes along to cure his boredom.

Mitsuki runs at Blackburn from the front. The general can immediately tell that his moves are better than the others. That is not all that Orochimaru's son does differently though, he raises his hand and throws down a smoke bomb to disguise his approach.

He emerges from the smoke and leaps into a flying triangle, immobilising one of Blackburn's arms.

It does little to impede the general though. His tree-trunk like arms are reflective of his strength as he lifts Mitsuki into the air like a child and slams him down into the ground.

POOF!

That was a clone.

Another Mitsuki emerges from the smoke, the real one this time. He throws a kick and connects with Blackburn's head.

It's an incredible moment for the shinobi. He has hit a general. He has no element and no other powers that could rival the likes of the Hokage but he has hit one of them. It can be done.

Blackburn staggers backwards, almost tripping over a rock. However, that is the only damage he suffers. Pitiful when he thinks about it.

As Mitsuki attacks again Blackburn punches him in the gut, deliberately holding back so that the shinobi will not die. If nobody else can then Mitsuki should entertain him for a short while.

He didn't hold back as much as he thought though. Mitsuki immediately starts coughing and a few of his fellow shinobi run to his aid. He is one of the leaders on the field for them, they realise his importance to morale and refuse to let him die, no matter the consequences.

Blackburn simply laughs, walking forwards like the shinobi tending to Mitsuki aren't even there. "That was interesting, let's continue".

A handful of Clyde's captains step between the shinobi and the general. They realise that this man must be an important part of their strategy going forward.

The captains can't stop Blackburn though, someone else must come if that is to happen. One of the true heavyweights.

Someone answers their prayers.

Two someones.

Two silver-haired Hokage arrive in Blackburn's path with a flash of incredible speed.

One of the shinobi jumps for joy.

"It's Lord 2nd and Lord 6th".

The two Hokage are under no illusion that this will be easy. They have fought Blackburn before and needed Clyde to save them that time. However, they have to lead the way in this battle, they have to be two of those eight backs. They have to fight here.

"So you two are back for more huh?" Blackburn smiles as he activates a golden 'earth' cloak.

Tobirama draws a kunai and advances on Blackburn. "Last time we were foolish. We stopped acting as we should, we became wandering shinobi, looking for our friend instead of doing our duty".

The 2nd Hokage calls upon the greatest source of chakra he has. He uses the power of the nine-tails he took from Mito and enters chakra mode.

Kakashi walks alongside his friend, clearly a coordinated attack. "You won't be so lucky this time" he says, "This time you won't be fighting two wandering shinobi. You will be fighting the Hokage".

Without warning, the 6th Hokage activates the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan, effectively summoning a marked kunai to the side of Blackburn's head.

A clone appears with his hand on the kunai, a clone of Tobirama.

Blackburn turns and smashes his fist towards the clone, child's play for someone as powerful as him.

His fist only finds air.

Tobirama seems to move instantly into a different position to evade the attack. Not only that, he also counterattacks, slicing down with a kunai and putting a deep cut in Blackburn's arm.

This is a technique he developed in the fight for Mito's life. He swaps his clone with his true body to instantly move into position for a counterattack.

Once more Tobirama swaps positions with his clone, this time giving a prime opening to his double. The double pulls his leg back as far as he can, bending his knee to the limit before unfurling it like a snake. He may be weaker than a general in this state, especially as a clone, but he can still get a solid hit in using Kurama's chakra. His boot connects with Blackburn's chest and pushes him backwards. This is not like Mitsuki's kick, Tobirama forces Blackburn to leave his feet.

The general is forced into the path of the two true bodies.

As the clone bursts into a cloud of smoke, Kakashi begins to run at the general, a rasengan starting to spin in his hand.

Blackburn is already beginning his counterattack, swinging his leg towards Kakashi.

A general. Someone so powerful and fast that most shinobi couldn't hope to follow them. Even Kakashi's reaction has been too slow previously, it has rendered Obito's ability ineffectual. He won't let that happen here. He concentrates, he won't allow these invaders to spit on his best friend's legacy.

' _Focus, you can follow him, follow him, follow…'_.

WOOSH!

The leg passes straight through Kakashi's body, his Sharingan keeping perfect track of it.

' _Blackburn, you will have to be faster than that if you want to hit Kakashi when he is like this'_ Tobirama grins.

Kakashi slams the rasengan into Blackburn's chest.

A solid hit!

Blackburn grimaces as his chest lights up. If nothing else it will be red later. He flips backwards, landing on his feet before falling to one knee.

' _I was definitely fast enough to hit him before'_ the general recalls, _'Has something fundamentally changed, or has he just improved since we last fought?'._ He quickly decides that it doesn't matter, _'It looks like I'm going to be going all out against these two'_.

"We told you didn't we Blackburn?".

"Oh?".

"This time things will be different!".

"This time we will win!".


	102. Hesitation

**WAR NEVER ENDS – HESITATION**

 **The Battlefield**

Lara watches from the rear of her force as events unfold around Clyde. He barely even flinches as more captains begin an assault on him, he seems dumfounded, transfixed with what he has just seen. If it weren't for his presence here she would be just the same but right now she is blind to all but him. Nobody would dare to talk her on except him, nobody would even try, that is why she can be so laid back. She can look at him, watch and observe him, learn a few more of his little tendencies and then she can fight.

Clyde dodges the incoming attack of a captain before tripping her and elbowing the back of her neck. His gaze doesn't shift from the duo before him. Mirai has just detonated an explosion that destroyed Elliot's spear. Is something like that even possible for a local, he thought that only Naruto would be capable? Still, he doesn't mind, this is only good news for him. If Mirai is stronger than they have all estimated it is a great relief.

Lara is suddenly struck by something, a sound coming from her side. One more general is confidently floating alongside her, so blasé that she is on the verge of whistling a tune to herself.

"You seem very laid back General Brooks".

"Of course" Brooks answered, placing her hands behind her head as if to prove a point, "This fight is as good as won already. The only place where assistance may be required is against Clyde. That is a privilege I wouldn't want to take from you, I wouldn't dare to interfere".

Brooks realises that Lara let Elliot go into battle with this knowledge. She cared very little about the fate of her deputy and only let him go so that he could add himself to the battle, or die fighting Clyde.

"Do I look as convinced as you?" Lara snorts.

Brooks tilts her head to the side in surprise. It isn't like Lara to be flustered. It's unlike her to even consider the possibility of defeat. It is then she realises that this isn't what is happening, Lara is not afraid, she is having too much fun.

The bald general grabs her child-like counterpart by the collar and with a single mighty swing of her arm, throws into battle.

Brooks hits the ground hard, there will be bruises in the morning. "Wh… why…" she asks as she looks fearfully over her shoulder.

"You need to embrace your killer instinct if you are going to improve Brooks. Go for it, go on, get excited, show me that anticipation. You're going to paint this world in blood together with me".

Brooks recognises the look in Lara's eye, she has seen it in many people before, usually right before they die. That is not to say she forecasts Lara's death, the look usually comes for a different reason. That is the look she sees when people start to lose rational thought and strategic sense, they begin to operate on instinct and grow an intense bloodlust.

Bloodlust. When a solider feels it you should be truly wary of them, you don't know what they might do. Lara's always lusting for blood, she makes it into her own personal currency. In these circumstances when she is so intent on killing Clyde she will be in a heightened state far beyond your average solider. Even for a general, irritating her would be suicide.

"Yes" she finally shouts as she runs into the battlefield.

Lara's gaze has already shifted from Brooks but the small girl doesn't know that. Her eyes shift left and right, desperate to carry out the order she was given as fast as possible.

' _A target, a target, I have to find a target'_.

There!

As she runs along it passes through the corner of her eye, the flutter of a silver cape on a man's back. A man with a face adorning hundreds of years' worth of battle scars.

It's Peterson.

She curves her run and heads straight for his back. This is her lucky break, he doesn't even spot her coming. She is going to have the easiest yet one of the most significant kills on the entire battlefield.

But one-person spots her; Senju Tsunade.

Tsunade watches as Brooks bears down on Peterson, her golden 'ice' cloak starting to activate. She has time to stop her, she even clenches her fist but is left to ponder her own actions.

She doesn't move.

' _She's going to attack Peterson… stop her Tsunade…'_.

Brooks leaps towards Peterson, pulling her fist back for a wild swing of a punch. It doesn't matter though, if that connects with an unsuspecting Peterson he will be down for the count.

' _Why can't you stop her?'_.

A thousand memories rush through Tsunade's head all at once. The things Naruto said about the invaders and how we should forgive them. The things that her grandfather claimed. The first time she saw Boruto and the ruthless attacks he unleashed. The way Minato looked so relieved to be working together with Clyde. Lastly, she thinks of Dan, his face, his death, all because of invaders.

She uncurls her fist.

She doesn't move!

Zoom!

Her hair is pushed into her face by a sudden gust of wind. She sees a man go past her and knows that the wind has been caused by his speed alone. It is her own teacher, the 3rd Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Hiruzen intercepts Brooks' attack. He uses an earthen shield to minimise the effects of her punch and retaliates with his own using the other hand. Both the general and the Hokage end up taking damage from the collision, both knocked back off their feet by the impact.

Hiruzen skids back between Peterson and Tsunade.

Peterson is alerted by the collision, turning around like a child who just missed a firework. _'With this much divine energy flying around I barely even noticed her coming up behind me. If this man didn't intervene I may have been a goner'_.

"Tsunade" Hiruzen calls.

"Sensei…".

"You have to move".

She starts, what is he saying.

"You may not like this man. You may, like your grandfather, despise all those who have invaded our world. But right now you are not acting as his granddaughter, you are the 5th Hokage".

Tsunade feels it, all around them, shinobi fighting and dying in small hopeless skirmishes. There is no chance of those battles making a difference, they are just battles of necessity, battles to survive. The eyes of the village will be on her and she cannot let them down, she must prioritise their survival right now.

She nods and tightens her fist.

Hiruzen offers a quick glance to Peterson. "We must fight alongside our new ally if we are to save the village. That is what we will do!".

Tsunade can steel feel it inside though, the conflict. She only has to look at Peterson and it all swells up. If he had done what was right from the start, if he had helped them wouldn't Dan still be alive?

' _Is it really OK to fight alongside these people'_ she asks herself, _'They have been attacking this world for years, long before I even got here. Since I have arrived they have been responsible for so much death. They have killed my grandmother, they've killed my grandfather and they've even killed Dan. So, just how, just how can I trust them?"._

"Be careful, Brooks is a highly competent general" Peterson announces to his two allies.

Tsunade is snapped from her thoughts, coming around slowly, like waking up in the morning. A highly competent general, is that supposed to be a joke? Up until now have they fought a single general who wasn't competent?

Hiruzen backs up the point, "Yeah, I came off worse in that last exchange despite surprising her".

"You can probably feel the cold air radiating from her. Her element is 'ice'. It isn't a transcendent element but she is strong personally, much stronger than most people on our level".

"How could she get so strong, she is only a child?".

The colonel almost laughs. "Don't let her looks fool you. Once you unlock divine energy you no longer age. I can feel divine energy within you now that I focus; you won't have aged a moment from when you first understood your element".

"I see, no wonder she is so fearsome, she must have understood it at a very young age".

This is true. Age is a good measure for how talented one is when talking about divine energy. Brooks first understood 'ice' when she was merely a child, that is younger than any of the Hokage, even Naruto. This shouldn't be confused with her being more talented though. For example, the likes of Naruto and Clyde have understood an element far more complicated than that of general brooks. Additionally, Clyde made the breakthrough to unlock his golden 'darkness' cloak at a younger age than Brooks made her final breakthrough.

While it is all about balance, the truth is still right in front of them. Brooks cannot be underestimated.

Brooks places her hand on the ground, everyone feels the temperature drop a few degrees around her as she does. Not as cold as Elliot whose element is 'cold' itself but enough to make you uncomfortable, even when not in direct contact.

An icy floor is formed between Brooks, Peterson and Hiruzen. She immediately rises to her feet and sprints straight onto the ice. She has no equipment to assist her but she glides across the slippery surface with incredible accuracy and speed beyond what she could manage without.

Peterson isn't going to wait for her to arrive. He activates his golden 'lightning' cloak and stirs his divine energy, forming it into a whip, just as his leader had done earlier. He then spins the whip, moulding it into a lasso before throwing it around Brooks, capturing her.

As if it would be that easy. Brooks freezes the whip and generates an incredible amount of strength in her little arms, breaking free from her confines. Not only does she break free but she also extends her ice along the length of the lasso, freezing Peterson's hand to it. She grabs hold of the lasso and pulls him in, kicking him in the chest when he arrives.

Peterson falls to the floor beneath her, immediately sucking in a mouthful of cold thin air.

Brooks tries to stamp on his chest but he rolls out of the way.

Hiruzen takes this as an opportunity, coating his hand in a thin crusty layer.

" _An 'earth' user, huh?"._ Brooks records that mentally.

Peterson grabs Brooks by the ankle.

She starts, having almost forgotten that he was there. She quickly raises her hand in a panic, forcing an ice spike to form from the floor and move towards Peterson's hand.

He is reluctant to release the control he has but Peterson pulls his hand away at the last second, letting go of Brooks' ankle. He breathes a sigh of relief, if that had hit he may very well be fighting without a hand for the rest of this encounter.

Hiruzen's run along the treacherous ice is complete, he throws a punch towards Brooks but the difference in their mobility and talent is made as clear as day. Brooks dodges handily to the side before catching the 3rd Hokage's wrist. She lifts him into the air above her and slams his body down into Peterson's.

Both men cry out in pain.

As they lie one atop the other, Brooks creates a sword of ice, intending to kill them both in one swift strike.

She lowers her sword with intent to kill only to be knocked back by a solid punch to the gut.

She is very slow to decelerate, opting to use ice as the frictional medium to do so. She looks forward seeing the source of such incredible power. The power behind that punch is far greater than should be expected in this fight.

It is Tsunade.

The Senju raises her head to reveal strange markings on her face. Many shinobi would recognise this as sage mode.

Combining Tsunade's incredible chakra control with the added power of sage mode is Mitsuki's brain child. It's his way of turning her into someone who could fight on this level quickly. She may lack in elemental prowess and even in speed and reaction time.

However, Tsunade smiles. When it comes to a single powerful attack, she has the most powerful amongst the four.

"Don't underestimate the hidden leaf" she shouts as she steps forward.

She isn't sure about Peterson but she is certain about Brooks. She must fight this enemy with everything she has.

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

Colonel Martin runs through the battlefield like a kid in a sweet shop, his elder sister following closely behind him. These people used to be his subordinates but they have sided with Clyde instead of him, that is a capital offence as far as he is concerned. He hits groups of them at a time, using poisonous energy he can not only incapacitate large groups at once but also put them into a seriously difficult spot. If those hit by the poison are to survive this battle it will take one of the big shots to nurse them back to health.

A captain runs towards Martin and attempts to stab him with a fiery knife. This is one of the men who used to work directly under him but that cuts no ice with the colonel. He dodges the first attack while creating a blade of his own, a 'poison' blade. Laughing, he runs the blade into his former friend's chest. Pulling it out, he leaves him to die.

"Damn you Martin… damn you…".

Martin strikes a final blow, killing the man who used to serve him with a perverse pleasure. Strangely, despite his cowardly nature, Martin's bloodlust in this battle will likely endear him to Lara.

Georgia squeezes her lips into a circle as if about to whistle. No sound arrives, instead she blows out a massive cloud of poison gas. The gas heads straight for the nearest group of captains who have been leading the attack for this region of the battlefield.

"Gas!" one of them barks, "Everyone get back".

A shinobi steps forward and takes responsibility, a Jonin with years of experience. "Wind users, get here now".

A small selection of shinobi proficient in the wind-release gather, combining their collective chakra to hold back the cloud of poison. They can only slow it down but it is long enough for people to get clear.

It's all a meaningless struggle before Georgia. The people of the hidden leaf village foresaw their own death last time when she cast that net over the village. That time they had to be saved by Peterson, somebody not even from their village. With Clyde and Peterson fighting elsewhere, things start to look bleak in this region.

"Do you see him Martin?" Georgia asks as she looks to her little brother. "Do you see the one here who hurt you?".

' _Ah yes, him'_ Martin thinks to himself. Who knows what may have happened if that fight had continued, the 'poison' colonel may very well have lost his life. He can picture him, blonde hair, blue eyes, a very distinctive face that looked younger than its years. There is no way Boruto could be missed in a crowd.

"No, I can't see him. If he's here I can't see him".

It's a great surprise to Martin. Boruto should be one of the strongest amongst the opposing force. In the last three years he should have gotten stronger still. If anything, he should be fighting against colonels or perhaps even generals now. Where is he?

Martin shakes his head. "There is no way he would have died".

A shinobi charges at Georgia. A big mistake.

She swings her kunai towards the general to surprise her. It doesn't matter how strong you are, unless you have some freakish ability, a stab through the heart will kill you.

Georgia catches the shinobi's wrist, taking a moment to observe the fear in her eyes before the end. She summons 'poison' divine energy to her hand and overwhelms the young shinobi with it, evaporating her instantly.

"It looks like the others will have to take his place then".

"He's not here" a voice calls to Georgia.

Both brother and sister turn around to see someone so similar to Martin's description.

This is not Uzumaki Boruto.

This is Namikaze Minato.

"Uzumaki Boruto is my grandson. He isn't here right now".

"I've seen you before" Martin clicks his fingers.

"You recognise him?".

"Yeah. It's true, they must be related. He looks just like him".

Minato isn't just Boruto's grandfather, they are close friends who have worked together since the 4th Hokage arrived in the future. It is he who encouraged Boruto to embrace his different way of thinking in the captained-six contest, a philosophy that allowed the Uzumaki to unlock his strongest powers.

"You had an unfair advantage in your fight with Boruto because you had already poisoned me" Minato recounts.

"You… you're the one from the hill".

Martin is correct. Minato isn't just here to fill in for his absent grandson, he is not just here as the 4th Hokage; he is here to settle a personal grudge. Prior to the captained-six contest Martin deceived Clyde, he orchestrated an underhanded attack to poison his potential opponent. That opponent was supposed to be Minato but in the incident, that saw Mito lose her life, he almost lost his as well.

"I'm sorry that Boruto isn't here to settle the score with you".

Minato activates chakra mode, drawing on the power of Kurama who is only too happy to help him now.

"But I am more than happy to fight you in his place".


	103. Unexpected Arrivals

**WAR NEVER ENDS – UNEXPECTED ARRIVALS**

 **The Battlefield**

Shikadai and Shinki fight together, just as they had used to say they would during their youth. The Kazekage, likely the last Kazekage, a master manipulator of sand that surpasses even his father and grandfather. The administrator of the circle, the one who mastered 'darkness' to save his cousin from the evil that was soon to envelop him.

Working together the duo combine their incredible prowess to fight through captains and even a couple of colonels. Shinki's outstanding abilities as a shinobi combined with his element bring him onto this level and while Shikadai was less powerful using chakra alone, his transcendent element makes up for this difference.

The battle has largely been a losing one for their side, of course they are outgunned significantly. Shinobi don't stand a chance against the captains and Clyde's group alone are not enough to hold back them and the colonels. These two bring about a change in morale though, Shikadai points out strategic spots and Shinki helps him to attack them. Together they manage to prevent many deaths and even change the tide of the battle in some parts.

"Hey, look at the two of them go" Temari smiles as a break arrives in her confrontation.

Shikamaru is awed as well. "Shikadai… Mirai… Shinki, the three of them are far stronger than we ever imagined they would be. Honestly, I'm proud of him, prouder than I ever thought I could be".

Temari spots an incoming cloud of dust, one that appears unnatural. She uses her wind-release prowess to blast the dust away. "Let's save being proud of them for when they win".

"Yeah".

Shikamaru refocuses himself on tying the captains down. Even against opponents far stronger than himself he is useful. His ability to tie people down can provide a second's opening. No matter if it is a battle between generals or captains, that second can make all the difference.

Shikadai and Shinki continue to fight on a higher level though. They are not support, they are the stars of the show for large parts of the army.

They also draw the attention of the one other observer present. Tao Ma.

He watches from nearby. "Those two are good, very good, much better than I thought they would be" he says with a mad smile. "Oh well, I wasn't planning to do this but perhaps it is time for me to put in an appearance".

He leaps down from his vantage point and begins to walk towards the battle.

A grey coloured elemental cloak appears around him as he moves forward, it causes small pauses all over the battlefield.

It's not a power quite like Clyde's nor Lara's. The two generals have very distinct divine energy. The nature of someones divine energy can reveal a lot about a person, some people in Clyde's world disguise it to trick people. Naturally though, Lara's divine energy is frantic, overwhelming, noisy. Clyde's, in contrast, is calm, relaxing and warm. As for Tao Ma, it is hard to describe, it is just there and it is strong. The dry energy gives out nothing about him, spreading an ominous sensation through the two armies.

"Shinki" Shikadai begins. "That guy is headed for us".

"His description matches perfectly. It's the guy who took Boruto".

Blackburn looks interested and disappointed at the same time. "Someone strong is coming".

"What the hell" Peterson spits, "First Lara and now this…".

Minato's gaze moves from Georgia instantly. _'That's the guy who took Boruto. I wanted to fight him before but I realise now that I would have no chance. Just what sort of power is this?'_.

Clyde and Lara also notice the newcomer.

' _Just like Naruto described his son's captor. Who is this man?'_.

Lara smiles. "Here comes an interesting one".

Tao Ma reaches Shikadai and Shinki before stopping in his tracks. What he just did was a deliberate show of strength. There was no tactical reason behind it, nothing of the sort, he just takes a savage pleasure in overwhelming those who may come to oppose him.

The field is full of experienced warriors, they quickly realise they have been absorbed in a trance and their attention refocuses. The fighting starts once again and many people are killed in an instant. The battlefield is survival of the fittest, if you are too slow to react your death is assured.

"Greetings" Tao Ma says with a mock bow, "My name is Tao Ma".

Shikadai raises and lowers his head, telegraphing his visual inspection. He is not impressed. This man clearly pays no head to the terrible appearance he maintains. His facial hair – no, his hair in general seems not to have been cut for a year. His black cape is a stark contrast to the invaders' pristine wardrobe, instead it is torn with several holes in it. Only one thing about his look appears purposeful, the colour, black. Black as the night.

"You're the one who took Boruto right?".

"Boruto…" he repeats, "Uzumaki Boruto…".

He chuckles to himself, a chuckle that raises into a hysterical laugh. He is clearly insane, or at least pretending to be so. "Yes, that was me, I took Uzumaki Boruto".

Shikadai decides to try reasoning with him. "If you return him to us we can forget about everything. We can forget about you killing the 1st Hokage if that's what it costs. However, if you don't return my friend, then you better be prepared for a fight".

Shinki flinches but quickly prepares himself. He notes that Shikadai may not be thinking rationally, they would be outpowered if they took this man on, victory would be unlikely. Still, with his power and talent, as well as Shikadai's brains and transcendent element, there is a chance they could win. He ups his prediction quickly, if Shikadai and he perform at their outmost, they should win, given what they have seen.

Tao Ma smiles for a moment, the smile of a predator, watching his pray hopelessly crawl around.

Then he begins to walk.

Shikadai doesn't dare hesitate, that wasn't an acceptance of the deal so it must be a denial. He uses 'darkness' to enhance his shadow possession technique and sends a quartet of shadows cascading along the ground towards Tao Ma.

Tao Ma counters this dramatically. He summons the grey element from within his body and destroys the ground beneath the shadows with it. If Shikadai has no surface to work with things become a lot harder. Additionally, there is one more thing he does to give the Circle's administrator a more difficult time. First moving right to avoid the debris and then shifting back left very quickly, he arrives nose-to-nose with the shadowy shinobi.

"Then beat me if you can" he says before extending one hand and flicking the air between the two of them.

Shikadai tumbles backwards, lifting the dust from the ground as he crashes again and again into the floor.

Shinki quickly retreats, yelling after his cousin, "Shikadai!".

Said cousin places his hand on the ground and pushes himself up. _'This guy… he is no pushover'_.

Shinki looks his cousin over quickly, assessing the damage. There are bruises, even one or two cuts where the rocks in the ground stuck into his skin. That wasn't Shikadai being unprepared, nor was it him holding back or slowly decelerating from an attack. That one hurt Shikadai.

The Kazekage copies something he has seen many times and forms a spear out of 'sand', still drawing on the contents of his gourd despite his master over the element.

' _Sand containing iron, now that's unusual'_ Tao Ma notes, _'But what makes it strong is that it's his element. It's rare to meet a master of 'sand''_.

Shinki launches the spear at Tao, a high-pitched whistle follows at it pierces through the air, pushing it aside with its neatly shaped sharp tip.

Tao Ma finds this to be child's play, like a shinobi practicing his first technique once again. He steps to the side, his eyes fixed on the incoming weapon as it hurtles up to his original position. It looks like it is in slow motion to him, he can see everything, every movement they make, every little change in the environment. Something like this couldn't possibly hurt him, unless there were a trick to it. He reaches out his hand and grabs the spear as it moves past him.

Shinki's hands, previously grasped together, are thrown apart. The spear explodes in a cloud of razor sharp iron sand. The sand quickly changes form, Shinki uses the confusion, the disorientation to form chains, fixing Tao Ma into position.

"Now Shikadai!".

They have him caught, this is a golden chance.

Shikadai coats his kunai in 'darkness' and launches it towards Tao, its velocity akin to the spear his cousin previously.

This time things are different, it won't be so easy for the kidnapper to evade.

He closes his eyes, surprisingly calm and collected compared to usual crazed demeanour. Something rises from his body, resembling a tentacle. It is made from the same ominous grey energy they have been sensing from him since the beginning. He seems to move the tentacle masterfully, like an additional limb. With plain simple precision he slaps all the chains away from his body.

Tao Ma reaches into his deep pocket. He clearly reaches into it with urgent purpose, perhaps he does prepare himself for the day ahead, contrary to Shikadai's expectations. He reaches into it and pulls out a long metallic weapon, something they recognise as a kunai.

The kunai is thrown from his hand, clashing with Shikadai's in mid-air as they both move away from their intended target.

Shikadai notices something, he doesn't look away but queries it with Shinki. "I've never seen one of them with a kunai before, have you?".

"No, I haven't. Perhaps he made it, or took it off one of our dead, after all, he doesn't look like he's with the others".

The Nara clansmen continues his assessment. The only shinobi who has truly attacked Tao Ma except the two of them is Sarada. Had she even used a kunai? Had it influenced Tao Ma that significantly. He quickly decides it doesn't matter.

"Yeah. That must be it".

Shinki claps his hands together. "Let's see if he can stand up to this".

A pyramid of 'sand' rises from the floor and crashes down around Tao Ma, who puts up little resistance. This is like a sealing technique Gaara used to use. He doesn't stop where he normally would though, he packs the space tightly with as much sand as he can, increasing the density so that even the mightiest warrior shouldn't be able to move.

Shikadai sees that Shinki isn't trying to apply any kind of seal atop this structure and takes the hint. He uses a summoning jutsu, a hundred bursts of smoke echo the summoning of a hundred shuriken, each enhanced with 'darkness'. Shikadai has done this advance, believing it may be useful as a final attack against one of the enemy generals. Each of the shuriken fire at the pyramid in turn, piercing into the thing with such tremendous speed that they manage to escape from the other side.

Shinki's pyramid slows the shuriken down greatly though, a testament to the density he has created. He gestures to Shikadai to prepare another a kunai and then when he sees it has been prepared gets ready. As the leaf shinobi throws the kunai (paper bomb attached) into the pyramid, his sand counterpart opens up a tiny opening, just enough to allow the pointed weapon passage. The pocket of air travels through the pyramid alongside the paper bomb, delivering it perfectly to its target upon hitting which it creates an incredibly loud explosion.

Even with the detonation of the paper bomb the pyramid holds firm.

"Did it get him?" Shikadai asks hopefully.

Shinki sweats as he struggles to keep his hands together. They appear pushed apart by an invisible force.

He snickers. "No".

A collection of grey-coloured tentacles burst through the edges of the pyramid. A small explosion from the centre sends the sand flying away from its prisoner in all directions.

Tao Ma laughs before stumbling towards his two opponents.

"You know, my leader will be coming to pay you a visit soon".

' _His leader is coming here…'_.

' _He is not the leader? Someone even stronger than him is coming?'_.

"If this is all you can do he won't be very impressed".

Shinki is furious. This man, he's mocking them.

"Let's see if I can't whip you into shape before then". With that, the man who they thought a leader begins to attack them, and begins to do just that.

He starts to whip them into shape.

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

A colonel runs at Clyde and attacks him with two swords of 'wind'.

The general dodges the swords comfortably, using his hips to evade the first three strikes before hitting his assailant once in the wrist to avoid the third. He thought that by this point the colonels would be starting to get the point that they are not going to be able to beat him. He understands now, Elliot has drilled it into them well; Lara is someone to be feared, Lara is someone you don't disappoint lightly.

This colonel does disappoint though, a single knock in the back of the neck is enough to put him down.

Clyde looks around dramatically, nobody left between them. It's just Clyde and Lara.

Lara's smile is so wide it's akin to a child. She takes one final swig of blood before throwing the glass she brought to the side. It smashes against the ground, shattering into pieces.

She drops down to the ground herself. "It looks like it is finally time for me to have my fun".

In quick succession, both activate their golden cloaks.

Clyde smiles a wry grin. _'Now that I'm feeling it up close I am impressed. This is your power Lara, a perfect contrast to my own'_.

' _Your power is 'light'!'_.

It is a sensation they have felt multiple times today, Lara's power. For many this is their first taste of what that power actually is, only able to identify it by sight. This close it is clear to see though, 'light', a transcendent element to perfectly match Clyde's own of 'darkness'.

Mirai herself is about to fight a general with a transcendent element in Elliot. She can tell the difference instantly though. Elliot and Lara cannot be compared, there is a difference in quality and in the essence of their divine energy.

' _Clyde is really going to fight against that?'_.

Peterson is much the same in his reaction. This is his first time feeling it up close. It's not the same as from a distance. He can feel electricity. Not from his 'lightning' though, it's a palpable feeling in the air. The hairs on his skin stand on end. He knows Clyde well, he has full faith in the man but this is something on the next level. The general has never had a battle like this in his life and he's picked a hell of a time for the first one.

Tao Ma's reaction is more casual, a laugh as he toys with his opponents. _'Now that I can feel it, that woman really is impressive, especially for someone in the military. However, the others are probably too nervous to notice, that man is really strong too'_.

Lara closes the distance between herself and Clyde, walking right up to him.

They are face-to-face, neither moving.

"This battle has been destined for a long time" she says, her voice now a whisper, "The battle between you and I".

Clyde whispers too, "Are you ready?".

She steps back in reply, "I'm going to kill you Clyde. I want you to know that as your bones break and you draw your final breath, I want you to remember my name in that moment. I want you to remember that it was Lara that killed you".

"I'm not the same man I was when you last saw me. I've met so many people, seen so many desperate struggles and they have changed me. I have seen the rise of a man far greater than you could ever understand".

He steps forward, bringing the face-to-face once again, "And if I'm going to die here, then I'm going to give you hell before I do".

"Then do it".

Golden 'darkness' roars around Clyde's fist and he throws it forwards.

Their fight has begun.

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

Hinata feels it once again, she restarts her struggle, wriggling around hopelessly in the grip of the colonels.

"You have to free Naruto, I can feel it, you can feel it, everyone will die" she shouts, "Unless you let him go, all of your friends and all of my friends are all as good as dead".

"Don't act like I don't know that!" Sheer rebukes.

"Then why won't you free him? Why won't you release the only one who can stop this madness".

"The general is willing to give his life to stop it all" Grace sobs, "He's trying to stop this endless suffering. Every single person who dies will die hero for a million more who will live".

Hinata has heard this speech before, Naruto had recited something similar to her once. This is the same school of thought as Pain once had. The belief that there is a cycle of hatred and vengeance that must be broken. Naruto explained though that it was a mistake the way he tried to do it, the same way the colonels are making a mistake. She knows that the cycle cannot be broken this way, over the dead bodies of the innocent, unknowing people of the Hidden Leaf.

"They don't have to die at all".

"Shut up!" Sheer has snapped, she begins to breath heavily despite not having moved for a good time now. "I won't risk it. Uzumaki Naruto is the hero who will save our world. I won't release him. I definitely won't let him go".

"No, but I will".

Hinata's prayers have been answered.

It comes, along with an enormous flood of chakra.

A ray of hope!

Hinata looks onward with misty eyes. All is not lost for them.

"Thank goodness you've come…"

"…Sarada".


	104. Here to Win

**WAR NEVER ENDS – HERE TO WIN**

 **The Battlefield**

Clyde's fist is coated in the golden divine energy of 'darkness', the purest form of divine energy he can use. The sound of it cutting through the air is enough to demonstrate his power to the armies behind him.

Large portions of those fighting stop and watch, once again they exercise the bad habit of losing focus while they are awed by what is happening. While the elite fighters escape this habit, the others cannot. The shinobi have never seen anything like this, the captains neither. These two are at a level they couldn't hope to touch.

Their position is separated from the rest of the battlefield. True to his word, Clyde charged ahead of his forces while Lara stayed behind hers. He showed his back while she showed her front. To him this is the essence of what it is to be a leader. He has done that part of his job, now all that is left is to win here. His job is no longer that of a leader, it is that of a warrior.

Lara bends her knees to fall below the incoming punch, standard procedure. The two of them have fought before many times, practice fights during their tenure in the academy. Lara won each time yet Clyde persisted with the same attacks, all too easy for her to read.

Unlike previous times, this time Lara counters with a right hook into the side of Clyde's head. Despite her perceived nature, she is a calm and collected fighter. She has encountered people on the same level as her throughout her career, senior members of the military, members of the aristocracy, however; she has rarely lost to them. She is a natural rational decision maker.

Before Clyde's body even has time to react to the first attack she replies with another, a kick into his left shin. Anybody else may have had their leg broken by that attack but not Clyde. As he stumbles away from the incoming attack he is greeted by two more punches to the gut and one solid uppercut into his face.

The 'darkness' general is only able to take two steps in retreat before he comes under attack once again.

Lara creates a sword of golden 'light' energy and thrusts it towards Clyde.

This time he cannot accept the incoming attack, he must counter. The faces of his subordinates appear before him. He wonders if this is what people mean when they talk about their life flashing before their eyes. _'No'_ he tells himself, _'This is them calling to me, telling me to survive'_.

Before the blade reaches him, a golden 'darkness' shield forms in his hand, knocking the blade off course.

His vision gives him a newfound clarity of thought. His allies do for him as Lara's bloodlust does for her. He feels his brain working quicker, the thoughts moving about with renewed speed, being accepted and rejected at a previously unobtainable rate. If he didn't know any better he would swear that his brain has been upgraded.

The reason for his improvement matters little though. He must attack. He does this using his shield. With Lara's momentum from her last attack destabilising her, he knows she will not be able to defend herself easily, he takes the solid circular shield he has created and hits her in the face with it.

His attack doesn't rescind. After hitting her in the face with the shield, he swings his hips and drags its dull edge sideways, dealing a blunt strike to Lara's wrist. His objective is achieved, he forces her to drop the blade, watching it dissipate as it hits the floor.

Lara's previous smile is gone, replaced by total concentration. _'So, you can attack too. Don't think that puts us on the same level'_.

The attacks with the shield stunned Lara but that doesn't last long. Upon recovering she drops down, balancing on her feet with her centre of gravity as low as possible. She places both hands on the floor and spins one leg around her body and under the shield. She sweeps Clyde's legs out from beneath him.

The rebel general hits the floor hard but cannot afford to be disorientated for long.

Lara immediately springs back up to her feet and raises a leg, stamping it down towards the shield.

As the shield shatters, Clyde rolls away, Lara's foot narrowly missing his head.

He rolls away with great speed, rolling as quick as most shinobi could run. With a skilful stretch of his hand, he waits until his arm moves towards the floor before gently tapping the ground with his fingers. At this speed the small tap is enough to have a great affect, especially when enhanced with divine energy. A small crater forms in the ground and Clyde raises a meter into the air. He still spins on the same axis for a moment before he drags his body weight around, positioning him as parallel to the ground just before landing.

Lara now moves to use a blunt force attack of her own, creating a club in one hand and a globe of golden 'light' in the other. She fires the first globe towards Clyde as he leaps to the side, quickly firing the other as he is off balance.

Leaping to dodge the first, Clyde can do so easily at this range. The second poses more of a problem as his first evasion removed him from the ground, loosening his body control. Lara's attack was one that anticipated his would-be position, so he avoids it by lowering his hand onto the ground and reversing his momentum with a strong push.

This dodge provides Lara with the time she requires, she closes the distance between herself and Clyde and viciously swings the golden 'light' club towards Clyde's head. The demented smile on her face has returned, the focus from her brain gone. _'There is no way that he can dodge this'_.

Indeed, it is impossible for a transcendent general to dodge this, her confidence is well calculated.

However, to Clyde it is something else. Miscalculated. _'This is the chance'_.

With the club moving towards his head, his hips sway from side-to-side.

Lara gasps as she witnesses something she thought impossible.

Clyde's speed increases suddenly, it increases enormously.

This is beyond her expectations, no more than that, it shouldn't be possible.

Lara's lack of concentration, Clyde's speed boost. He was correct, this is the chance.

Faster than Lara can possibly counter, Clyde thrusts a knuckle into her throat, her neck taking so much impact that it leads her body as she is knocked backwards and down into the floor. As her body is slowed down by a smattering of rocks in the otherwise grassy area, she feels a strange sensation, a familiar yet different taste in her mouth. It is blood. Her own blood.

With the single exception of Tao Ma, the battlefield goes still as shock spreads like the flu.

Lara coughs as she rises to her feet. "Where did you get this power?".

"I found something in this world" Clyde answers. "I found something to help me get stronger. One of the fabled strength training manuals given to members of the aristocracy".

A shout comes from across the entire battlefield.

"Impossible" shouts the furious Elliot. "What do you mean you just found it? Finding something like that in a pocket world, that's definitely impossible!".

Clyde grins. "I thought that as well but you should be able to tell that I am speaking the truth".

A wave of excitement crashes against the shore of the shinobi-captain alliance. If this means what they think it means then everything has changed.

"Now you should finally realise why I was willing to fight this battle, Lara" Clyde bellows, "I was already a level above you the moment you arrived in this world".

This changes everything, this was a trap. Even Peterson quickly realises this. The information was kept from everyone by Clyde, a true feeling of hopelessness was created. The chestnut-haired general had even managed to trick himself into feeling more fear than he should. Of course, the enemy would sense this fear, this incredible tingling sensation shared by an entire army. They would think the fight was already settled, even Tao Ma had been fooled this way. Then Clyde would get a chance to reveal it, his true power. They could win. They would win. Clyde has finally done it. He surpassed Lara and set a trap for her that even she couldn't escape. He planned Naruto's escape in case he couldn't win even with these better-than-thought odds. Right down to the last detail, he has created the best possible odds for his worlds salvation.

Many switch from their previous confidence to despair on Lara's side. Except the key person. Except the one who can unsettle them the most. Lara herself.

It sounds at first like she is crying, her neck craned to obscure her face. That isn't what is happening though. First heard by Clyde but soon by the others is this maniacal reaction. She is laughing. She laughs in the face of their big reveal.

"Is that it?" she shouts, her eyes unnaturally wide, "Pathetic!".

"You've always been like this Clyde. You've always believed that you're better than me and I'm sick of it" she says. "It's a joke. A total joke! What a complete and utter joke".

He shakes his head. "I don't know what you are laughing at Lara but our fight is already over. Give yourself up and you have my word, I will spare you and your subordinates".

"You think this enough, Clyde? Do you think this is enough?!" her aura is truly frightening now. Not her divine energy but her presence. Clyde isn't tricking himself anymore, this is different. He's certain that anybody would be terrified. "You should know from years of experience that you will never better than me. I'm the best. I'm better than you. I've always been better than you. I will always be better than you".

"You're possibly the most talented woman I ever met in the academy" Clyde admits. "But you are definitely not talented enough to overcome my newfound strength. You can't fight up an entire level, nobody is that talented. You can't win Lara".

"No?" she laughs. "But you aren't the only one who has attained a new level of strength. There are other ways to get stronger Clyde".

Clyde's own words come back to him. He had explained this to Naruto before coming here. There are two ways that they can get stronger. One of them is to use a strength training manual. Then there is another.

His face drops. "You can't possibly mean… you couldn't have been given one…".

"That's right. After killing you I am getting promoted" she explains, "I am going to leave the military. I've been given a position with the aristocracy".

"You have a divine ability? You've been holding back too?".

Divine abilities. They are theoretically better than a strength training manual, though harder to learn. A divine ability not only upgrades your divine energy like a manual, it also grants you a supernatural power. Those born into the aristocracy may not be talented enough to learn them every time but Lara wasn't born into power. She suffered in her youth, rose to her position at the pinnacle of the army through her own talent and sustained that position with her own power. If she were granted such a thing, she would certainly be able to master it.

Lara creates a knife from golden 'light' before smiling at Clyde. They both know something surreal is about to happen.

Then she appears behind his back.

Clyde starts and begins to turn around. However she got there, he knows that he is in trouble.

She slashes the knife down towards his back, her own speed renewed.

Clyde's superior speed is still with him fortunately. He manages to avoid being killed by pulling back at the last moment. That doesn't avert all damage though, the long cut down the length of his torso the greatest wound sustained by either of them in this fight so far.

Lara quickly grabs Clyde by the front of his head.

' _Fast'_ he realises, _'Divine abilities really do raise your divine energy by a level'_.

Lara strengthens her grip, her fingernails painfully digging into the side of her rival's face. She steps forward, lifting him so that his feet part from the ground and then slams him head first into the floor.

Elliot gulps. He wonders if this is the reason he was unable to defeat Clyde, because of his manual, or if the 'darkness' user was just a superior talent to himself. Either way, he will no longer be able to help Lara. That battle is no longer on a level that he could interfere with, it's too far above him.

Lara looks around and sees the pause in the battles around her. She stops to lick the blood from the blade she just slashed at Clyde with and smiles. It tastes just as good as she was hoping.

"What's the matter? We're going to bathe this world in blood, aren't we?".

"Kill them!".

Her word is law once again.

The battles resume.

"Now then my dear rival. It's time for you to die".

Lara stabs the knife down towards Clyde but is soon surprised.

He catches her wrist.

She notes this is different to the old Clyde. By all accounts she has superior talent, superior power and a superior ability. The old Clyde was an optimist but also a realist, he would have given up in this situation, he would have accepted the authority of those with more power, just as he has done for years.

Something, or someone, has changed him.

Clyde grabs hold of her right wrist, while her right hand has the knife. He also grabs hold of her left wrist, her left hand wrapped around his face.

Gritting his teeth, he forces himself upward, lifting both away from him.

"You think I will give up and let you slaughter my people just with that. You can… go to hell…".

He finally rises back to his feet, an even greater surprise to Lara.

He throws both her hands out to her sides before kicking her in the chest.

She is forced to take a flurry of steps backwards, creating about five meters separation between the two of them. Yesteryear this would be a problem to Lara but now she can attack from any position, or so she thought.

Lara uses her new ability, teleportation, to do the same as previously. She appears behind Clyde and slashes her knife down towards his back.

This time his dodge is even greater. He dodges to the side of the blade, it misses him completely. Not only does he dodge, he craftily catches Lara by the wrist, as if to say, _'your teleportation is nothing to me'_.

"You're still going to have to beat me, Lara!".

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

Consecutive golden 'lightning' bolts stem from the fingers of Peterson. His target is as it has been for a while now. General Brooks.

She is easily able to dodge the attacks though. She has far more experience at this level than Peterson and his power is yet to truly settle down yet. She glides across the ice with a childish smile on her face, spinning each time to taunt her opponents for their inability to land a strike on her.

Her complacency is misplaced though. Hiruzen knows that a true warrior is never complacent in battle. He creates an 'earth' wall in Brooks path, forcing her to slide to her right where a terrifying attack is waiting.

Brooks pales as she realises that Tsunade is stood there. Tsunade steps forward with her left foot and strikes as hard as she can with her right fist.

The enemy general creates a wall of 'ice' which Tsunade is easily able to shatter. The goal of the 'ice' wasn't protection though as much as distraction. Brooks is able to use the moments delay induced by her wall to dodge the incoming attack. Just as well considering the torrent of wind that bursts from Tsunade's fist and destroys the stone wall behind Brooks.

She notes that Tsunade's power is incredible and resolves to deal with her right away.

Brooks creates a golden 'ice' icicle and thrusts it straight into Tsunade's gut, pausing a moment to smile before kicking her back along the sharp ice.

"Tsunade!" Hiruzen shouts after his student.

Brooks laughs an evil laugh, unnatural from her childish frame. "You really should all just give up. You are truly just hopeless. Far too weak to fight me".

A gasp of air stuns her.

Tsunade pulls the icicle from her gut and rises to her feet. She is still alive.

"Are you still OK to fight?" Peterson asks, eyebrows raised.

Tsunade hasn't even been able to use divine energy yet. She is in this fight just through the incredible power that she has amassed by combining her incredible chakra control and sage mode. Peterson has seen many locals with healing powers before but this world continues to surprise him with the likes of Naruto and Hashirama and now Tsunade.

"My healing can take way more than this" the 5th Hokage breathes, "Don't underestimate a Hokage".

Smiling Hiruzen whispers, "That's my student".

Brooks doesn't get it, this determination they have.

"I don't think you realise the situation that you are in. Granted, Clyde is still on the same level as Lara but you seem to have forgotten something. Everyone thought the two of them were equal before and Lara was stronger back then. While Clyde has only increased his strength, Lara has also gained an ability, she has gained strength and a new power. You can't hope to win this fight now".

The response to her rant is initially silence. This confounds her even more. It isn't a silence of defeat, despair or fear. The silence holds while the determination in their eyes speaks volumes. It hasn't put them off at all, they thought they were fighting a losing battle before and they still are now.

"This whole situation came about because of me, because the general saved me against protocol" Peterson explains. "If it weren't for the general, I would be dead. Together we fought the most monstrously powerful locals I have ever seen. We lost but we are still alive and that is because of the man that the general is. I believe in him, always have and always will and he will show you why, here today".

Brooks realises that she isn't going to break them, not yet. These people have been living on hope for too long now and it will have to completely evaporate before their morale disappears. It seems that she still has some work to do.

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

Lara cackles. "Are you serious Clyde, one lucky block and you think you can really fight me?".

She begins to teleport at full speed, disappearing and reappearing dozens of times per second in a way that makes her appear in several places at once. It's as close to an illusion as she can get.

' _Lara is a genius. A fighter who can beat nearly everyone on the same level. Someone who could fight well before she even had divine energy. If I were someone like that, where would I attack from… where…'_.

Clyde's mind is stuck for a second but then he realises that he has had experience in this area before. He has fought against someone on a similar level to his own. He has fought against someone whose gift for trickery and sneaky attacks is far greater than Lara's. If he can fight against someone like that and survive, there is no way he cannot do the same for Lara.

He can predict exactly where she will teleport, he just has to get into the same mindsight he was before, as when he fought Naruto.

Clyde creates the same shield as before and waits for Lara to teleport one final time. The second she does that he raises the shield up above his head and drops to his knees.

CLANG!

Just as he thought, Lara attacked from above.

He's full of surprises today. Lara knows now that he was right before in so many ways. He is not the same Clyde she has battled before.

He dispenses of the shield, raises to his feet and grabs her by the ankle. Making use of her airborne position, he slams her down into the ground.

After the initial shock of the impact, Lara teleports a short distance away. She retreats, relying on the safety of distance and getting back to her feet. Annoyed, she is really annoyed now and her face shows it. She had been expecting to have killed him by now.

This is important. If he predicts her movements and executes the right attack, he can still deliver a fatal blow.

"You still don't seem to realise it Lara. You can mock me and say that I will lose all you want. But I am not the same man as before…".

"… I came here to win!".


	105. Brains vs Brawn

**WAR NEVER ENDS – BRAINS VS BRAWN**

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

Her eyes are dark, just as her fathers were. It is amazing the contrast between them, many have noticed this, not the least Sakura. Behind Sasuke's eyes there was always an avenger, looking out for his ambitions and his goals. Even when he was brought back to the village by Naruto that coldness was still there, like mechanical calculations were taking place just behind them. Sarada's eyes are similar yet different, looking almost identical and yet showing an almost childish naivety at all times. Fear, concern, hope, expectation, betrayal, the effects of all of them are seen at all times; Uchiha Sarada's eyes are truly the map to her entire life.

"Uchiha Sarada" Sheer acknowledges the new arrival like a friend walking the other way down a street. "What are you doing here?".

What is she doing here? It almost seems like a bad joke, don't they all have a fairly good grasp on the situation? Sarada can see the tears in Hinata's eyes, the desperation in the eyes of the colonels and the complete emptiness of the camp. She also sees the position of their bodies, they were likely guarding the prison from Hinata. There is only one reason she would want to get to it, there is only one person who could be inside.

"I came here to see my master but I'm disappointed to see something else" Sarada explains. "Instead, I have found you ganging up on Hinata, I've found an entire group of you forcing her to the ground. Now, unless I have got the situation entirely wrong, Naruto is inside that prison".

Hinata drags her head to the side to look around the colonels at her would be daughter-in-law. "Sarada, please, you have to get him out of there".

This is a stark contrast to the last time the two of them met. Back then Sarada had been desperate, flailing about in the dark and praying for a Hokage to save her. Hinata had slapped her out of it. Now it is the reverse, Hinata is seeking divine intervention, silently pleading for the help of a Hokage; a Hokage whom not long ago was in a very different state. Previously Sarada looked like a lost child, crying to her parents. Now she looks like what she always dreamed of being, she looks like a leader who protects the village as her family.

"Don't worry, I won't let any harm come to either of you, I am a Hokage after all".

Hinata smiles as Sarada turns her attention back to the captors.

"I still have to ask. Why have you all put Naruto in that prison? You must know that he would help you in your fight. If these new invaders are trying to kill you then you need him".

"You wouldn't understand our reasons" Sheer answers.

"Try me".

"We're not doing this for the reasons you think. We're doing this because we have made an alliance with Naruto".

It's a two-faced argument bar-Sarada, all those present know it. The 7th Hokage had happily entered into an alliance with his former adversaries believing them to be good people who had changed for the better. That may be the case, their intentions may well be good but they have gone against his wishes here.

"An alliance?".

"The general has gone to save your world" Colonel Grace explains. "However, the situation in our world is far worse. We need Naruto to save it! He can't do that right now, he is not strong enough but there will come a day when that changes".

This is Sarada's first time hearing of the issues in the invaders' world. "There are troubles in your world too? Are they so desperate that Naruto cannot help here?".

It seems preposterous. There is a good chance that Naruto's presence in the battle here would change the tide. If he and Sarada were to head there the odds would improve dramatically, probably even to a fifty-fifty chance. That's without factoring in the strength of the other colonels and Hinata. For that fifty-fifty to not be worth betting on, she immediately understands how severely they rate their own problems.

"Like I say, you wouldn't understand" claims Sheer. "For years, everyone in our world has felt trapped, hopeless, like there is no way out. Even the most brilliant of our warriors cannot change things. The heroes of yesterday and the heroes of today were all killed. The heroes of tomorrow were prevented from being born. You don't understand how that feels, that hopelessness, that's why we need Naruto".

Sarada's left fist is clenched so tightly it has gone a bright shade of red. If her entire body weren't numbed by rage she would feel her bones on the verge of breaking and her skin beginning to tear.

"Don't give me that" she growls. A deep guttural animalistic sound. "I don't understand how it feels to lose hope?".

The 9th Hokage steps forward and screams at the colonels. "You made us feel that for years! I know that feeling all too well!".

Guilt.

How can the colonels possibly feel anything else but guilt?

"We fought against you but stood no chance. We lowered ourselves to assassination attempts but there was no hope. We tried running and running and running but there was nowhere left to run! We only had one chance left, one hope and like for you, that was Uzumaki Naruto!".

Sarada finally calms, his cheesy smile popping into her head. "We succeeded, mostly thanks to him. Not his genius or his fighting ability but the sheer brilliance of his spirt. So if you want to claim that I don't understand how you're feeling, you should think of a better joke".

Hinata wasn't there but has felt the scar in the fabric of the village. She has felt the pain caused by tens of thousands of deaths. She has seen the effect of those left behind of all the dead, the difficulty and the poor conditions with which they have had to survive. She has run with the villagers when only Naruto and Hashirama could possibly turn and fight. She has felt it, that reliance on nothing but hope, the hope of Uzumaki Naruto.

"Sarada… please… don't let it happen again… please".

Things have changed since then. Hope had propagated in many different directions. With the increasing powers of Hashirama, of Boruto and of Sarada. The most powerful of shinobi had begun to understand the power of the invaders. Divine energy.

One week ago, hope was not the talent of one man, it was the potential of many. Circumstance has conspired against them though, putting all the pressure back on a single person. That, however, is the beautiful thing to her. If he lives, so does hope.

"Free Naruto" the Uchiha orders.

"I can't do that Sarada" Sheer responds.

The black naïve eyes change to a circular purple pattern.

"I will fight you if I have to".

"… yes… very well, let's fight".

The battle for hope – against the odds as it always is – begins.

 **The Battlefield**

The quiet purr of Minato's chakra cloak fills the void. After overcoming the initial lack of cooperation, Minato managed to do what Kurama's two previous hosts proved incapable of. He made peace with the nine-tails.

With the deep orange chakra surrounding him he bends both his knees, spring loading them for an eventual reaction he is certain will require speed. Fortunately, as a shinobi, that is something he does better than anybody else. Even against the like of Naruto with his control of 'life' Minato could compete in a competition of speed. It matters little if someone is twice as powerful as yourself, if you dedicate four times to moving quicker you could be at least on par with them. This assumes a lack of talent. Minato does not lack talent in the least.

He pulls a kunai from his belt and focuses his gaze on the two invaders before him. Martin and Georgia. Colonel and General respectively. Poisonous both by element and by nature.

Georgia raises her head, looking down her nose at Minato. He even positions himself like a monkey.

"One of the monkeys wants to fight me" she says, her voice full of disdain, "As if he is worthy".

Martin now has a clear picture of his history with Minato. "Sister, this man was nearly killed by my poison once before. He is hardly worthy of fighting you. I will enjoy making him suffer again".

"Then I shall leave this monkey to you".

Minato takes the situation in. It looks like a promising start. They seem to be underestimating him, confusing him with the disabled man he was three years ago. Three years is a long time.

Martin activates his 'poison' divine cloak and the 4th Hokage takes this as his cue. His legs uncurl, starting with a powerful stride from his right foot, within three steps he is moving than any shinobi that he has ever seen.

Martin must acknowledge this speed. It is superior to his own.

He isn't too concerned though, he has battled people with superior speed in his time at the academy, a standard part of the training all members of the military receive. He is confident of his own superiority in terms of power. That is a mistake.

A howl of wind sounds despite the lack of air movement. Martin initially wonders where it is coming from but quickly realises. It is Minato. The shinobi's fourth step is even quicker than his initial three. The difference isn't marginal, not the effect of a gradual increase in pace, it's a sudden raw boost to the force driving him forwards. It is the wind. Minato is controlling the wind.

Georgia starts. She wants to save her brother from this attack but realises it is too late. Minato's speed is too superior for even her to intervene.

The yellow flash runs right up to Martin, a rasengan formed in his hand, nobody able to offer any resistance. He slams the rasengan into the chest of his enemy.

Martin screams as he is knocked back off his feet, his only saving grace the arrival of his sister to catch him.

Georgia quickly begins her analysis, this will be a battle against an opponent with superior speed. The attack was weak, not able to kill Martin, he will likely struggle even more to kill her. However, perhaps on Clyde and Lara would be capable of keeping up with such a man. She draws the simple conclusion. Minato is a freak, a champion of speed who should be an inspiration to warriors also walking the path of 'wind'.

"That's impossible" Martin concludes while grasping at his aching chest. "Just what sort of speed was that. There is no way a local could be so fast".

Georgia releases her brother, making sure he is safely on his feet. She then begins to walk slowly towards Minato. If he doesn't take this is a cue to begin an attack then it is to her advantage. The closer she can get the more chance she has of hitting him, that is to be the nature of this speed-based fight.

She is attacked in a way unfamiliar to her.

Minato's right arm lifts from his side to be parallel with his shoulder, his hand opens half way through the motion, sending a kunai hurtling towards the 'poison' general.

She of course dodges it with ease, who wouldn't dodge such a simple throw at this level.

With a flash of gold, Minato disappears and reappears behind Georgia, his hand wrapped around the kunai. Upon arriving he has distinct advantage. A surprise attack combined with superior speed, that is almost a water-tight plan. He lands a heavy kick into the rear of Georgia's right calf, sending her down to one knee.

The general begins to panic, a monkey has never made her fall to one knee before. How dare he. She turns and attempts to punch him.

Minato dodges to the side of the first punch, quickly returning a jab of his own. He does it again. And again. And again!

Four solid punches in a row and Georgia finally changes tactic, opting instead to reach out to grab Minato. If she can't win a contest of strikes she will grapple with him.

As she reaches for him he disappears, reappearing at a kunai he left in his starting position.

In that exchange Minato landed five solid attacks. Georgia landed none.

"Did you see that" one shinobi yells. "That speed was incredible, I could barely see him".

"That's the 4th Hokage for you" another one agrees.

Amongst the onlooking shinobi is Minato's wife. A feeling of pride rises within her, knowing how far Minato has come since arriving in this world. _'Minato, you're incredible'_.

Even Martin is taken in by the display. By his account, the captained-six contest went on longer than it had any right too. The locals were far more talented than he thought possible back then. Incredibly though, this man of such high talent wasn't even well enough to fight back then. He wonders just what is wrong with this world? Why is it so different to all the other pocket worlds?

Georgia, unlike everyone else, seems relaxed.

"Everyone seems happy for you monkey but you surely realised the truth from just one exchange. You will continue to get slower and my counter to your movements will continue to improve" she explains. "I am stronger than you so you won't be able to land the killing blow. I will win this fight eventually".

Minato grins. "Can't land the killing blow, huh?".

He continues. "I admit that you are strong. Very strong. Stronger than me no doubt. I also admit that it's going to take something special to land that killing blow… so let's find out just how good I am".

Georgia has an ominous feeling, like an insect crawling along her skin. For a moment she is certain that he is not bluffing.

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

Blackburn stops his attacks momentarily, allowing Kakashi and Tobirama some respite. His eyes have been caught elsewhere and he is jealous. The guy fighting against Georgia seems really strong to him, very entertaining. It doesn't matter that his speed vastly outstrips his power. It's the uniqueness that piques his interest. That is why this world is great, the locals are fantastic. There ingenuity and crazy abilities greater than in any of the other worlds he has seen.

Kakashi steadies his breathing. "Minato sensei is doing well against the poisoner and his sister".

"Yeah. He didn't fight during the captained-six contest. Now that he is fighting his speed is remarkable". Tobirama goes on to admit that while he is the founder of the flying thunder god he cannot compare to Minato in the use of it. In terms of speed, he is inferior.

"Minato sensei's talent is fighting quick. Your talent is fighting smart" Kakashi counters. "It's time to combine our smarts to win, don't you think?".

"Yes".

Kakashi takes one last deep breath through his ever-present mask. He shivers slightly and despite the sweat dripping from his head, notices the bumpy texture of his skin. He spoke with Tobirama about this previously. About the series of counters they could use, about the attacks at their disposal that could actually beat Blackburn. They could do it, brains could defeat brawn but only if they were lucky with one combination. All the eggs are in one basket.

"I don't know that this attack will work. If it fails we will probably die here".

Tobirama extends a fist to his side. "I believe in you Kakashi".

The 6th Hokage bumps fists with his predecessor. "No matter what happens Tobirama, I am glad that we became friends in this future".

"Yes".

Their divine energy and chakra flare up synchronously.

On the left is the 'lightning' of Kakashi.

On the right is the 'water' of Tobirama.

Blackburn's attention is drawn back to the battle, the grin on his face showing excitement renewed. "So you two are finally going to go all out? In that case, come at me with everything you can think of".

That is exactly what they intend to do. For Minato's strength is speed yet theirs is brains.

Blackburn leaps up into the air and coats both fists in 'earth' ready for what he assumes is one final desperate barrage.

Kakashi activates his kamui power, tearing a hole between dimensions several meters above Blackburn's head. From that hole appears a marked kunai.

Blackburn has fought them for long enough, he is prepared for this. The coating on his fist is not just for short range attacks. He throws his fist upwards using an uppercut motion. The power and speed of the strike is such that the 'earth' mould flies from the end of his hand. It flies towards the kunai he presumes to be the Hokages' destination.

He proves right.

With a flash Tobirama and Kakashi appear at the kunai, each with a hold on the other's wrist.

As the fist-shaped 'earth' flies towards them Tobirama pulls as hard as he can. He twists his hips and manipulates the duos combined centre of gravity as a pivot point. Spinning them around, he times their swap in positions perfectly so that in the midst of the turn the fist-mould flies past their heads.

In Kakashi's right hand is Tobirama's left wrist. This gives him only one hand to attack with but that is all he will need. He draws 'lightning' into that left hand and grunts with what little energy he has left to summon. "It's up to you now, Tobirama".

Tobirama too begins to gather divine energy, a blob of 'water' appearing around his left hand.

That initial attack from Blackburn, in spite of its power, was not a one off. The man not only boasts enormous muscles but enormous divine energy. He fires off the 'earth' fists in quick succession, requiring only a second's break between firing them.

Kakashi has prepared for this. He links the two dimensions using his kamui and instantly knows that he has aimed perfectly. A dozen shuriken drop from the sky, gravity as their propellant. Each clip one of the fists on the edge, catching the ultimate knuckle. Of course the collision is not enough to stop the stony projectiles but it is enough to defer their course away from the two Hokage.

Blackburn is running out of ideas, now turning to the conventional spear taught in the academy, an easily fatal and powerful attack with great speed. With the golden 'earth' spear in hand he throws it up towards his two assailants.

Kakashi deliberately spins about the duo's centre of gravity, placing himself in the path of the spear. Initially it seems suicidal but of course he has a plan. He uses Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan, letting the spear pass through him.

"I'm done" Tobirama yells.

"Then do it!".

Tobirama throws his hand forward, combining his chakra and divine energy into an enormous 'water' dragon, three sizes larger than any he has created previously. As the dragon flies down towards Blackburn, a sudden injection of additional power increases its ferocity.

Kakashi unleashes the power of 'lightning' he has stored in his hand. As it combines with the 'water' dragon the full attack they have been betting their lives on is complete.

The 'water-lightning' dragon is here.

The dragon drives down towards Blackburn from above, the latter creating a thick golden 'earth' shield in an attempt to stop it.

He is finally forced down into the ground.

Tobirama and Kakashi are in no position to hold back now. They give all the reserves they can, both chakra and divine energy to increasing the power of the dragon.

The dragon bursts through Blackburn's shield, forcing him to catch it by the jaw. Now it is a direct struggle between the two.

Blackburn shouts in frustration as he tries to use raw strength to push the dragon back away from him.

His shout is countered by one from the two silver-maned Hokage. As their last vestiges of energy empty into the dragon it wriggles free of Blackburn's grip, finally driving the behemoth's back into the ground below.

A scattering of dust, 'earth', 'lightning' and 'water' obscures the battle momentarily as Kakashi and Tobirama land on the ground.

The 2nd Hokage begins to fall onto his back but is caught clumsily by his partner-in-crime.

"It may not be over yet" Kakashi says, though he is so out of breath he couldn't possibly fight any more.

As the dust clears there is no movement from the enemy general.  
He lays on the ground motionless, unconscious.

A cheer goes up from the shinobi and captains behind the Hokage.

They have won.

Previously overwhelmed by Blackburn's sheer power, this time the two Hokage have scored a win.

The first key confrontation of this battle has gone their way.

"Now it's OK" Tobirama says.

"Yeah" Kakashi agrees, this time letting Tobirama to fall to the ground. He quickly follows himself.

The leaf's four mightiest warriors are not present. Those who everyone pinned their hopes on are elsewhere. Yet in the face of great adversity, these two have prevailed.

"Hashirama… Naruto… we won!".


	106. Please Help Me

**WAR NEVER ENDS – PLEASE HELP ME**

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

Sarada can feel her heartbeat in her ears. This can only go one way. This is not a battle where she is trying to defeat her opponents, it is a battle where she is attempting to touch a cube. She need not worry about what will happen after that, she can tell from the tone of their voices that the colonels won't try to kill her. Even if they did, after touching the prison she would have freed Naruto and there is no way anyone here could stand up to him.

They wait for a moment, who will blink first.

Sheer releases her grip on Hinata and dashes for the midpoint between Sarada and the prison.

Sarada activates the unique powers of her rinnegan, transforming into a streak of light as she launches towards the prison.

These two are the undisputed speed masters of those present, Sarada with her unique rinnegan abilities and Sheer with her control of 'wind' and years of study into its use. The first exchange will all come down to who reaches that midpoint first.

Sheer reaches that point first, her 'wind' cloak active, ready to block Sarada's path.

Sarada's weakness in this form is her mobility. Her manoeuvrability is severely limited, she cannot turn sharp corners quickly, otherwise she would skirt around her opponent.

The 9th Hokage returns to her human form and lands on her feet, knees already slightly bent and hips twisted to concentrate her power for a right-handed punch. Chakra gathers on her hand, lighting it up like the sun for the 'solar punch'. She unwinds her body, throwing everything into the punch at Sheer.

Sheer narrowly dodges the punch, feeling the sensation of the air blowing against her skin. This air pressure, so many would find it unpleasant but it is different to her. Even under present circumstances she smiles slightly, this is the closes she gets to being at home, this sensation.

Sheer lightly pushes Sarada backwards, determined that she shouldn't kill her. As many people as possible must survive this day. Behind Naruto, Sarada is a priority, someone truly powerful who could be of use.

Two of the other colonels finally arrive at the midpoint. Burns takes hold of Sarada's left arm and freezes it solid while Grace uses her powers of fire to propel her arm into Sarada's gut. The distance between the Uchiha and the prison increases, that is a success for them.

All the while one anxious colonel maintains his grip on Hinata. They must keep her back, they have to spare one person to do that. He should be fine by his own calculations, unless destiny moves against them. Unless Hinata displays that same freakish power from before once again.

Sarada has no time to waste in freeing Naruto. She activates her complete-body Susano, instantly dwarfing everyone she is fighting against. She lifts the right foot of the Susano and stomps down towards the top of the prison; unaware of whether it will free Naruto but certain that it is worth the gamble.

The colonels are not willing to find out either. 'Earth' sprouts from all sides of the prison, forming into a small mountain around it as the peak spikes out towards the falling foot of the Susano. As the two collide the mountain is destroyed but at a cost to Sarada, the foot of her Susano is knocked away. A successful defensive move for Colonel Dred.

The repulsed foot is an ongoing problem for Sarada. Sheer flies up into the air right in front of Sarada, not ten meters from the face of the Susano. Holding both hands out, the colonel sends a repeating barrage of 'wind' divine energy at the attempting rescuer. There is an initial struggle between the two former adversaries for control but as Sheer closes the distance between them and initiates a succession of ultra-close-range blows she achieves her goal and pushes the Susano down onto the floor.

Recognising the Susano for the problem it could become, Grace engulfs it in a sea of 'fire'. The Susano slowly begins to melt yet Sarada cannot dissipate it carelessly, lest she get pulled into the flames herself.

"Idiots" Sarada curses, "Do none of you realise what is at stake in this battle? Everyone could die!".

Wordlessly, Grace continues to melt the Susano.

"Just give it up Sarada" Sheer sighs; "Go back and fight alongside the general if you must".

The rinnegan darts between the various military-sourced assailants. This isn't time for hysteria or argument, this is the time for analysis.

' _I am slightly stronger than they are but there are far more of them'._ Sarada's eyes are then drawn through the shattered mountain to the still pristine cubic structure within. _'If Naruto were in this situation he would… he would never give up'_.

She shuffles through the hundreds of battles she has had. She considers the fights of her father, her sensei and her master. They so often had fights where they had to deconstruct their opponent's techniques and find a weakness. The situation here should be even easier, these people are not masters of trickery, all it should take is a bit of deception and a bit of inspiration.

Sarada crosses her fingers, creating a single clone and activating the last of her unique rinnegan powers, increasing the gravity for each of the colonels significantly. This level of gravity manipulation won't slow them down that much but it will stun them for at least a moment and that opening is what she is counting on.

The clone falls to the ground, creating a skeletal Susano within the complete-body one as it melts. The complete-body Susano is functioning as little more than a shield now as its little sibling creates a bow and arrow in its much smaller hands, just as her father had done yesteryear.

Sarada allows herself to fall onto the string of the bow and her clone commands a release. The Susano's grip on the bowstring is loosened and as it and the clone disappear, Sarada's real body is sent flying towards the cube. Her speed even greater than in her initial form. Combined with the stun from the gravity, this should be enough, nobody should be able to stop her now.

"Go Sarada!" Hinata yells.

' _Move'_ Sheer tells herself, _'Move, move, move'_.

' _This way. This is a path to freeing him'_ Sarada smiles, _'They can't stop me under so much pressure. This is what he would have done'_.

' _MOVE!'_.

Sarada stretches her hand forward. _'Nothing. Nothing is going to stop me now. Now help us, Uzumaki Naruto'_.

BANG!

She is knocked away again. Again!

It is Sheer.

Sarada instantly knows the situation has changed.

The colonel takes heavy breaths, more from panic than exhaustion. Finally, she raises her head to look Sarada in the eye.

She looks forward, through a brand new golden 'wind' cloak.

"Sheer!" Grace calls excitedly.

"She broke through…" Dred adds.

Indeed. The third member of Clyde's group has had a breakthrough. This time it is Sheer. It couldn't come at a worse time for Sarada.

"Sarada. Thanks to that burst of speed I understood the true nature of 'wind'" Sheer explains. "Thanks to that burst of speed. This fight ends here".

"There is no way you are getting to him now".

 **The Battlefield**

The situation is bleak in the fight against General Brooks. Hiruzen, Tsunade, Peterson, all three of them are enormously accomplished. The Hokage with so much experience yet such a steady nature making him ever the natural leader. The healer who would sooner take all the damage onto her own body and destroy it with her own power. The warrior, with so much talent and yet has dealt with so much misery. Despite these claims to fame, these personal victories, they are inferior to Brooks in so many ways. She is more talented, has a better understanding of the fight's flow and has more experience than the three of them combined.

Peterson tries a series of close range attacks on her. Despite her looks though, it is nothing like fighting against a child. She skilfully uses her miniature frame to doge each incoming blow before finally countering the last one. She calculates her punch, foot hard into Peterson's liver. Even the follow-through is calculated, setting the colonel on a path towards the 3rd Hokage.

Peterson sees a chance to save the two of them. He intensifies his golden 'lightning' as much as possible, melting a small patch of ice in front of Hiruzen's feet. The Sarutobi clansmen catches onto this plan, stepping into clearing, digging his heels into the ground and catching Peterson.

The terrain has truly become an obstacle to them.

"Thanks" Peterson heaves. "She's tough, her battle experience is far in excess of my own".

"I've fought tactical battles like this before" Hiruzen says, tapping the ice with his foot. "This girl is different though, there are no openings or weaknesses in her technique. She has too much experience combined with too much talent".

Brooks places her hand over her mouth, mocking her opponents with a yawn. "Hey, you guys are boring me, I've had enough of this fight".

"Huh?".

Tsunade is taken aback by this. After all the training she has done to fight on this level, after all the suffering and the struggle, she has finally reached a new plateau. She had believed that this power would make a difference, the strength that could hurt even a general. Nothing has changed though, even together with her teacher and Peterson, she cannot bother Brooks.

Brooks, she concludes, is a monster.

"It's obvious that to beat you guys, I need only target the weak link".

She tauntingly lifts her tiny fingers up before a smiling face and clicks.

Raising from the ground behind Tsunade is a spike made from golden 'ice'.

It quickly becomes apparent to Hiruzen that she won't dodge this. She is too slow, relying solely on power to stay in a battle where everyone else has superior speed. He should have seen this coming he tells himself, he should have realised that Tsunade would be a weak link, he should have told her, even at the expense of her feelings.

CRASH!

Red liquid pours from the wound made by the spike.

But it is not Tsunade who falls to the floor, it is Peterson.

He protected her.

"Hey are you OK?" Hiruzen shouts.

"Peterson…".

Brooks laughs. A child's laugh is not meant to sound so menacing. "I didn't think you were so noble Peterson" she says. "Not that it matters, now the biggest obstacle is out of the way. I can finish cleaning up the trash".

Hiruzen loses patience. Knowing that this is the quickest route to defeat he lunges forward anyway, such his rage. There is small part of his mind still running the numbers on this battlefield; they have already won one battle. If they lose here that will put the two sides equal, so, giving into his rage may not be so bad if he can at least do a bit of damage.

As Hiruzen attacks with a fist coated in 'earth', Brooks glides away over the golden 'ice' floor, tripping Hiruzen up as she does. Her face is more befitting of a child now, a smile to announce how much fun she is having. This isn't a fight anymore, this is playtime.

Brooks circles the 3rd Hokage twice more before creating a golden 'ice' spike and stabbing it down towards him.

He evades, rolling his body lengthways to his right to doge the first attack and left to dodge the second.

Brooks lowers the back of her hand so it is parallel to the floor and then swings her hand up as if to roll something along the length of her fingers. As she does from underneath her arm a series of freezing cold spike appear, each rising into the air and falling towards Hiruzen on the ground.

His roll this time is continuous in a leftward direction. Each time he turns he hits the floor with his hand before turning again.

Brooks runs towards Hiruzen but as she does, from each of the spots Hiruzen touched rise 'earth' spikes. They are no obstacle though, she skates between them, whistling like she's on a trip to her local trader.

Brooks approaches Hiruzen. Even as the 3rd Hokage rolls away she closes the distance, her speed so superior. With the distance between them just a meter she creates a blade without hilt, made from golden 'ice'. Her intentions not flashy, she stabs it down towards him.

He manages to save himself at the last second by constructing a barrier of 'earth'. The barrier rises from the floor either side of him and converges in front of his head. As the blade pierces the barrier it stops just short of his forehead.

Hiruzen kicks Brooks in the chest, pushing her back two steps as he gets to his feet and charges her once more.

A lazy attack full of openings. The general sees right through it, timing her own punches such that it forces a miss. She then proceeds to punch Hiruzen in the arm three times. She feels the give each time she connects, there is something solid, his bones and each time it gives a little more.

Hiruzen blocks a fourth punch and slips behind his opponent, only to be hit with a spinning backhand. He spins three full times in the air before hitting the ground again.

Nothing. Nothing he is doing is working. This is a hopeless fight.

Seeing Brooks coming, the shinobi drops a smoke bomb, cover for his follow-up omni-directional fire jutsu. The fire jutsu just about manages to melt some of the older parts of the ice. Deciding this satisfactory, he retreats into one of the regions he has melted, grasping for any advantage he can get.

Brooks shakes her head. "Run for as long as you like old man. Now that I have taken the advantage, this fight is as good as over".

Tsunade drops to her knees beside Peterson. A plethora of emotions run through her. Sadness, confusion, anger, rage, pity. She curses herself, why is she feeling these things now of all times, why must this be so difficult for her?

She looks at the battered blood-soaked body of her ally. "Why, why would you do that?".

"Shut up" Peterson grunts through the pain. He grasps at his wound, the spike still in place, "Just go… go and… and help him…".

Tsunade doesn't know what to think. Was her grandfather not right? Don't these invaders bring chaos with them everywhere they go? Or was Naruto right? Are these people finally showing that they truly do regret their former actions? Are they doing this for their own selfish desires, are they doing it for survival, or are they doing it for some righteous greater purpose?

She looks at his wound. The spike is firmly lodged in his body, died red by the scar it has made in his chest, another one to his ever-growing collection.

"There is no way I would let anyone with a wound like this fight again" she says, inspecting Peterson's chest closely.

"What are you doing… I told you to…".

"Shut up! You have a nerve, coming to my world, ruining my life and then speaking to a doctor like that".

"A doctor?".

Peterson wonders if Tsunade is deluded. This is too great a wound to even consider mending in the midst of a battle. The stakes are too great to try anything new here aren't they? Has her own hatred of the invaders driven her insane?

"Dammit. I'm the Hokage, how could I be looking at someone like you as a patient. After all you have done to my village, all the suffering you caused" she screams, "You nearly killed my grandfather and my uncle. You nearly killed so many people I swore to protect. You are responsible for the death of so many dammit… dammit… dammit!".

"Stop it…" Peterson whimpers.

That look on her face, he can't stand it. He never wanted to be this person, someone who caused these mixed emotions. He always believed that people would either be with him or against him. He never thought that someone like him would cause these feelings. A good person made to do bad things, he always believed that to be impossible. Perhaps it is impossible, perhaps when someone can force another to do that, they have stopped being a man and have become a god.

"You tried to destroy the hidden leaf… so why do I have to be the good person…" she asks, her hand moving toward the spike.

"… what are you going to do?".

Tsunade's hands are suddenly covered in a green chakra. She places one hand on the wound in his chest and the other on the thick, freezing cold spike. As slowly and gently as possible, she pulls the spike from Peterson's chest.

He screams in agony for the first few moments but then supresses it. He looks into her eyes and sees her wavering, knowing that he is responsible for doing that to her. He must take responsibility for his role in this, for what he has done to these people. So, he takes the pain and stays silent, accepting it, pushing himself through all barriers.

"I am the Hokage. I should be the one to protect the people of the Hidden Leaf but…" she finally pulls the spike from his chest.

"There is no way… as a medic I should never say this to someone so badly wounded…".  
"But please…".  
"Please, I can't afford to lose anymore loved ones…".  
"I can't afford to lose my teacher".  
"Please… help me…".


	107. Miracles

**WAR NEVER ENDS – MIRACLES**

 **The Battlefield**

Brooks has victory in her sites. With Hiruzen desperately flailing around at this point, Tsunade's morale shattered and Peterson on death's door defeat is almost unthinkable. She dares not be complacent at this point though. If the reports are to be believed then one of these locals actually defeated Clyde, someone much stronger than herself. If one of them were capable of doing that then it isn't unthinkable that the same could happen to her.

She runs towards Hiruzen, the childish smile from before now gone and replaced by a laser focus. For her this is the closing stretch.

Hiruzen's deep breaths are telling of his position. He is exhausted, hanging on by his fingertips. He has resolved himself to losing this fight and is instead hoping to weaken Brooks, if only slightly, for the fights she is yet to have.

Just as Brooks is about to reach the 3rd Hokage, he creates an 'earth' wall between them, creating a momentary respite.

The respite is just that though, momentary. In less than a second Brooks has thrown herself around the wall and behind Hiruzen's back. She jumps up so her waist is level with his head before kicking his face into the stony wall. A small dent is left in the 'earth' wall as Hiruzen's head separates from it and he falls towards the floor.

Brooks smells blood, literally and figuratively. Her opponent lands on his back but she wants to see this end. She wants to see the look on his face when she defeats him. She uses her foot to roll him over onto his back. The light in his eyes is gone now. There is a decided lack of determination about him. She brings out some movement on him by brutally stamping on his chest, an attack that would make it difficult for him to breathe.

Hiruzen feels done, looking up at her, he wonders what he could have done. There is an air about her different to General Clyde. Hiruzen, even without fighting, could feel a humanity from Clyde. Although he didn't fully understand it at the time, Clyde was fighting to protect his comrades. Brooks is different, fighting with a machine-like efficiency where no such positive emotions come through in her body language. All there is to her is a frantic self-preservation instinct and a childish pleasure in her own superiority. Could anyone have won this fight?

Brooks raises her hand into the air, a golden 'ice' sword slowly forming in it. She too understands that he has given up.

' _Could anyone have beaten her?'_.

As the sword lowers, four people come to mind as an answer.

Uzumaki Boruto.

Uchiha Sarada.

Senju Hashirama.

Uzumaki Naruto.

A brief moment of defiance, he stretches his hand forward and catches Brooks' wrist, stopping the lowering of the sword.

That light is back in his eyes.

Brooks pulls her sword back, throwing her hand sideways as if to slap someone. As she makes this gesture, golden 'ice' raises from the ground and freezes Hiruzen's hands in position, preventing any possibility of him moving.

The brief moment of defiance was for nought.

He closes his eyes. _'Biwako, I'm sorry…'_.

It is over.

Or so he thought.

His eyes are opened again when he hears a deafening thunderclap.

He sees a flash of golden 'lightning' knock the sword from Brooks hands. He immediately knows that such an attack could only be Peterson but is certain that the previous attack should have put him down for the count. The attack causes a temporary blindness but after he recovers he looks to his left to see the same sight Brooks is seeing.

Tsunade is holding Peterson upright.

Brooks shoulders drop. She sighs in a way that a child should never sigh. It is like she has been fighting for a million years and has just found out she needs to do another thousand.

"Haven't you had enough yet?".

"Don't underestimate… a colonel who… has served under General Clyde".

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Brooks mocks a laugh, "Do you honestly think you can beat me how you are now? You couldn't even beat me in your best shape".

Hiruzen knows this to be true. _'Tsunade… Peterson…'_.

There is something to the look in their eyes though. A confidence. A determination not to lose no matter what.

Peterson pulls his arm away from Tsunade's grip, standing proudly on his own two feet despite his injuries. He knows that she hates him and that the conflict here is destroying her emotionally. The warrior within him refuses to permit this conflict to last any longer.

"With that jutsu, will you survive no matter what I do to you?".

"Yes" Tsunade answers.

"Then we can do this, just don't stop attacking".

Brooks laments. "It seems like you two have a plan. You just don't seem to get it, no matter how much you suffer. It looks like I'm going have to kill you until you stay dead, Peterson".

Brooks dashes towards Peterson. Her feet of the golden 'ice', her pace slowed. She has little concern though, there is no way that the colonel can out run her now.

"Go" Peterson commands.

Tsunade runs forwards and for the first time has a head on collision with Brooks that neither can escape from.

Tsunade throws her fist forward with tremendous power. Brooks immediately knows that she has lost the contest of strength but can win the contest of ability. She coats her fist in a glove of golden 'ice'.

As the first punch collides the golden 'ice' is shattered. This is no obstacle to Brooks, she can remake it again. She has the talent to redo this sort of attack all day. Tsunade is different though, each time their fists collide the golden 'ice' shatters. The sharpest of the shards bury themselves between the Hokage's knuckles, giving her a deep and painful cut. Though, she is not hopeless, for she too can keep doing this, thanks to her hundred healings jutsu.

The punches keep colliding, each warrior determined to outlast the other. Something has to change and it does.

Peterson summons divine energy to his right hand and blasts golden 'lightning' towards the pair. The target of his attack, much to Hiruzen's surprise, is Tsunade.

The shock would hurt others tremendously but Tsunade is different. Combining her hundred healings with her newly acquired sage mode, her recovery rate and ability to take damage is unrivalled.

While the Hokage is shocked constantly, each time fists collide Brooks is also given a tiny shock.

' _This method of attacking is suicidal´_ Brooks notes as she continues to punch. It is only a mild pain for her so she has no qualms with keeping this up. _'It hurts her three times more than it does me'_.

Her confidence is shattered when she spies something over Tsunade's shoulder. It's Peterson's smiling face. She then realises that she has fallen into a trap.

' _That's right'._ Peterson knows that she has understood. _'You couldn't imagine a local being able to take an attack like this, could you Brooks? This may seem like suicide but this woman is different. Combining her healing technique and sage mode, her endurance is FOUR times higher than yours'_.

Brooks is confused, considering possibility as if she could read Peterson's mind. Is that possible, four times the endurance? This woman is a local, she is a general. A local defeating a general is unheard of. One of them having an endurance four times greater? Then she is unsure of whether that is possible. If a local were to give their all towards developing one attribute, could they outdo a general by four times?

Her distraction costs her.

Tsunade dodges Brooks next punch and replies with one of her own, this time catching Brooks in her forehead.

A perfect circuit. For an instant, Peterson greatly increases the strength of his lightning. An enormous thunderclap to match the one from before sounds and both Brooks and Tsunade fall down to the ground.

Tsunade is paralysed but that won't last long, if Peterson can win this fight now then her temporary sacrifice will have paid off.

Brooks feels a tremendous amount of pain. As her back falls towards the ground she begins to make a plan of how to dodge the next attack.

She hits the floor quicker than expected. Not only that but her back seems to be rising, propping her feet up against the ground.

Shocked, she looks a few yards to her side. Hiruzen has pulled one of his hands free and raised the 'earth' beneath her.

"You…"

"Do it!" Hiruzen yells at the top of his voice.

Once more the thunderclap sounds and the golden 'lightning' strikes Brooks in her chest.

The very 'earth' behind Brooks back collapses and seemingly without control, she falls down to the ground.

Peterson takes a few steps closer and looks at the downed body of Brooks. He rolls her onto her front and inspects her eyes.

Unconscious.

He cranes his neck back and howls like a wolf at the moon.

"YES!".

They have won.

Tsunade cannot fully control her movement yet but can force a smile. She knows what that sound must mean.

Hiruzen breaks his other hand free and walks over to his student's side before helping her to her feet.

"You're OK?" Tsunade asks.

"I should be asking you that. But yeah, thanks to you and Peterson, I'm OK".

Tsunade, once on her feet, sits straight back down again, taking a moment to allow her body to recover.

"We won sensei… we won…".

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

Lara looks slightly confused as her eyes are drawn towards the conclusion of the battle. Of all those under her she always rated Brooks highly, believing that her power was being held back only by her non-transcendent element. To see her lose like this is both shocking and disappoint. It leaves a bad taste in her mouth.

"Brooks and Blackburn, both those fools are just the same. All these big shots posing as generals, they are all just trash".

She starts when she looks back towards Clyde. He has gone.

She senses a tingling on the back of her neck as the air pressure changes. As a precaution she teleports to the position that Clyde disappeared from and narrowly avoids the incoming punch from behind.

Clyde used a sneak attack!

"Lara, don't be distracted by my sides victories. You will need to concentrate, since I am your opponent".

"Clyde!".

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

Mirai smiles at Elliot's sideward glance. "What's the matter? Are you flustered now that your ally lost?".

"I'm surprised, I thought Brooks was better than that. No matter".

"Are you trying to tell me you aren't shaken? You're going to need to be at your best if you want to beat me".

Elliot snickers slightly. This whole situation is ridiculous. "I'm not flustered, simply surprised".

"That's going to change when I win".

Elliot feels the divine energy approaching and the air changing in pressure. Unlike Lara, he senses the change on a great scale, in whole batches as Mirai manipulates the 'wind'. He waits patiently for the moment that he knows will be coming, her attack.

Mirai flicks her wrist, a small fiery chakra exiting through the tips of her fingers ignites the condensed air on mass. As the oxygen concentration increases so does the intensity until eventually it arrives right before Elliot and detonates.

The general flies sideways at the last second to avoid the detonation, though he notes that for all his freezing 'cold' battles, this one feels relatively warm.

"Beat me? We will have to see if you are capable first, little local".

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

Minato is also sensitive to the change in momentum. It's not like before where they started to believe that victory was possible. This is different, the odds are now in their favour. They haven't lost yet, not a single battle.

Georgia furiously launches poison attacks at Minato, repeatedly stretching her hands out before throwing the mauve liquid towards him.

Naturally, for someone of such a speedy disposition, avoiding this attack is not difficult. He dances left and right through the air to avoid the first few attacks before he notices what is happening. She is not acting logically, there is an opening here, if he can take it. He dodges once more to the left before launching a pair of kunai at Georgia, a two second delay between the two throws. He then dodges to the right and waits for the exact right moment. When the exact moment arrives, he begins to condense chakra in his hand and teleports.

Georgia realises instantly what has happened and starts to condense her own divine energy into a spherical shape. She turns around just in time.

The two spheres collide and both warriors are knocked backwards.

"Sister!" Martin yells as he watches the exchange in blows.

Minato regrets what turns out to be a missed opportunity. He spent too long planning the attack instead of doing what he should have done, acting on instinct.

Still, the momentum is with him. "Do you feel that, the momentum in this fight where you thought we had no chance? It's shifted completely, our side is winning. Perhaps the next one to win, will be me".

Georgia curses him. "Damn you monkey, damn you".

When she came here she never believed that this would happen. It was unthinkable. Yet now she stares defeat in the face. She must hold off until Minato has exhausted his power, otherwise she will be the next to lose.

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

Shinki puts up a powerful barrier of iron sand but it is not enough. A grey tentacle bursts through the sand, hits the ground just in front of him and sends him spiralling back toward his cousin.

Shikadai catches him with a cushion of 'darkness'. "Do you feel that; our side is winning".

"Yeah" Shinki nods, "No matter how steely your resolve, you must be feeling slightly concerned".

Tao Ma's face is the picture of surprise.

"Me? Concerned? Not at all" he says. "I don't care which side wins here. After all, it will all be useless once my leader arrives".

Shinki is unsure but Shikadai can see that this isn't an empty bluff. Even if Clyde's side win this battle, there is something worse coming and this random alliance of shinobi and captains may not be enough to stop it.

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

Sarada feels almost nothing, no control over her muscles as she looks into the eyes of Sheer. So resolute yet at the same time so conflicted. To hear so many voices saying so many different things yet shut them all out, save one, that is truly difficult. Sarada appreciates this because she has seen it on a much larger scale. Sheer clings to the orders of her heroic general but Naruto didn't even have that, he only had his own conviction against those who claimed he was wrong.

She tries to straighten her spine and consider the possibility of fighting. She realises there is none. Unlike many of the other Kage she has no control of divine energy, she only has chakra. Without divine energy, not even Naruto was able to defeat a general one-on-one, what chance would she have? Additionally, while Sheer has broken through to the general level she is not alone, she is flanked by several colonel level fighters.

She has only one option left, words.

"Sheer, please help me. You have to free Naruto".

"You know that I can't do that Sarada".

Sarada looks to the others, her rinnegan now deactivated. "All of you, you have to listen to me. You can feel it can't you, that woman is stronger than Clyde. If you let this go on, your general, your friend, he will die".

"You're going to have to do better than that" says Dred solemnly. They have heard this several times now.

"A lifetime of suffering" Grace recalls, "The general is willing to sacrifice himself to stop it".

"And don't act like he's going to lose just like that" Burns snaps angrily, "We believe in the general, he is going to win".

Sarada shakes her head, her energy gone from her body. "But you can feel it, there is another strong aura there. An aura I know well, the aura of the man who took Boruto. Even without divine energy I can feel it. You haven't accounted for him… shouldn't you at least go and fight him Sheer?".

They all groan. That was a pathetic attempt to make Sheer leave and they all know it.

"I'm not leaving. I am making sure Naruto stays here" she says, "And if it's any consolation, we believe in the Hidden Leaf Village too".

With Hinata on the verge of tears, Sarada's energy returns to her.

Rage, it's a powerful tool when used correctly.

Sarada has endured years' worth of death and this is her reward.

"You believe in the hidden leaf village… is that supposed to be some sort of joke...".  
"If you believed in us, you wouldn't be keeping Naruto in there".  
"If you believed in us, you would fight alongside us, we would all use our full power".

"You haven't got as much to lose as we have" Sheer rebukes, "We have to avoid the risk of losing Naruto".

"Who are you to decide that we have less to lose!".

"There are billions of people in our world who are depending on Naruto. There are simply thousands in your world".

"Who cares about the damn numbers? Aren't you ruled by your heart, aren't you even a human being?".

"You've only just rebuilt, you have already lost everything. My people… my people still have a home to lose…".

Sarada goes quiet for a moment. Is that what it really boils down to? Do the villagers have nothing left to lose anymore? She thinks of her own losses, of her father and her mother and Boruto. For a moment she is selfish but then remembers her duty, she is the Hokage, everyone in the village is her family. In the last war, so many lives were lost, so many people lost their family, their friends, their homes, they lost everything. Yet since rebuilding, smiles have returned. That sense of affection is still there for the village. Everyone still wants to live.

"You don't understand what we have been through and what we've built" Sarada shouts.  
"We went through hell to survive against you".  
"We gave everything to the fight, we left nothing behind and sacrificed everything".  
"My father, my mother, my teacher, they all gave their lives because of what you did".  
"But from the ashes of everything we built a home… we created a home…".  
"We created an emotion… a desire to live once again".  
"Do you know how difficult that is, to create a home?".  
"So don't you dare tell me to throw it away because of your pathetic numbers!".

Exhausted, Sarada can only lower her head.

Since the beginning, Sheer and Sarada have been the ones fighting one another. Sheer raised the army of deceased warriors that Sarada sacrificed to hold back. Sarada brought the Hokage to the future to hold back the enemy tides. Sheer resurrected her father and forced him to kill her mother. Sarada destroyed Sheer's most powerful ever resurrection. Sheer mercilessly attacked Sarada in the tournament. Sarada saved Sheer from her own hopeless situation and made her believe again.

Sheer feels a connection with Sarada. It must be fate she tells herself. Perhaps there is some cruel element in destiny that has connected their suffering. She vows to herself that after this she will do everything she can for Sarada. She vows that there is nothing she will not do to keep alive the hope that both their suffering may be alleviated.

Sheer approaches Sarada and places a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure that it has been hell for you. That is my fault and I will never be able to tell you how sorry I am".  
"Even more than Naruto, you are the local who has influenced me most in this world. That's why it hurts me to do this".  
"But I'm sorry Sarada, I am duty bound to save my world, just like you. And for that, I'm willing to do anything".

There is a pause.

Total silence ensues.

Then Sarada takes a deep breath and starts to raise her head.

Sheer swears that she can feel something in her fingertips.

' _Oh no. No way'_ Sheer curses in her mind, _'No, this can't be happening'_.

Hinata gasps looking at Sarada, something has changed!

Sarada's head draws level with Sheer and she opens her eyes. Not to reveal the rinnegan but just her normal, unaltered eyes.

Except one thing has changed.

A small wispy powder comes from her tear ducts. A jade powder.

Sarada clenches her fist. The powder intensifies and concentrates around Sheer's chest. Then the newly enlightened colonel is knocked back by ten steps.

"What the hell?" Dred bellows as his comrade is knocked back.

"This is…" Grace starts.

Burns knows.

"It's an element… a transcendent element…".

"You mean like the general's? An element that…".

"No, not like the generals. He can transcend only one level. This is like Naruto… an element that transcends two levels…".

They all stare awe-stricken at Sarada. A doubly transcendent element has never appeared within the military, at least not to their knowledge. They are so incredibly rare that not one has ever appeared. Yet in this tiny pocket world which puts up so much resistance all the time, not only has one appeared but a second one as well.

"Creation" Sarada tells them.

They hadn't been expecting that. 'Creation'? Here? Unthinkable!

Hinata smiles widely. "Sarada… have you really… the stone tablet…".

"It says 'creation'" Sarada repeats.

"Sarada…" Sheer begins.

"Sheer" she replies. "Open the prison".


	108. Press the Advantage

**WAR NEVER ENDS – PRESS THE ADVANTAGE**

 **The Battlefield**

The single sensation overwhelms the battlefield, just as it did previously. Many captains turn to look, the downed colonels twitch, the generals all look too. It is divine energy. The energy is unlike what they felt previously, it doesn't have the chaotic nature of Lara's nor the serenity of Clyde's. It is an emotional energy, an energy that almost moves all who feel it to tears.

Clyde is amongst those who look. He knows that direction. His headquarters, that is the source of the energy. He felt one before that he could have sworn was Sheer's. This one is new though, unrefined but powerful. Whoever's divine energy this is, it's someone he has never met before.

' _This feeling, this power is just like…'_.

Lara also cranes her neck. This shouldn't be possible, sensing such a strong energy here. Amongst Clyde's forces only he has an element on par with her. Not even Peterson or Sheer would be capable of summoning strength like this. This energy, in some ways, is stronger than her own. If it is not the energy of one of her followers, nor one of Clyde's there are only two possibilities. It could be one of Tao Ma's associates, though the two energies feel drastically different. Or, it could be another local, who understands their power.

' _I sensed some weak power from that direction a few moments ago. This one is completely different though… completely different'_.

Clyde grins. "If the energy is coming from that direction I can work it out Lara. I know who this energy must belong to. A local, a woman named Uchiha Sarada".

Lara's eyes are different from before; it only lasts a few seconds but Clyde notices it all the same. All people are the same when confronted with this kind of wondrous sensation, they stop becoming warriors and, for a moment, become adventurers and dreamers. According to her personality, there should always be malice in those eyes, hatred, bloodlust but no. Clyde understands that he misjudged her personality, or perhaps misjudged human nature itself.

"A local managed to achieve power like this?" she asks.

"You still don't get it? I guess I will have to be clearer" Clyde laughs. "The locals in this world are different. I don't know why but their potential is so incredibly different that there must be a reason. That's why I am willing to fight for them, because it is this world that will change everything".

"Different?". Lara looks between the trees, between the struggling shinobi on the ground and between those that have already achieved victory. Indeed, this should be impossible, locals shouldn't be able to win, not against her forces. These victories would likely become part of legend in the military, a force of locals whose power couldn't be fathomed.

"Lara. It's not too late to change your mind. It's never too late. You still have time to see this place. You can still learn about these people" he says, flying slightly closer to his rival. "Call of your attack, be the leader that the military needs. You can lead us back to our world and we can fight alongside them".

"It does seem like they're different, the people of this world. They have a talent that others don't. And even in these circumstances, the fire in their eyes does not die".

"That's right. There is hope here. If we fight together with these people we can…".

"I don't care".

Clyde stops in his tracks, pinching himself to make sure he heard right. Unfortunately, he did, upon inspection he can see all the malice he has always seen in her. That moment of calmness was only an instantaneous miracle.

"You misunderstand my intentions, Clyde. The talent in this world fuels me just like your own talent does. The greater their power the stronger I will feel about it. I want to pain this world red with blood, both yours and theirs".

Clyde screws his eyes shut remorsefully. He wonders what he was hoping to do. Did he really expect to change Lara's outlook on killing because of a pleasant source of divine energy? He tells himself that such a naïve idea was stupid, that there is no way it would work. Why would anyone try that in the first place? Of course, it's stupid he realises, he has acted stupidly this time for the same reason he always has; because of somebody he admires.

He opens his eyes and clenches his fist tightly. Keep fighting, never give up, that is the way forward.

"These people being talented will make my victory even more historic" Lara explains, gathering golden 'light' in each of her hands, "So, shall we continue?"

Within the blink of an eye she has disappeared and reappeared right before Clyde, contrary to her previous attempts to attack from the rear. She then throws three punches towards his face. The first connects satisfyingly, a right to the upper-half of his face, potentially damaging his eye. The second follows suit, this time catching him in the jaw, sending a shooting pain through his entire body.

The pain seems to wake Clyde. He dodges the third punch which skirts past the right-side of his head. His hand reaches out to the side and catches Lara by the wrist. She may be a prodigy but she is not an experienced teleporter like Minato, she cannot react in time.

Bang! He slams the bottom of his fist into her upper-arm, not once but twice before she manages to escape, teleporting to his rear.

With their backs to one another, each knows what the other is thinking and is only too happy to answer in kind. They each opt for an open-palm strike, summoning a spiralling reinforcement barrier up the length of their arms. Golden 'darkness' and 'light' coating the two warriors hand.

As they turn and slap their hands into one another a shockwave crosses the battlefield.

While even the mightiest warriors stumble as a result of the shockwave, Clyde and Lara don't move, bolted to the same spot from which they made the impact. Neither will budge, their pride and ego denying them the right to do so. This is not only a fight for Clyde's subordinates, like Lara, he wants to win because of his pride. He wants to sleep at night knowing that he has finally beaten her.

"The locals of this world don't need to worry, Lara" he says.  
"Because no matter what, I am going to defeat you".

He flicks his spare hand upwards, a rain-like spray of small golden 'darkness' flakes squirting from his fingertips.

This would be child's play to Lara, had she realised what he was doing immediately, but it's too late. She hasn't.

The spray is only a cover, a smokescreen which Clyde attacks directly through. A large bludgeoning punch connects straight to Lara's chest.

As distance between the two warriors opens up she feels an enormous frustration. Their power should be equal. Her abilities should be superior. Her knowledge, her talent, they have always been measured as greater than Clyde's. He should have no qualities that make him a superior fighter to her. So how can he continue to fight like this?

' _Clyde'_ she shouts in her head, refusing him the satisfaction of seeing her flustered, _'Of all the blood I am going to spill, yours will be by far the most satisfying'_.

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

Just after recovering from the shockwave, Georgia refocuses on the source of energy she felt moments prior. "What… who is that… who could do this?".

A doubly transcendent element. Incredible, completely unthinkable for a single local, let alone more than one. In sensing this though, Georgia, like her comrades, is at a disadvantage. Only a single one of them has encountered Naruto since arriving in this world. That was Colonel Elliot after his battle with Dan. However, not even he experienced the shinobi's power, it was already too late to fight so Naruto instead opted to protect the children. That is why she cannot know, she cannot imagine that this situation is possible, because she has never seen a local transcend two levels.

Minato can picture this though. He is overjoyed by it. _"That's Sarada"_ he yells internally, _"That can only be Sarada"._

" _Yeah"_ Kurama agrees happily.

"Sister, this power, it's incredible, just what is going on…".

"I…".

Martin too is at a disadvantage. He is the only one of Clyde's colonels not to have experienced Naruto's power. That, in a way, is his punishment for retreating. In an attempt to escape danger, he has blinded himself to an army full of hidden talents.

Georgia begins to feel the same fear that her brother felt. This world shouldn't be possible. A doubly transcendent element amongst the locals, that just wouldn't happen. She never bargained on going up against someone like that, else she would have taken her brother and ran as far as possible. Retreat isn't possible now though. Neither Lara, nor Clyde will permit her escape from the battle. Then there is an individual more troublesome still who will not let her leave. Her brother's previous victim… Minato.

"Hey" he yells, with a smile.

A smile on Minato shouldn't be this intimidating. Could destiny be working in reverse today?

"I'm running rather low on stamina now" he announces carelessly, "I hope you two don't mind but I have to end this fight rather quickly".

Georgia is only too pleased to hear her prediction come true. She knew from the start of this fight that Minato could only go for so long. His speed may be incredible but it also has its drawbacks.

"Indeed, you are running low on stamina yet I am completely fine" she boasts, her previous fear alleviated, "You must understand by now, a monkey could never defeat a ruler".

"You're wrong, I've already seen someone do it before". Minato smiles, floating opposite the siblings. "That person is my son and he's more incredible than you will ever know. Yet, while I am proud of what he has done I am also chasing after him. That's why I will use him as my inspiration as I finish you".

Minato takes hold of several kunai and throws them perfectly into the air above the two siblings. The kunai, in their relative position, form a circle. Slowly, gravity takes hold and the circle descends towards the heads of the poison siblings. He could decide any one of these points as location.

' _He could teleport to any one of those weapons'_ Georgia quickly assesses, _'I have to be on guard in every direction'_.

"Martin, nets".

"Yes sister".

The colonel begins to form small poisonous nets, similar to the ones his sister used to attack the village. He is under no illusion that such a defence could stop someone as powerful as Minato, however, it might slow him down a bit.

Minato stretches his right hand out. With a whirl and a screeching sound, a blue ball of energy is born into his right hand. This is a rasengan, enhanced by the 'wind' divine energy he has been blessed with.

' _Naruto, I created this technique but your revolutionized it'_.

The rasengan starts to spin on its axis, changing into a rasen-shuriken. Minato has long since mastered the rasen-shuriken created by his son. That had been the easy part of this technique. He had been preparing for the captained-six contest when he first thought it up. He realised that there might be a way to improve the rasengan further still.

From a distance his student Kakashi watches admiringly. _'That's right, Minato sensei, it is time for the creator to show that technique's true nature'_.

' _Naruto. It is time for this to become my technique once again'_.

The axis for the rasengan's spin splits in half. It now spins on two perpendicular axes. It seems unremarkable at first but this is in fact an incredible achievement. Minato is already a revolutionary. Things quickly escalate though, for then two axes become four and four become eight. The numbers increase until every perceptible angle is covered. The rasengan is now spinning on every axis, expanding to look more akin to a giant rasengan than a rasen-shuriken. Only the colour is brighter, closer to a brilliant white than blue, like the blades of the rasen-shuriken.

This is Minato's technique. He is the master of the rasengan. This attack is his alone.

The kunai have fallen to the right height, now level with Martin and Georgia's chests.

' _Now where will you teleport, pathetic monkey?'_.

Minato doesn't even consider it in depth, opting to teleport to the right of the brother-sister duo.

Georgia immediately stretches her hand out, creating a massive golden 'poison' net to protect her. _'To the right huh, not that it matters, there is no way that you can get through this net'_.

She underestimates him though, just as she has always underestimated locals.

All starts to become clear as he calls his technique's name.

"Rasen-bomb".

He slams the rasen-bomb forward into the net, quickly snapping through its mauve coloured ropes. The siblings know that this is the end. There is nothing they can do to stop this. Their judgement has come and the one to deliver it is one they labelled pathetic and hopeless. For the sin of dismissing him, they can never repent. After all, he was never just another local, he was Namikaze Minato.

He pushes the rasen-bomb through the net and as it connects with Georgia and Martin, he clicks his fingers, detonating it in a flash of brilliant white.

The yellow-flash teleports away, arriving next to a shinobi amongst the battling forces.

As the white light finally clears it reveals a beautiful sight. Nothing but the world they have been born into. Georgia and Martin are gone, dead. Victory belongs to Minato.

The 4th Hokage smiles. "It seems that I am the master of the rasengan once again".

"Are you OK?" the shinobi asks him.

Minato is still perfectly able, quickly rising to his feet. "I won't be able to fight using their power anymore. My stamina is too low. But I can still fight, we have to press home this advantage. We have to win here, we can win here and we will win here. So, keep fighting".

The invigorated shinobi forces let out a battle cry and continue to press the attack. They are outmatched here, against the captains under Lara's command. All they can do is hold out while their leaders try to earn victory in this battle. Each time it happens, whether it be Tobirama, Tsunade or Minato, their morale increases just a bit. They sense victory approaching.

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

Elliot is blasé as he dodges to the side of yet another of Mirai's explosive attacks. The other battle has caught his attention. That's another one. Another loss.

"What an annoying woman. All she has done since coming here is boast and in the end, she was useless" he proclaims, "She lost against just a single local".

He starts to think that maybe this is bad luck. Or maybe someone important from his home world is pulling strings behind the scenes. Things like this couldn't happen normally. The first fight was two against one, a fluke could happen. The next fight, Peterson, a general level fighter participated, a fluke could happen. But that last fight featured only a single local against two people from his own world. It doesn't make sense.

"Hey" a voice interrupts his thoughts.

He immediately feels the change in air pressure and berates himself for his own lack of focus.

A small but strong fire chakra is induced and the cleverly manipulated 'wind' energy carries the flame all the way to him before detonating it. It is easy to sidestep but his opponent is learning, the pressure around him changes in accordance with his movements and the explosion turns into a chain of explosions, circling back around to strike at him again.

He does all he can to stop the attack, putting up a barrier of 'cold' energy to block.

In the time he used to dodge Mirai was not standing still. She gathered 'wind' energy at her rear and induced a difference in pressure to launch herself forward at a supreme speed. As she approaches Elliot she concentrates oxygen around her fist. When she finally reaches him, she clicks, a tiny spark of fire trickling off the end of her thumb, igniting a detonation in Elliot's face.

The normally composed general pulls his charred face from the fire. He lands a quick two elbows to Mirai's head before spinning her and kicking her down towards the ground.

The Sarutobi clanswoman uses another set of explosions to cease her own momentum. She calculates that she took a couple of tough blows but probably got the better of that exchange. If not physically, the look on his face proves that she won the mental battle. She is slightly apprehensive though, she has only understood 'wind' to the captain level. 'Wind' is not a transcendent power. Given that the others have struggled so much against normal generals, she does wonder how she is able to do so well against Elliot.

"It seems that my side has disgraced itself so far" Elliot says, signalling his regained composure by gently wiping his face clean.

"So far? Don't go thinking that our battle will be any different".

"Oh?".

"Kato Dan died to stop you having your way" Mirai shouts as she points at her adversary. "There is no way that I am going to lose here".

"Don't you understand? 'Cold' is an element that transcends a level. It is conceivable that you could defeat a normal general but myself? Something like that is impossible.

Mirai has had it with his sophistry. He is ignoring the facts as they are. "I don't understand at all. Are you saying that if you went all out you could defeat me?".

"Yes".

"Then what are you waiting for?".

Elliot ponders the question. Has he been waiting for anything? Has he really just been coasting in this battle while watching the others? Or is that just a lie he has invented to blind himself to the truth? That truth is that he is going all out already and that for some reason he hasn't won yet.

"I have been here this whole time" Mirai says while holding her arms out. "I've been fighting against you all along but you can't seem to defeat me. Why hold anything back now? Don't you have to win here?".

Elliot is angered and the temperature drops by another couple of degrees. "You may regret goading me into this?".

Mirai snorts, regret it? She is already dead set on wining.

"it doesn't matter what you say, this battle won't change between you and me. And just like the others have won their battles, I am going to defeat you".

With an explosion Mirai hurtles towards Elliot.

The same question sounds in the minds of soldiers all over the battlefield.

How is this possible? Just what is going on here?

Little do they understand that while destiny appears to favour them for the moment, something far darker and more ominous is approaching.


	109. Explosive

**WAR NEVER ENDS – EXPLOSIVE**

 **The Battlefield**

Shinki and Shikadai. Cousins fighting together against a common foe. They are convinced that they have the advantage in intelligence over their opponent, much like Kakashi and Tobirama had done. However, things don't seem to be going their way, they just cannot finish things. Each man is drenched in sweat from head to toe. They feel like they have been running for years without stopping.

A contrast to the cousins Tao Ma seems ecstatic. Swaying side-to-side like a drunkard, he smiles and occasionally laughs at the duos attacks. He looks down, unironically surprised at the state of his clothing and gives it a light dusting.

Shikadai realises instantly that this is simply bluff. He is mocking them. They should have beaten someone like this long ago yet he keeps surviving their attacks. The quick attacks are too slow, the heavy attacks too light, the lethal attacks too survivable.

"… I'm going for a direct attack" Shinki whispers, craning his neck slightly towards his cousin. "Cover me, Shikadai".

"Yes".

Shinki breaks, kicking the ground and running towards Tao Ma as quickly as he can. He makes a depressing picture, running so desperately like this. Using divine energy and chakra, he had previously been so fast but now he is different. Every step laboured, he approaches his foe, summoning a fraction of his miniscule chakra and divine energy remnants.

Tao Ma lifts his right hand slowly, his hand opens as if holding the underside of an invisible bowl. As he does a familiar appears to his left. It's another tentacle, made from the same grey substance as all those that came before it. This most terrifying divine energy, if that is what it is at all. With the tentacle constructed he turns his cupped hand upside down and lowers it, instructing his creation. It slams downward, the tentacle destined for Shinki, who is in no state to avoid the incoming blow.

Shikadai is prepared though. He has forced himself into a state of readiness despite his fatigue. He creates a 'darkness' kunai and launches it towards the tentacle. As the two connect it is obvious where the power in the exchange lies. While the kunai, despite being made with a transcendent element, is sent scurrying away, the tentacle continues its path almost unperturbed. 'Almost' is exactly what Shikadai wants though. That small contact is just enough to change the tentacle's motion and bring it down to Shinki's side, saving him from the danger.

Tao Ma isn't concerned, he repeats his attack several times. He is all too happy, grinning like a child, lifting his hands up and down to mimic playing a piano. He doesn't appear afraid. Even as Shinki closes the distance to less than five meters he doesn't flinch.

Shikadai has been exerting himself beyond what he thought possible to deter these attacks but he has managed it. As his cousin closes the distance to less than three meters, he spies that the smile is still there on the face of his opponent. Some may label it complacent, confident, or even a showing of his relaxation. Shikadai can only look for one thing in his opponent now though, openings. As far as openings go, this is one of his favourite, carelessness.

Shinki pulls back his open-palm, twists his hips and readies what looks like a slap to his opponent. A slap is too straightforward though, he cannot afford to fight this man with such tactics. In a battle of power, it has already been shown to him that Tao Ma is vastly superior. He must strike from the shadows, where his opponent cannot see. He slaps his hand across the air before the captor's face and trailing behind it is iron sand. It connects with its target, doing no great physical damage to Tao Ma but succeeding in blinding him.

Shikadai nods to himself, _'All according to plan'_. He and Shinki both knew that this tactic would be effective against any opponent. Everyone panics when they are blinded, save for those who have had their instincts stripped from them. In that moment there will be an opening, he is sure of it, there will be an opening.

Shinki follows the momentum of his own hand, sprinting around the whirling iron sand and standing arm's length from the blinded Tao Ma. This is it, the opening that both he and Shikadai foresaw. He doesn't hold anything back, getting just a tiny bit closer to his opponent before raising his leg and viciously kicking him in the side of the head. It's a direct hit, nothing there to stop him, the full force generated by his swinging body strikes against the skull of Tao Ma.

It does nothing!

Tao Ma doesn't even shift from the spot as he is struck directly in the head.

' _Impossible'_ Shinki tells himself, _'I hit him as hard as I could'_.

Shikadai feels a shiver go down his spine. He doesn't know what is happening. He is certain that he and Shinki together are just as strong as Kakashi, Tobirama or Minato. While they all won, the two of them can do nothing against this man. It doesn't add up to him, this crazed individual before them isn't normal in any sense of the word.

Moving at his full speed for the first time in their fight, Tao Ma drops low onto his knees and uses his right arm to swipe Shinki's legs out from under him. With the Kazekage off balance, he concentrates his grey divine energy into the shape of a boot around his foot, and kicks him hard back where he came from. The 'sand' user had been sent flying back in this fight many times but never so strongly as this. When he lands several of his ribs are cracked and his cries of agony speak to his intense pain.

"Shinki!". The Circle's Administrator understands now. "You bastard, you were just messing around with us!".

"Indeed, your attacks will never work on me, not in a million years or more".

"Why" coughs Shinki. "Why are you even bothering? If you are so strong why bother to play around with us?".

"I don't care about this battle, I've been given no reason to intervene whatsoever" he proclaims. "I simply saw that you two were spare and decided to warm up for the true battle".

"When my leader arrives, everything that happens here will become inconsequential. When my leader arrives, everything will be settled".

With the truth laid bare, Tao Ma invites the two to continue, informing them that, for him, the warmup has been quite enjoyable. The duo curse their luck but see little choice other continuing to fight. They must stop him distracting the others if nothing else can be done, so, that is what they resolve to do, whatever it takes.

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

Hiruzen collapses and Tsunade carries him over to Peterson's side. She had believed that her teacher may have been able to recover but now that looks naïve. The two of them are down for the count, and despite the enormous damage she took during the fight, she is the only one of the group left with her ability to stand. That is her ability as a shinobi, her strength and endurance surpass anyone else. That is why, regardless of who it strikes, a blow of hers is going to hurt.

Looking over them she feels a serenity in her heart, they are a perfect picture to describe how this battle has gone. Shinobi and old invaders working together. Both unable to stand yet both so determined to do more. It is not their minds that have failed them but their body. Peterson, having fought so passionately to save them from death. Hiruzen, this more youthful version of her teacher makes her swell with a feeling of pride. That is the man who taught her.

A battle cry sounds and she looks to her left. A group of captains are charging her direction. Easy pickings for one such as herself. She pulls her arm back and then slams it down into the ground beneath her feet. Shockwaves knock down the various incoming attackers. The scattering of dust from just a single punch speaks not only to how far she has come in three years but also the gulf in class between the captains and generals.

Then a single captain dashes towards her.

She sighs and pulls her fist back once again but then she feels something terrible. Her healing jutsu, sage mode, they both disappear. It feels like all of energy vanishes with the two enhancement techniques and she falls to one knee. With sweat dripping on her brow, she shouts at herself as she forces herself back onto her feet.

' _I have to defend these two'_.

She takes a single step forward but her vision instantly goes faint.

' _It's no good, I can barely stand right now, let alone fight'_.

Tsunade is not done, she knows that mentally. All she needs do is wait, her power will come back to her. If her talent is anything like her grandfathers was within ten minutes she may well be back to at least half-strength. She doesn't have minutes though, she has seconds and nothing to defend herself with.

The incoming captain creates a sword from 'lightning'. The element her friend just moments ago is now, ironically, her worst enemy.

She resigns herself to death, daring to smile about all she has achieved. This is a good way to die she tells herself. _'Dan, Grandfather, I hope you saw what I did today. I hope that I made you both proud'_.

She hears the crackling of electricity as the sword cuts through the air but it is some way away yet and there is another sound for her to hear, a sound of salvation. Footsteps, running up to her from behind and past her. She opens her eyes to see her most recent teacher charging into battle.

Mitsuki attacks. He charges into a head on clash with the captain. The captain strikes Mitsuki's head with his sword. Mitsuki strikes the captain's heart with his kunai. When both warriors drop to the ground, only one of them is fortunate enough to survive. Orochimaru's wily soon used a clone to escape death and that isn't the only trick he used.

The captain clutches at his chest and mouths the fateful word. "Poison".

Dead.

"Mitsuki!".

"Don't worry Lady 5th, the shinobi of today are not completely helpless".

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

Across the battlefield captains are taking advantage of their weakened adversaries. This is their biggest chance to make a huge impact in this conflict. Warriors that have just fought generals will have barely survived, they won't be able to resist if they are attacked and Minato is no exception.

However, as Mitsuki has pointed out, the shinobi of today are not completely helpless.

Minato is still able to use his chakra but as he teleports about the battlefield, he is not impervious to damage. Using chakra alone, he is not so superior to the average captain and when teleporting hundreds of times per minute, eventually one of the captains is going to recognise your instinctual movements.

The 4th Hokage is about to be hit, a well-placed kick to the chest is stopped though, by some familiar looking chains. Just as Minato is about to look around at the source, a member of the Hyuuga clan arrives before him, expertly using gentle fist to put down her immobile opponent.

"Kushina… Himawari…".

"Don't put too much of the burden on yourself Minato" his wife urges him.

His granddaughter is of the same mind. "We aren't here to stand behind you all the time. We came here to fight".

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

Tobirama is only just back to his feet, his fellow Hokage still downed beside him. Kakashi had completely drained himself previously. Unfortunately, the 6th Hokage's Sharingan making him the slower of the two to recover. Tobirama spots the incoming attacker and realises that defence here will be up to him.

Without much energy to call on, he raises a kunai; one smart use of the flying thunder god may be enough.

He isn't wrong and is amazed when he suddenly hears a voice in his head. He activates the flying thunder god, staying perfectly still as instead of moving elsewhere, someone moves to him.

ChouChou appears before the 2nd Hokage in a flash of gold and immediately slams her enlarged hand down atop the captain.

This is quickly followed up by the arrival of an ink-coloured beast, akin to a drawing from a comic book in its nature. An elephant. It is an elephant, Tobirama realises. That elephant charges to the injured captain, engulfing him and disappearing a cloud of smoke as a seal is formed.

The Hokage can only smile. "ChouChou, Inojin, good work".

"You can count on us".

"It would embarrass our families if we did nothing in this battle".

Inojin is convinced that somewhere, his father is watching on.

 **Elsewhere on the Battlefield**

"We're actually losing" Elliot reiterates to himself, more firmly this time. "That is impossible. It cannot be happening".

Realising that he is speaking aloud, he silences himself.

' _It's as if the enemy forces have been rallied by their victories. Is the morale boost alone enough to put us on a level playing field, or is there a greater force at work here?'_.

Elliot racks his brains for the possible cause of this unthinkable outcome. Someone from the aristocracy perhaps? But why would anyone from the aristocracy bother to support these rebels, is there anything to gain from it? Perhaps some of them have indeed been taken in by Clyde's words, perhaps they believe that there is hope to be found here and that this world could be the catalyst for change.

He clears his mind. It is not his place to consider these things. His place is where it has always been, at Lara's side, supporting her decisions.

' _In that case I have to stop the tide here. I have to defeat this woman'_.

As chain explosions continue to head his direction, it becomes increasingly more difficult to dodge them every time. The first time was comfortable, the second he had been caught by surprise and narrowly avoided it, every time after that he had been aware but it made no difference. Very soon, if this continues, Mirai will be able to hit him conventionally, no shinobi trickery required.

He dodges once more but this time Mirai sees through his evasion. He dances backwards from the approaching explosion but she is waiting in his path. Mirai's fist is already exploding dozens of times each second as she throws the right hook towards his head.

' _I cannot afford to underestimate this woman anymore. I have to finish it now'_ he realises.

From this point forward, he will hold nothing back.

Feeling the approach of the incoming punch, he protects his body using the same method he used against Dan, creating a thin but intense layer of 'cold' energy around his body. In addition to the energy, he waits for the perfect moment before leaning rightwards using his hip. With Mirai's momentum carrying her past him, he catches her wrist and uses the control he has gained to target her spine. Five consecutive elbows, each more painful the last and deeper into her spine each time. From each point of contact, what looks like ice begins to spread as Mirai's flesh freezes solid. Lastly, he freezes her hand and throws her a short distance in front of him.

"Checkmate" he proclaims before unleashing his trump card.

He unleashes a torrent of 'cold' divine energy and freezes the very air around Mirai, trapping her in an iceberg like structure. This is the same way he defeated Dan. He punches his own creation, sending cracks towards Mirai, cracks that would cause her death upon reaching her.

"Mirai…" he grandmother screams.

"No" Shikamaru shakes his head, "Mirai… not like this…".

Hiruzen too looks up from his position on the floor, a solemn look on his face, realising the peril his granddaughter is in.

But, this is a day of miracles. And the loudest explosion of the day is the greatest one yet.

Frozen air launches violently in all directions, propelled by an enormous detonation from its previous epicentre.

Mirai has escaped.

"She escaped" Temari shakes Shikamaru's shoulder excitedly, "She escaped from the ice".

"Yeah…".

The 3rd Hokage smiles. "I knew that you wouldn't lose here".

This is the last straw for Elliot's sanity.

"That's impossible. Nobody has escaped from that ice before".

He is answered by an unwavering glare, Mirai has nothing to say to this stupid. Mirai's mind is not with the predicament of Elliot but instead it is with Kato Dan. She wonders what would have happened, if she had fought Elliot that day instead of him. Where would they be now, would the situation be better, would it be worse. It is one of those questions she will likely ask herself forever.

"Your ability to fuse wind and fire is impossible!".  
"To escape from my frozen air is impossible!".  
"What is this ability? What right do you have to it?".  
"What are you… WHO ARE YOU!".

She answers the only way she can.

"I am simply… Sarutobi Mirai".

The general has no rational mind for battle anymore, he panics, resorting once again to the same attack as the air in front of him begins to freeze.

Poofs of smoke occur in tens as Mirai creates clones to counteract the incoming ice. Hundreds of smaller explosions from her weaker-selves halt the incoming frost in its tracks, the ice will not get her again.

With the 'cold' held back, she charges through the remaining tiny layer of the divine energy that Elliot has summoned. Coming face-to-face with her enemy, she pulls two chakra blades to her hands. Concentrating the 'wind' energy on them, she touches them together, introducing a spark enhanced by her own fire chakra. With an enormous bang, Elliot is knocked from the sky.

' _This can't be… I, Lara's second-in-command… have lost…'_.

As Elliot's back hits the ground, Mirai is fortunate to have her feet touch it instead.

"She won" Shikamaru says, "She won!".

To the ovation from those behind her, Mirai raises her fist.

Her last act before her frozen flesh begins to impair her and her body begins to shut down. She hopes, as she loses consciousness, that she never has to fight someone who uses 'cold' again.

Many are left to wander the same thing as General Elliot though. Given their abilities, for the other Kage to fight on the level of generals makes sense to them. But for Mirai to fight on the level of a transcendent general makes no sense whatsoever. Is she an anomaly that they will never understand? Or perhaps the chosen child of a god?

Those on her side take hope though, that is yet another victory.

Now there is only one general left.

Now there is only Lara.


	110. Clyde vs Lara

**Author Note:**

Hi All,

Sorry for not writing over the weekend, I was unwell I'm afraid.

So, despite this chapter being slightly overdue, I hope you enjoy it.

As always, thanks for reading,

Cbehrills

* * *

 **WAR NEVER ENDS – CLYDE VS LARA**

 **The Battlefield**

There is only one left. One general amongst the enormous army that Lara brought with her. That is Lara herself. She has been getting more and more surprised by each defeat in this battle. The first one she labelled a coincidence. The second one she labelled a fluke. The third she thought nothing of, caring little about the people involved. The last one is different though, something like that couldn't happen by fluke.

This isn't how it was supposed to go. She tells herself that time and time again in her head. This was supposed to be the moment she has waited her entire life for. It was supposed to be a total victory and in his last moments alive, her greatest rival was supposed to realise that she was his superior. That didn't happen though, their forces clashed, just as they had done in practice classes so many times before. Now the result was different though, for the first time, she begins to experience defeat and her opponent begins to feel the pleasure of beating her. Even if she wins now it won't be the same. It is all because of what Clyde said at the beginning, his speech about their difference in philosophy. Perhaps that mentality is the only way he is her superior. That is too many though, it stirs her anger.

With Lara's anger almost burning through her skull, she looks back at her fallen comrade. Elliot, down on the ground, only the back of his head visible from behind his clothes. It's that same neatly trimmed haircut and slightly dirt-tainted uniform he always kept so pristine. He has been there as a constant support, a foil to her chaotic nature that averted disaster wherever they went. Now he is gone.

"There is no way… he was only fighting a damn local. How could Elliot have lost?".

Lara is given no time to consider this. With her thoughts elsewhere, her sight is suddenly filled with an enormous approaching object. An object that reflects no light at all, in the shape of a giant fist, slightly tainted by thin floating wisps of gold. A golden 'darkness' fist. It connects with her, the force spreading through her entire body as it pushes her back through the air. Unlike many of Clyde's punches, it isn't an instantaneous impact but instead a prolonged push, and with each second of contact, more and more damage is done to Lara's flesh.

She teleports forward, moving herself to the space between Clyde and the fist as it continues its motion into the distance before slowly collapsing.

All seems to go quiet between the most powerful duo on the field, not for the first time. It's as if all external factors are gone and they are surrounded by a white space. All the battles that have happened around them are all a game of cat and mouse. A game that frankly, while they each want to win, neither is particularly interested in. Lara came here with only one target in mind, defeating Clyde, proving her superiority once and for all. Clyde came here with a different outlook on the same goal, he had only one hope, defeating Lara. For years they have been connected in this way. The despair has carried on so long that the pain has started to become numb. With nothing in her life but blood and death, Lara turned to it for her source of entertainment. With nothing in Clyde's life but destruction and agony, he found himself eternally searching for those who could endure it, only to forget what he was looking for.

One must win because it is the only thing left she wants in life.

The other must win because else he will never have anything he wants in life.

Clyde is the first to break the silence.

"How many times must this happen before you realise this is pointless? You've diverted your attention away so often in this fight, every time you do it I feel insulted, Lara".

"Clyde, you can tell can't you, it's the only thing that makes me move forward. I am going to paint this world…".

"With my blood? You've said that several times now and yet you've failed to deliver" Clyde begins. "Look around you. Georgia is dead. Blackburn, Brooks and even Elliot, they are all down. Now you are the only one left. There is nowhere left to run, now the true battle will be decided here between you and I".

Lara is seething at first, enraged by the bold tone in which Clyde dares to reply to her. For a moment before, she allowed her voice to soften, she exposed her weakness. All that she had left was a single goal, driving her forward, and once her destination was reached the entire road would collapse beneath her. Then she changes, realising she doesn't care. Her shoulders begin to bob up and down, confusing many into thinking she is crying. She will not cry here, not yet, this is laughter. She grips at her own face, clawing as she laughs into the space before her. If this is her last chance to feel this ecstasy, she will embrace it and remember it for the rest of her life.

"You think this is going your way Clyde?" she barks, gesturing to the space around them. "Look. Except for one or two, all your mightiest allies are down. They cannot fight any more. If I defeat you here, they will all die, they won't be able to survive my onslaught".

"I'm aware of that. I don't intend to lose to you though".

"Are you forgetting our history? I've never done anything but defeat you when we've fought. Every test in the academy, every spar, every drill, every practice battle. Every single time we have ever competed I have beaten you. That isn't going to change here".

"There is one very important difference between this time and every other, Lara".

"And what would that be?".

"I'm fighting something this time".

That is it. For Clyde that is it. It all he needs now, to keep moving forward, purpose. It is the same purpose he has always needed, though he forgot it for all so long. The old man, fighting desperately for the salvation of his people. Uzumaki Naruto, clawing at any opportunity to earn another moment's life for those who fall under his banner. Now it is Clyde's turn to imitate those two great men.

"Very well" Lara says. "Let's settle this all once and for all. You and me. 'Darkness' and 'Light'. The two strongest generals in the history of the military. Let's find out which one of us is truly the strongest".

"You've got it".

Clyde closes the distance, floating closer very slowly. For just a moment, they observe one another. A look into each other's eyes, they wonder if this is the last time they will experience such a strong sensation. Bloodlust. Defiance.

Then, everything implodes.

Clyde is the first one to throw a punch. He lifts his left hand towards Lara's right arm, her favourite arm for attacking, a good target to weaken her moving forward in the fight. However, the left is the weaker of Clyde's hands too. This is not a serious attack by any means, he knows that even with Lara's inexperience in teleportation she will be able to avoid this warning blow.

She does. Teleporting in the opposite manner than she has done everyone time so far, this time she positions herself to Clyde's right, inside his swinging body but far enough away to avoid his moving arm. He offered her this free shot by striking first with such a pathetic first attack. She bends one leg slightly, pivoting on the foot as she swings her body around and unfurls the other leg towards Clyde's head.

The 'darkness' user dodges, immediately reviewing his previous prediction as perfect. That is exactly what he had been expecting. Lara's mind for a fight is supreme, she always leaves little traps to make you fall into bad habits, such as changing her teleportation evasion method. That is exactly what he had foreseen to facilitate this dodge from what Lara thought to be a 'free shot'. He steps forward once more, this time landing the first hit of the exchange as his right-hand hits Lara in the cheek. He tries to push through but is stunned by her incredible resistance.

Even under such pressure she barely moves. Instead raising her own hand and landing a blow into his gut from below. The upward arching punch rattles Clyde's insides, convincing him that the whole world is spinning as his body regains its senses. They are not regained for long as she lands the second blow and then a third, significantly stronger strike.

It is with the third hit that Lara sees the sight of blood, dripping from the corner of Clyde's mouth. Mistakenly, she allows herself the excitement of her own advantage. She considers the battle hers already and makes a mistake that she would never have made in any other circumstance, against the only opponent who would have ever made her pay for it. She goes for the fourth repeated blow.

Clyde, through sheer determination and will, summons forth the divine energy required to create a small, circular golden 'darkness' shield. He knows this won't stop Lara, not when she has that look in her eye and that unshakable desire to see blood. However, as her hand bursts through and shatters the shield, it slows down. A time delay. Enough of a time delay that he can strike back. He throws a kick upwards, his leg reaching high around the two generals' bodies and converging on Lara's head. He is convinced this is an attack that only a shinobi would do, that no normal member of the military would think to adopt. That is why he knows Lara won't see it coming.

Both strikes land together. The punch to the gut, rocking Clyde and bringing yet another trickle of blood down from the corner of his mouth. The kick to the side of the head, disorienting Lara and making her lose just a bit more of her concentration, something that could be vital in this high concentration environment. Both of them know that one mistake is all it will take; one miscalculation and they will lose.

Both take a single step back on feeling this pain. A relief to their bodies but an affront to their mind. Each warrior refuses to accept the backward step, seeing it as their own desire to retreat, they immediately step forward once more.

In a battle of direct speed, of superior reactions, Lara wins. As the two move back towards one another she has already formed a weapon to use, a golden 'light' flail. The flail moves towards Clyde's head and he already knows that it is too late to stop it, he will not even be able to raise his hand in time, so he calls on the only thing he can move quicker, his divine energy. He condenses an ultra-thin barrier of divine energy around his head, a trick identical to the one used by Elliot.

Even with the barrier in place, as the flail connects with the side of the generals head it sent whipping sideways, spinning the man around a full one-hundred-and-eighty degree. His wound is significantly more profuse than before as liquid crimson pours down the side of his face. He instantly recognises that if that had hit him and he hadn't protected himself he would have died.

As he comes to face a new direction he is greeted with a welcome sight, Lara has teleported to his front. In her mind this is to deal the killing blow. It is a result of her own desperation, her need for them to see one another for what they are when she defeats him. This is not the way of warrior, this is the vanity that is keeping her from truly dominating those and the same level as herself.

With his opponent visible to him, Clyde is given a golden opportunity. He screams at himself, a lonely voice contained within his mind alone. He tells his legs to move once more, to obey him for just a little longer. His mind and his body become two separate entities, one begging for rest and one begging for just a little more to work with as it searches for a way to win. He ducks the incoming, attack, allowing his legs to go weak rather than actively bending his knees. In the second for which he falls, he calls upon more energy, summoning a sword of golden 'darkness' to his hand. He tenses the muscles in his legs, telling them to work again as he raises the sword and cuts the chain on the flail. Stage one is complete, so he moves onto stage two, redirecting his sword toward Lara's head.

Teleport.

Once more she moves through space, this time to Clyde's rear.

Her imagination is her limiting factor, that is what Clyde determines. If it were Minato, Tobirama or even Kakashi, their years of experience would have given them more imagination. Teleporting to Clyde's rear, that is a move born of panic that would affect only the new owner of an ability. For it is exactly where he hoped she would teleport.

The duo still airborne, with Clyde's back to Lara's front, he flips forward. His height remains the same and he uses his stomach as the axis about which he flips. As his head points down to the ground he brings his heel up into Lara's jaw, snapping her head backwards. He recognises the chance for what it is. That last attack blinded Lara to what is truly dangerous, the golden 'darkness' sword in his hand.

A chance. This is a chance recognised simultaneously by dozens across the battlefield, willing the rebellious general on. There is an opening. Lara is looking away, her eyes averted due to that last disorienting attack. So he casts his sword forward, as he continues to spin, the point moving speedily towards Lara's chin and missing.

True instinct. An instinct that Lara has that Clyde cannot boast. She bends backward from the waist, allowing the sword to journey just over the top of her falling chin. This is what has made her number one for so long. It is a superhuman instinct that cannot be taught, one that not even the shinobi present can boast to have seen before.

Clyde, not one to give up, gathers golden 'darkness' energy in his hand and detonates it, resolving to at least do some damage to Lara while he has her in this position.

The damage is minimal, though it does project Lara back through the air. The 'light' general is able to regain her balance, forming an arrow to return shots at her adversary. After the first arrow flies, as if from an invisible bow, three more follow in its wake.

The arrows are each met by Clyde's projectile of choice, the dart. Explosions sound in the air as the pointed objects collide precisely with a power unrivalled throughout the grounds on which they are fighting. Even Tao Ma stops and looks in admiration at power that is hard to even imagine for those who have not seen it themselves.

That flurry from each warrior was a way to setup the follow through. Each has the same source of inspiration for their attack. The locals. One out of fear of the power they have shown today, one out of admiration and hope of what they might do in the future. Each condenses their remaining power into a small globular shape, not dissimilar to the rasengan that Minato created earlier. Each regains their footing, running comfortably on the air as they would on the ground. When they are ten meters from one another, each throws their powerful orbs at the other and prays that the gods of fate are going to be kind to them.

With the collision the surrounding earth begins to crack. The sound is so loud that nothing else can be heard, save for the high-pitched whine of air tearing against air as two tremendous forces collide. Energies black and white swirl around each other, neatly dividing the surroundings into quadrants lit and unlit. With one final booming crescendo, the light and sound begins to decrease and those present look on, waiting to see what has happened.

' _This strength… its insane…'_ Tsunade summarises.

Himawari's thoughts are much the same. _'Did my father really compete against this man?'_.

"What happened?" Shikamaru asks aloud.

When the two at the epicentre finally can be seen, all are astonished by what they are witnessing. Both are on their knees, but neither allows themselves to fall to the ground. Leaning back, their airways wide open as they gasp for air, they do everything they can to find the energy needed. Only a few seconds longer.

The reality hasn't dawned on the spectators that both of the generals are incredibly weak now. Neither would be a threat going forward in this battle should they survive this tussle. Yet, to them, it feels like everything is riding on it as two proud warriors refuse to fall.

Lara is the first to move, throwing a single weak punch across Clyde's face.

Clyde returns the exact same punch to Lara. _'I have no divine energy left but…'_.

Both take their initial punches and repeat them. They keep going, throwing the same sloppy punch again, and again, and again. They are going to push themselves until their body gives out because this fight means everything to them now.

' _Even so… I still have to win'_ Clyde tells himself, bringing his right hand back for one final punch.

As the punch goes forward, Lara disappears.

Teleportation!

The revelation dawns on so many so quickly that she was playing dead as she arrives behind Clyde. An ordinary and very weak 'light' knife in hand, she thrusts it towards the back of Clyde's head.

"She still had some divine energy left…".

"General!".

As the kunai moves towards the back of Clyde's head, it suddenly stops. A pained look appears on Lara's face as she looks down at her own gut.

She has been hit, a kunai through her torso, held weakly by Clyde's left hand.

"You…".

Lara falls to the ground, unable to move for the immense pain she feels.

Clyde truly is deprived of all divine energy. Unlike Lara he had no intention of keeping a small portion for one final attack at the end. He relied on what he had throughout the entire fight, that little trick that he had picked up, that tiny bit of new-found intuition, the shinobi inspired wisdom.

There is nothing left in him. It takes a supreme effort to get to his feet as he tells his body to respond one last time.

He does so and when he arrives onto his feet, the image burns itself forever into the mind of the present captains.

They will never forget the sight.

The sight of Clyde standing tall over Lara.

With this final key battle concluded and Tsunade, their healer, getting back onto her feet, the shinobi realise what has happened. The miracle has come, the odds are now irreversibly in their favour.

As the first of the invading captains drops their weapon, it is Inojin who finally dares to make the bold proclamation.

"We won!".

As the other enemy captains begin to drop their weapons the cheer spreads. Shinobi and Clyde's captains, they let the emotions pour as they celebrate together. Their leader has done the impossible and is still standing. He has taken an army, outnumbered, outmanned and outgunned against the unstoppable forces of the greatest general and has won.

Minato finally stops, his shinobi powers are strained but given the outcome of Clyde's battle, his getting a rest was inevitable anyway. He allows his divine energy to begin recovering and relaxes slightly as he looks to his present family. "Kushina… Himawari… it's over, we won".

Suddenly, an unpleasant reminder tells the group they aren't out of trouble yet. Shikadai and Shinki are suddenly launched backwards, landing in amongst a group of captain and shinobi.

"Lord Kazekage… Lord Shikadai… are you alright?".

They are not alright. After all, there is one man still standing in all of this, one who is far too strong to be ignored.

Tao Ma.

He begins walking towards the centre of the battlefield, now the centre of everyone's attention.

"It's time for you to come, at long last, my leader".

With everyone quiet, he begins to hum a tune. The same tune he has hummed so many times since coming to this world, the same as the time he first arrived and the same as the time he took Boruto.

Tao Ma can barely restrain himself, seeing the despairing looks on the faces of Shikadai, Shinki and so many more. It is like they already know what is coming, the story teller in them has predicted their own despair and told them the truth of what will happen. His humming is spoiled slightly by his intermittent laughter but his melody's pace remains constant and true.

A dark grey portal opens and hundreds of people walk through. Each man and woman to exit the portal wears a black cloak-like garment and as soon as they do exit, they begin to add their own humming to the tune. It's an ever-increasing symphony, a signal of the incoming doom for all those who would stand in their way.

A portal opens up in the sky, above all the others, presumably the portal for their leader to exit from.

As a man with a brand new black coat emerges, the worst fears of many down below are confirmed.

Himawari falls to her knees. "No… why you… why would you do this…".

Minato has only the one word.

"Boruto".

Indeed, the subconscious prediction of many comes true and the worst possible person steps through the portal. The shadow Hokage, leader to many, friend to all, one of the greatest heroes of the Hidden Leaf Village. Boruto has betrayed them.

"How could you do this to us?" Kushina asks. "Boruto, why are you one of them?".

Shikadai is less restrained in his reaction.

"You bastards! You made Boruto your leader. You took our shadow Hokage from us and brainwashed him?".

Tao Ma laughs happily to himself, "Boruto. Uzumaki Boruto". He continues to laugh, clearly even amongst his own forces he is the only one who can see the funny side of this.

"I can tell you first hand Boruto, you will always regret what you have done here" Shinki calls.

"Fools! All a load of silly old fools" Tao Ma laughs.

He then finally reveals why to the poor victims from the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Uzumaki Boruto is not my leader".

Then another foot begins to emerge from the portal.

"No" Tsunade says, "No, no, no, no, no. That can't be possible, that isn't possible".

"This can't be happening" Tobirama tells himself.

"Oh my god!".

The leader fully steps through the portal and reveals themselves to the villagers down below.

"What the hell is going on?" Biwako asks.

"Of all people how could it be him?" Kakashi asks aloud, just as confused as anyone.

True despair overtakes the Hidden Leaf Village. It is worse than the villagers even thought possible just moments ago.

For the leader is someone they thought impossible.

"… Senju Hashirama".


	111. Boruto's Reasons

**WAR NEVER ENDS – BORUTO'S REASONS**

 **The Battlefield**

The despair permeates over the battlefield. While Lara's subordinates are confused, the shinobi and Clyde's captains understand the situation all too well. For half of them the two traitors overhead are the ones who have fought against them before. The one who struggled but persisted and overcame all challenges placed in his way. The one who dominated all who stood in his way, held back only by his inability to keep up with his spiralling power. For the Hidden Leaf these two represent something very different. The man who found the village, who gave them all a place which they could call home. The man who inherited his fathers will and protected them when all others faltered. That is who they had believed them to be, it seems incorrectly.

The revelation of Hashirama's treachery is crushing for morale and in terms of the battle. Nobody would be able to stand up to him now. The same goes for Boruto of course. They are two of the most talented figures in the village, a duo who spearheaded their philosophy that distrusted the invaders. Hashirama is a leader though, one on par with Naruto in terms of importance, his treachery stings more than they imagined possible.

For a small group, although Hashirama poses the greater threat, Boruto has more of an impact on them. Many grew up knowing not of the honour of the Senju clan, nor of the deeds of the revered 7th Hokage, instead watching Boruto protect them. For many, just as they have been watching Clyde's back on this battlefield, they have watched his back for years. Then there are those who struggle even more than that, the ones who always struggle the most when there is a huge change in someone's life. Their family.

Kushina, outgoing as ever, is the first to raise her voice at him.

"Boruto. What the hell do you think you are doing up there?".

"Grandmother…".

"These people, do you know the terror that they spread through this village, through this world? We thought they were going to harm you, we thought they had killed Hashirama" she bellows at her grandson. "And now you're really going to side with them? Tell me Boruto, are you really going to do that to us? Are you going to do that to your family"?

The young Uzumaki feels the tear in his heart as he looks at them. He never wanted to see this, these emotions from his family, certainly not caused by him. For years, he and his father had been the cause of that. During his childhood each argued with the other, each pulled and pushed the other, trying to make them deviate from their present course. That had caused pain, for Hinata and Himawari alike, something he never wanted to see again.

"I've always supported you having a different point of view, Boruto" Minato reminds him.

While all others doubted Boruto, Minato did support his view. The 4th Hokage even went so far as to support Boruto's analysis when that analysis deemed his death necessary.

"Yeah, I remember your support well, grandfather".

"But this is going too far! These people came to our village and were willing to show to us that they had killed the 1st Hokage" Minato explains. "They have spread fear through the hearts of the people you swore to protect. I can't accept that, not as Namikaze Minato, not as your grandfather and not as the 4th Hokage".

Boruto groans at the situation presented to him. So many people to avoid hurting. The more responsibilities you gain the more souls you have to protect. Sometimes that is impossible, even for the shadow Hokage.

"I can understand why you're upset".

"Upset is putting it mildly".

"But I can offer an explanation for everything they have done".

The ears of many perk up when hearing this. Boruto's attitude is certainly not antagonistic as they feared. On the contrary he has not made a single hostile remark and is now willing to offer an explanation, a justification for the actions that came prior. Perhaps, the wonder, if this is a good explanation then there need be no more bloodshed, and they can all go home together.

The wiser ones amongst them are not so convinced.

"To put it simply, these men and women are not your enemy" Boruto says, his arms open in a wide encompassing gesture. "The true enemy is who it has been all along. The true the enemy are the people who invaded your world; this new group, Clyde's group, all of them. My master, myself and all of the people we have brought with us, we are all here to protect the hidden leaf".

Despite the dark and intimidating manner of Boruto and his followers, the tone of his voice convinces many that he is telling the truth. Looking around those who have accompanied him, they don't seem to have any intention of attacking. Previously as well, none of them had assaulted a shinobi without being provoked previously. That is of course with one exception, the man who is floating above them, the leader, Senju Hashirama.

"That's nonsense". Shinki spits on the ground, a gesture to reflect his disgust for Boruto's actions. "Your follower here has been fighting with Shikadai and myself all along. He has shown himself to be the village's enemy".

Tao Ma is the man in question. Laughing loudly and swaying back and forward as he has always done, he pauses for just a moment to bow lowly to his two opponents from moments prior. It seems mocking but many wonder if this his way of showing respect to two people who actually made him do some work.

"Tao Ma is far stronger than you are Shinki. Yet somehow you are alive, that's funny, isn't it?".

The man himself speaks on the matter. "I was ready to intervene, ha-ha, for the Hidden Leaf of course. I was prepared to protect your shinobi. But it appears, it wasn't needed. I was merely using you to warm up a bit, ha-ha, waiting for my leader to arrive at the opportune moment".

"Why" Kushina asks. "Why not just fight alongside us from the start? Why not declare their intentions innocently?".

"Originally, they were going to pay this world no attention at all" Boruto explains, "However, a small group of people drew their attention".

Minato draws the obvious conclusion, looking to the four people with the greatest power in the village. "You four…".

"Actually, it was only three of us. My father, my master and me. These people are not invaders from the other world like you believe. Seeing that my master and I thought like they do, Tao Ma recruited us, knowing that we were the leaders they had been waiting for. They waited a long time for us".

"You thought like they did? What does that mean?".

"They also believe the invaders should be killed, just like we do".  
"Each person here is someone who has escaped an invasion through a portal".  
"Each person here is from a pocket world, just like we are".  
"Each person here is a survivor, an escapee of an unjust war, just like we are".

To the captains serving under Clyde and Lara, this begins to make sense. They have never heard of any people escaping a pocket world invasion through a portal but concede that it is bound to happen from time to time. They also concede it is likely the ones who escape would be strong and tenacious. Lastly, they concede that those who have escaped, the sole survivors of their respective pocket worlds, would have unmatched thirst for vengeance.

To the shinobi this is all a lot more confusing. They have never heard of pocket worlds and not many know the true nature of the portals either. They manage to decipher that there are other worlds like their own that have been invaded. Also determining that all those siding with Boruto share his ambition, they begin to understand. This group before them is a large group of people with one common goal, to fight back against their oppressors and to kill them.

"You expect me to just accept that?" Minato asks. "They didn't come to us and try to explain themselves?".

Kushina too is distraught. "What about Naruto? You said they were interested in all three of you so why not him? I know that he thinks differently to you but he is the strongest person in the world, why not approach him?".

"It was all part of master's plan" Boruto gestures to the man of the hour. "It was a plan that I wasn't even aware of".

The hearts of many shinobi from the village begin to shift. At first, they were sympathetic towards Boruto, believing him to be misguided rather than malicious. Perhaps that is still the case, but those last few words threw them off. A plan, a secret plan by the 1st Hokage behind the back of his friend and his student. A plan with a man who didn't know to deceive so many. How could something like that be viewed favourably?

"I met Senju Hashirama before that night, we discussed a plan then". Tao Ma recounts the events with a childish glee. "If we were to defeat the true threat, these invaders who have plagued your world, we would need to take special measures. That General, Clyde, he is a truly unique talent, someone that not even I could defeat. However, Hashirama and Boruto could do it, they would be capable, if we planned things well enough".

Capable of defeating Clyde? To those who witnessed the captained-six contest this hardly seems plausible. During that contest, nobody on the locals' side could stand up to Clyde, he seemed unbeatable. Except, there was one man. A man who was different to everyone else, who destiny seemed to eternally favour. That was Uzumaki Naruto. But he was alone, the only one who could fight Clyde and live. That is something that not even Hashirama could do. So, they have to wonder, just what sort of planning could place the shinobi duo on such a high plateau.

"Every element has its uses. The more powerful the element, the more beneficial they are, as you have seen with my father's 'life'. Tao Ma used his powers to create a fake body. A body that not even my father, with all his might, could see through. That is why you all believed him to be dead. Tao Ma, why don't you explain why you didn't contact my father first".

"Yes" he obeys. "I ignored Uzumaki Naruto because not only did he strongly oppose our principle that the invaders must die but there was something wrong with him. He was completely incompatible with our power".

"Incompatible with your power?".

"We all share an element" Boruto says. "You must realise it by now, it was hidden within me all along, that same element they use".

Boruto opens his hand, a position he formerly used to demonstrate the function of his rasengan. Flowing from his body like torn paper sheets, a grey wispy substance spirals around an epicentre floating just an inch above his palm. Unlike the trouble he has had for the past three years, he now seems to have it completely under control, marvelling at the grey substance as he toys with it. A beauty so obvious to him but is lost on everyone else.

"It is beautiful, don't you think. 'Death'… 'Death' is my power".

Even those without control of an element can feel something from the element as it dances in Boruto's hand. It shouldn't be there, something like this, this sort of power, it should never be in the hands of man. It should be confined to the control of the gods.

Kushina watches anxiously. _'It's perfectly within his control and I can practically feel the strength of it. Just like Naruto'_.

"Now you must understand. My father's 'life' could never be compatible with this 'death'. The two simply don't mix. He could never grasp this power". Boruto waves his hand back and forward, dissipating the powerful divine energy as if it is nothing. "Still, just like his, it is a truly transcendent element. A power that can cross two levels. Even stronger than 'light' and 'dark'".

Minato cannot stand it. "You would embrace the power of 'death' over 'life'? Can you even here yourself? Would you go along with this murderous regime of theirs? That's sick, completely sick, Boruto".

"I wish we had room to be sentimental about it but you have only seen the tip of the iceberg here. Against an enemy as strong as ours, I have no choice but to embrace this power, they have forced it on us".

"Is that the conclusion you have come to after being raised by Naruto, after meeting him again and seeing what sort of man your father is. I guess I can only say I am disappointed, I'm truly disappointed in you".

"… I will save the Hidden Leaf, no matter what I have to do".

He wonders if perhaps, unlike with his father, fate is conspiring against him, delivering him repeated bad luck. He knows that his choices are what is best for the hidden leaf and that while there is some idealistic argument against it there is no such realistic argument. His family though, they all fall on the side of the idealistic argument, enchanted by the magic that seems to follow his father around, a magic that has captivated the entire village. That is what he can see from the looks on their faces. The journey they have been on with him may blind them to all other possibilities. He wonders if this is what Sasuke once felt.

Sasuke, that reminds him of something.

"You may remember my former master being revived and sent against the Hidden Leaf, he was brought back from the dead" Boruto says. "But when a sage mode user is revived, they cannot be controlled by the invaders. Sage mode users like my master and I retain our free will".

Few understand the significance until he finishes his next sentence.

"We will also come to understand something. Their method eliminates your very soul, if only for a moment. And is in that moment, that you are guaranteed to understand 'death'. That is why a sage can easily learn this power".

It is Shikamaru who realises it first. "So, if Naruto had been revived alongside Sasuke… if they had sent him against us…".

"That's right Mr Nara. You are as sharp as your reputation says. If my father had been revived alongside my master, he would have retained his free will. He would have been alive again and would have had the element of 'death' on his side".

Peterson remembers the day. Though he is only just understanding the significance for the first time. "That experiment failed, I remember visiting Sheer when she did it. She talked about her most significant experiment, saying that one of them failed".

"Isn't destiny incredible" remarks the blonde shinobi. "If Colonel Sheer had succeeded my father would have returned with the element of 'death' and killed you all. But she didn't succeed because, much like my mother from the present, my father from the present disappeared at that most vital moment. The moment Sarada brought them both forward to the future".

Shikadai, like his father, realises that this is beyond a coincidence. Even a man of facts like himself questions whether destiny played a part in these events.

"In that moment then… Sarada…".

"Sarada turned our bright future into a bleak one. Had she done nothing, my father would have returned, stronger than ever and killed the invaders. Yet she did something, she brought him forward in time and instead of 'death' he ended up with the element of 'life'. Instead of being our Hokage, our salvation, he became something else".

They all hang on his condemnation of his father.

"He became too forgiving and he started to forsake our world. All because, for a moment, Sarada panicked. And destiny itself changed".

As a silence engulfs Boruto's family, his old friend is the next to interview him. Mitsuki steps forward. Usually more inquisitive than judgemental, this time there is a difference in the snake shinobi's features. Something that Boruto has not seen many times but recognises very well, anger.

"It was that day you achieved this power wasn't it…".

"You have good memory Mitsuki" Boruto praises. "I was the sole survivor of an attack by the invaders. I woke up and found my entire squad dead. It's only now I realise that I didn't survive that day, I died, just like all the others".

It's a hard reality to hear for many. So many shinobi stayed back while the defence was done by Boruto and his elite squads. Many remained in the village, under Sarada's command, and prepared for the inevitable assault. All the while, Boruto and Mirai had been out there, experiencing death on a scale they couldn't comprehend. Everyone knows somebody who died in those attacks, a son, a mother, a wife. Now they understand that the hero who lead them in those attacks, even he did not emerge unscathed.

"Sheer must have started the revival process on us. Only, I didn't return under her control, I returned with this disjointed power. But now, I finally have it under my control and things can start to change".

"You idiot!".

The strong outburst comes from Boruto's sister.

"Himawari…".

"For three years we were happy. For three years, Clyde and his followers remained in this world and did nothing to harm us. Today they even fought for us, Clyde protected us against the most terrifying woman I have ever seen".

"Himawari, you have to understand…".

"Shut up! You're going to listen to me" she demands, her finger angrily pointing at the ground.

"You know, I was scared during the invasion, truly scared" she begins. "I wondered every day if it would be our last. If we were finally going to die. I would cry when I was alone, when I went to bed, when I ate. And do you know what changed that. It was you, you and dad working together, defending us. Together you changed things and I was no longer afraid".

Kushina looks solemnly towards her granddaughter. _'I never realised it was so hard on you…'_.

"Together, you brought us through such difficult times. Are you really going to throw it away in a mad quest for revenge?".

It is the same mistake Sasuke made. Or at least that is what the majority think. Boruto, on the other hand, has someone at his side which is more than Sasuke ever did. He is certain that he and Hashirama respect one another, that they respect the lives of all the villagers and that they will eternally continue their quest to protect the village. He considers all these things he has that his teacher didn't, a loving family, something to return to, people who he cares about, a noble goal to strive towards. This is not a mad quest for revenge in his mind, it is the most difficult quest that has ever been undertaken. It is a quest to protect his loved ones.

"I'm listening to the wills of my deceased comrades. I am listening to the will of my master, of Sakura and of Mito. And using this new power, I am going to protect everyone, including you Himawari. I'll make it so that you need never be afraid again".

"I'm already afraid brother… I'm afraid of you…".

Words cannot shake these people, he concludes, their souls are resolute in a way that could never be shaken with conversation alone. Only one person can move the hearts of the masses in such a way, something that even he and Hashirama cannot do.

"It looks like words can't change your mind. In that case I will have to let my actions speak for me. So, together, my master and I, will save this world".

The captains under Clyde and Lara all tense, sensing their impending doom. Their reckoning is here and there is nothing to stop it.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi All,

I am sorry if you aren't very fond of long pieces of exposition and dialogue like this.  
I'm afraid its necessary so I hope you can bear with me, their will eventually be a pay-off.  
With that said, thanks for all the nice reviews from yesterday's chapter, I'm glad you liked it and I hope you will continue to enjoy the story going forward.

Thanks for reading,  
Cbehrills


	112. Decisions

**WAR NEVER ENDS – DECISIONS**

 **The Battlefield**

Tsunade has had enough of this. The eternal conflict, the differences in opinion, everyone jockeying for position in an attempt to bring about their own idealistic vision for the world. Time and time again people have executed their vision for how a people should live only for another person to see its flaws and try to remove them. It's an endless cycle it seems, not one of redemption but one where everyone thinks their method of leadership is better than the others.

Look what it has brought to this world. The conflict of the Uzumaki family. A sister relied so fundamentally on the omnipresence of her brother. A grandmother whose worst fears about her grandson have come to light, concerns she started harbouring a long time ago. A grandfather, who refused to think his grandson could truly wish evil on another person, forced to question his own decisions. Does Boruto actually believe the things he said? Is he looking out for the Hidden Leaf's interests or those of his new friends? Is he at least trying to do the right thing in his mind?

She walks forward, rage bubbling inside her as she raises her head to the sky and screams.

"HEY!".

Many turn to look at her, her voice booming all around the battlefield, her rage clear. Perhaps she is the only one left who can defend them. The last one able to call upon her full power in this desperate moment.

"How long are you going to let this damn kid speak for you grandfather?".

Hashirama looks down to her. He can barely look her in the eye, perhaps the last effects of his former philosophy. He is so certain that what he has done is right, that he is about to rid the Hidden Leaf of its source of terror for the last few years. Yet seeing the looks of people who looked up to him, he can't help but question if it was worth it. He also cannot help but question their resolve, how such a thing is possible. For years they have endured desperation because of the mercy of one man, because of unnecessary kindness and idealism. There is no regret though, at the death of their allies, at the alliance they have made with people who murdered their families, how could there be so little animosity?

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Tsunade asks, "Why did you make me go through this pain – why didn't you trust me?".

He speaks for the first time since arriving. "It is not that I don't trust you Tsunade. No, I would trust you with my life".

"Then why?".

"You were in two minds about them. These invaders. It is because you are kind, because you are a good person. But sometimes good people shouldn't be chosen to look after the interests of a people". Hashirama's face is the picture of sympathy, "Had you decided to trust these people you may have tried to stop me. What I am making isn't the easy choice, but it is the right one. Had you decided to try and stop me, you could have done, with the help of one person".

Boruto answers the hanging question. "My father of course".

Clyde almost can't resist laughing as he watches the debate go on. The villagers of the Hidden Leaf are now so blind that they cannot see the influence people like Naruto and Hashirama have had on their society. They have become so infected with kindness that they are now referring to the more merciful choice as the easy one and killing them as the hard choice. That doesn't happen in his world, killing your enemies is always the easy choice, it saves them from attacking you again. It cements all he has claimed about the influence of Naruto and the rest of the villagers, they are different, they have the power to influence people just like the last emperor did.

"Do you know what happened while you were away trying to deceive Naruto?" Tsunade asks, on the brink of tears, "He was risking his life, trying to save Dan. He was trying to save him!".

Hiruzen looks on at his student, perhaps the greatest victim of this betrayal. She who has lost everything that she knew because of the actions of the person she trusted most.

"Maybe, if you had told me the truth in the first place, he could have lived. If you had trusted me, maybe all this pain I'm feeling could have been avoided".

"But Tsunade, you feel the same way about them I do, I know you do. I apologise for Dan's death but that was them, not me. These people invaded this world, killed the majority of the occupants and made the rest terrified. You head Uzumaki Himawari's story, you know how you felt, don't you?".

"… yeah, I do".

Hashirama laments the greatest loss that came from his plan. With Tao Ma present he was certain that none of the shinobi would die in this battle, he was certain that he had afforded his 'allies' a level of protection that the true enemy wouldn't notice. He thought in amongst all the difficulties, with all the shinobi who would try to stop him, that he had found a way for not only them to survive but to also liberate them of their would-be conquerors. One thing escaped his calculations though, one event, Elliot's attack on the students. He had planned his own 'death' and Boruto's kidnapping to coincide with Naruto's leaving the village yet he had no idea why he left. Now he will forever have to tell himself that that incident couldn't have been foreseen, that he couldn't have prevented it.

"The power of death comes from reviving a sage mode user using their methods". Hashirama recalls that he and Boruto both had to be 'killed' by Tao Ma to unlock their powers. "You yourself have learnt sage mode now".

"That's right".

The connotation is clear.

"You have always felt like you were on the side-lines. I know that is why Mitsuki was training you. But you don't have to feel like that anymore. You could learn this power yourself, join us and start to really make a difference in this war".

"I would finally be strong…".

Many wonder just how high Tsunade has set her sights. How much of a difference does she strive to make in this war against invasion? She defeated a general, a mighty powerful general. Of course, those amongst Clyde and Lara's forces know where the battle for Hashirama's group goes from here. They must continue to accumulate strength, for people like them could only have the aristocracy in mind for their next target.

"Your strength would finally be enough to make a difference, to put them on the back foot. A difference that you could see, a difference that I know Dan and Mito would have been proud of".  
"Tsunade, join us".

The Clyde group all suck in breaths of cold air. This could be it for them. While it seemed hopeless before when Tsunade was the only one who could defend them, there was at least someone who could try. If she wavers though, if she joins Hashirama and his group, there would be nothing to stop them waltzing through the battlefield, slaughtering anyone who doesn't wear the uniform of a shinobi.

"You want me to join you?".

"You have untapped potential within you Tsunade. You are not just another Hokage who came to the future with us. You have a role to play in shaping it".

' _Dan, is this what you would have wanted'_.

Her grandfather drops to the ground alongside Boruto and extends his hand. "Please, help me".

She wonders what Dan and her grandmother would have truly wanted. Is it as her grandfather is telling her? Would Mito have wanted those threatening her family's life to be removed? Would Dan have wanted those who endangered his students killed, to protect them once and for all? It is as Boruto said, so many have died fighting against these invaders, offering their life to salvage even another second of life for their loved ones. Amongst those who died, there must be so many who wished death on their enemies. While they have seen now that Clyde's forces are real people, people with loyalty and reasons for doing what they do, they have not always known that. Is it right to honour the ignorant wishes of the dead, or is it better to act how they would wish were they alive? Would they wish differently if they are alive? Would Mito approve of Hashirama's actions?

These questions all rebound around Tsunade's head repeatedly before she asks herself the most important question. What does she want to do?

With that question in mind, she begins to walk toward her grandfather.

The time has come to make her decision.

"Join me and show these invaders that the Senju clan won't allow them to hurt our friends".

Tsunade creates a clone as she walks. The clone walks towards the two who have just finished the most gruelling battle of the day. The clone picks up a kunai as she walks towards Clyde and Lara. The two leaders of the invasions, the two have been responsible for all the suffering this world has endured, the two whom she has the greatest grudges against.

Forcing himself forward, Hiruzen tries to talk his student out of it.  
"Tsunade, think this through, Dan wouldn't want you to do this".

Unperturbed, she continues towards them.

"Your grandmother wouldn't want you to do this".

She continues.

"The Hashirama of yesterday, he wouldn't want you to do this".

The clone finally stops, right in front of the two generals, completely at her mercy. It is all in her hands now, the most important decision of her life. The Hashirama from yesterday, or the Hashirama from today.

Tsunade takes hold of her grandfather's hand.

Nobody understands the true decision she has made, only her grandfather, who sighs and closes his eyes. "I see, I understand".

Boruto rolls his eyes in regret as he realises what is going on. Tsunade is squeezing his master's hand, doing her best to crush it.

She pulls with her left hand as hard as she can, squeezing all the while and throws her right hand forward, punching Hashirama as hard as she can in the chest.

As an enormous cloud of dust engulfs Tsunade and the group she was invited to join.

With the group obscured from sight, the clone drops the kunai she formerly held and begins to act once again as a medic. She channels her chakra to heal not only Clyde but Lara as well.

"You…" Clyde begins.

"The rest of us won't be able to stand up to those two" the clone declares.  
"I don't know if I can trust either of you, especially you Lara but I've made my decision. Clyde, you've protected us in the past and while I don't have the strength to protect you now, I do have the power to give you a fighting chance".

A captain helps Peterson to his feet and the colonel yells as loud as he can. "Everyone, get away from here!".

On the other side of the previous battle, somehow the behemoth Blackburn also manages to force himself back onto his feet. "Run, everybody run!".

"Take the injured and leave the battlefield" Minato shouts, "If you can't move them then leave them to me".

"We're not leaving" one of Clyde's captains defiantly announces.

"We're staying here until the end Lord Hokage" a shinobi adds, acting like his kunai is more than a twig against the opponents he wields it.

"We can't abandon the General sir".

As the dust cloud clears, those engulfed within it are in exactly the same position as when they disappeared. It is as if time stood still. Tsunade's fist is still touching Hashirama's chest, Boruto is still fixed to the same position. Most importantly though is Hashirama, the Senju clansman hasn't moved an inch in spite of the tremendous power of the strike.

Tsunade, despite her like of energy, persists. _'Once more, once more, I'm not letting you go just yet grandfather'_.

She pulls her fist back and attacks once again, another cloud of dust forming around them.

Even Lara's Generals look at the situation hopelessly. When Brooks had fought Tsunade, she had done everything possible to avoid that blow, knowing that if it connected it could seriously kill her in the right circumstances. Hashirama is different though, against his granddaughter he doesn't even retaliate in the face of such a blow. The situation is the same as it was for her against Madara during the war, she is a child, fighting an adult who refuses to go all out against her.

The dust clears more quickly this time, as Hashirama gathers a small amount of 'death' energy around his hand.

Kakashi stammers. "It's even stronger than Boruto's…".

"If everyone stays here they will probably get caught in the crossfire" Tobirama explains, "Kakashi, we have to protect them".

"Against this sort of power? I don't think we can protect them".

Clyde is the first of the two generals to his feet. As soon as he is up he immediately begins to gather and concentrate energy. He knows that against this man there is absolutely no room for holding back.

Lara is the next to her feet. "You better not hold me back Clyde" she declares as she activates her golden 'light' cloak.

"I wouldn't dream of it". The golden 'darkness' cloak activates.

The situation is absurd. The two mightiest generals in the military going all out against someone who hasn't even achieved a colonel-level understanding for their element.

Clyde is the first to act. He forms his energy into a giant golden 'darkness' fist and launches that fist towards Hashirama. He has seen this man use enormous wooden constructs to fight before, he aims to push through any defence that he can conjure with superior speed and power.

Hashirama is quick to realise the flaw in Clyde's plan though. The general no longer has superior speed nor power and unfortunately for the generals, Hashirama has far more experience in battles where intelligence is required. He expands the 'death' energy on his fist before throwing it gently forward. The two fists, one large and one small connect with predictable results. Despite the calmness with which he attacks, Hashirama's fist punctures Clyde's look a balloon.

' _You are no longer anything before me Clyde'_.

Lara teleports to Hashirama's rear, hoping to catch him out using a trick he has not seen her use before. She reaches towards the back of his neck, hoping to control his movement and limit his ability to turn with a solid grip on his throat.

She should think otherwise. Hashirama has for years been able to defeat his younger brother in battle, someone far more competent in using teleportation. He sidesteps the incoming hand and catches the rear of Lara's wrist. He grips tightly, his grip nearly breaking Lara's wrist, doing far more damage than Tsunade had done to him earlier. He lifts her up into the air, quicker than she can react, swinging her around his head before slamming her down, like a club, into Clyde.

Mirai begins to wake up and within a few seconds groans. "It's useless".

Biwako is alerted by the voice and turns to her granddaughter. "Mirai?".

"I don't know what is going on but there is no way they can defeat… is that Lord 1st…".

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asks as he runs to Biwako's aid and lifts her arm over his shoulder.

"The power I feel from Boruto, he alone could defeat the two of them. Against Hashirama, they don't stand a chance".

Between Lara's teleportation and Clyde's shinobi inspired movements, they should be capable of outmanoeuvring the majority of enemies. Even some shinobi would likely be foxed by the nature of their movements. They are not fighting an average shinobi though, they are fighting the same man who battled Uchiha Madara. Despite their wild movements he dances through their attacks easily, occasionally replying with his own disorienting kicks and elbows, heavy blows designed to weaken them slowly.

In his mind he can only see them as the people responsible for Mito's death.

' _This can't be happening'_ Peterson tells himself as he watches his leader get hit repeatedly. _'Not to the general… not to the general. Please, you can't die here'_.

Hashirama waits for an attack to arrive from both of his opponents at the same time. Lara attacking with a punch to his kidneys and Clyde with a kick to his head. He catches both incoming blows and slams the two military leaders together, painfully entangling their limbs. The duo falls to the floor, battered, broken, exhausted from not only this fight but their one previous.

Lara came here for no reason other than to satisfy her bloodlust. She followed the rogue Clyde into this world and finally hoped to rid herself of his irritating face once and for all. She came without defeat in mind, feeling it incredibly unlikely that she would lose at all, never mind twice in one day.

Clyde was prepared to die when he arrived here. He didn't predict that they could realistically win this battle, but he still held out hope. The shinobi of this world constantly outperformed his expectations, winning battle after battle, bringing him a hope that not only could this world survive but maybe his own too.

Neither expected to feel such regret as this in their last moments.

On the floor, too stunned to retreat, they look up at Hashirama. The 1st Hokage once more coats his hand in 'death' energy and begins to move it towards them.

' _General…'_. Peterson closes his eyes.

The unmistakable sound of air being cut through at tremendous speed.

The huge bang of contact.

The burst of air that comes afterwards.

Many close their eyes, some fall to their knees, others look on in shock.

For Himawari, a tear comes to her eye as she realises what has happened.

Hashirama's fist didn't reach its target, for another hand has control of his wrist.

"So, you have come…".

"… Uzumaki Naruto".


	113. Relief

**WAR NEVER ENDS – RELIEF**

 **The Battlefield**

Hashirama runs the analysis through in his head. Before he can even look at the one who stopped him he is certain of who it is. The slim fingers with an arm just reaching past the cuff of an obnoxious orange and black tracksuit. Without looking he can already see the blonde hair in his mind, the disappointed expression and the disappointment hidden behind those deep blue eyes. Besides that, there is the power issue to consider. Not even Tao Ma would be able to move that quickly; perhaps not even Boruto would.

With many considerations in mind, he confidently speaks the name of the one who has arrived to stop him.

"So, you have come, Uzumaki Naruto".

There is a delay a moment of pure silence while everyone let's their brain process what has just happened. It's like lag, the captains who screamed for their general are still gathering air to their lungs. The crying shinobi are still looking on in disbelief at their fallen idle. The families of those involved are still racking their brains for what to do. Amongst these groups there is not a single one who doesn't have the same incomparable feeling of relief.

One of them finally reacts, prompting the others to follow.

"It's Lord 7th!".

As the cheer resounds around the battlefield, Hashirama is surprised by the reaction. For Clyde's group he can understand their elation, for they have perhaps just evaded certain death. The shinobi, in part, may be feeling betrayed and while he disagrees with their logic he can understand it. Lara's group he doesn't understand though. They have only just laid eyes on the 7th Hokage for the first time, yet they act like children whose parent has come to save them.

This is an effect Hashirama used to have on people, an effect he has no longer.

Minato smiles knowingly in the direction of his son. Naruto is what Naruto has been since coming to the future. Their hero, someone who arrives just in time.

Himawari allows herself to fall to her knees. The tears blurring her normally-augmented vision, she raises her head and painfully calls out, a child to her father.

"Dad…".

"Thank goodness" Kushina adds while resting her head in her hands. "Thank you… thank you Naruto…".

Peterson realises that he has been holding his breath for almost a minute and finally exhales. He remembers the shock of his first fight with Uzumaki Naruto. Never before had he met a local so strong, one who actually posed a genuine threat to him. With help, Naruto had defeated him, the first local to do so.

"Of all the times to show up".

Peterson recalls that occasion when he first met Naruto, he fought against three locals by himself. All three people have been so important to him today. Tobirama has made peace with him, demonstrating a reconciliation that may have changed the course of the battle. Hashirama showed up, showing him what he had believed to be certain doom, offering a final retribution for his former sins. Now Naruto, the saviour even for those who have considered him an enemy in the past. An instant hero to military followers of Clyde and Lara alike.

"That's lord 7th for you" Mitsuki grins, "His timing couldn't be any better".

There is an exception to the almost universal gratitude. Lara looks on in awe.

"What is going on?". Her fiercely land on Naruto, looking for something unique about him but finding nothing. "What is this power, who is this man?".

"You're free" Clyde notes, "And you arrived now of all times… thank god…".

Naruto looks into the darkened eyes of his friend, still gripping his wrist tightly to prevent him from moving.

"So, you're alive, Hashirama".

"Yeah, this is no illusion".

"But I saw your body".

"It was a fake so convincing that even you would not notice it".

Naruto's teeth grind together as he listens to the replies to his comments. This is a tone of voice that he has heard too many times during his life. Too many people end up venturing down the wrong path, finding ridiculous and deluded ways to justify their own philosophy. Once they get too deep into it, they become lost to their own delusions, they become so convinced that they are right that they refuse to place anybody else in their eyes. He has heard it in many people, but it has only hurt like this once before, when he heard it in Sasuke. After all, just like Sasuke, he thought that Hashirama understood him.

"What will you do now, Naruto, will you help them live, or will you see them die?".

With a sudden jolt of speed, Hashirama once more tries to throw his fist forward. This time Lara is his target. He is convinced that Naruto is unconcentrated, that he isn't prepared for a fight and that Lara is the last life he is considering protecting.

He is shocked though.

Just as his fist is about to reach Lara's face, Naruto's grip on the Senju clansman's wrist tightens once again. The blonde shinobi throws his arm out to the outside of his body, releasing his grip just as his arm reaches full speed. As Naruto's arm draws parallel with his chest, Hashirama's wraps around his own body, having been driven to the side of Lara's head.

The burst of wind bombards Lara's face, deforming it. The crazed general almost ignores it entirely though, instead focusing on the man who attempted to kill her and the man who just saved her. One of them had just tried a casual surprise punch, convinced that such a trivial attack could kill her. The other had reacted so quickly and casually, sampling tossing the attack aside to save her life. It is not something she can imagine though. She is the mightiest warrior in the history of the military, yet two locals from this world have so completely outclassed her.

Naruto projects his voice to those behind him.

"Everyone, well done holding until now".  
"I can see that you have all fought hard to make it here. You can all be proud of yourselves for what you have done".  
"So, from this point forward, leave everything to me".

Hearing those words instils a sense of confidence in the locals.

Tsunade is very keen to refocus on one of the many snippets of information she just had to absorb. Hashirama kept everything a secret from her because she may have done one thing to stop him. She may have spoken to Uzumaki Naruto. This tells her all that she needs to know, that there if there is anyone who can salvage this situation, he is the one trying to do so at this very moment.

Himawari contemplates Boruto's words. If Sarada had not brought Naruto forward into the future, Sheer would have revived him, and Naruto would have been using the power of 'death'. Instead, here he is, using the power of 'life' to protect three armies from a mad man who wants to kill two.

' _Thank you Sarada. Seeing him in front of me now is everything I need'_ she says in her mind. _'This is my father. This is the one who should defend the Hidden Leaf'_.

Kakashi looks on. _'Naruto; Sasuke and Sakura would be proud of you. So, don't lose… don't lose Naruto'_.

Tobirama echoes the sentiments, along with everyone else. _'Beat him Naruto. Just win!'_.

Hashirama takes a deep breath, finally daring to look his opponent in the eyes now that they are disconnected. This is regrettable to him and he isn't particularly confident about this fight, but he is certain of what he must do. If he is to protect the village in the long run, he must defeat Naruto here and kill the invaders.

He flexes his five fingers, rolling them one after another. He does this twice or thrice before summoning 'death' divine energy to his hand. The murmur that passes through the nearest captains and even the two generals make it feel like the energy itself has its own little noises. It seems to chill people in a way that not even Elliot's 'cold' compares to. People just feel as they look at it that they should run away. They feel that if they go close enough to Hashirama's hand they are going to die; a feeling shared by shinobi and captains alike.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Naruto? You haven't even heard my peaceful offer yet".

Offering peace while sharpening a blade, it is not an offer of peace at all but a demand of it. Hashirama's tactic is one of intimidation, with energy that terrifies those around him and a power that nobody else would be able to compare to. Except for one person who is not afraid of him, and one person whose power can compare to his.

While Hashirama's eyes have a vicious look in them, Naruto's eyes appear relatively serene. Clyde wonders if this is a result of their elements and whether this difference can be seen between he and Lara as well.

In an instant, a far more gentle and calming power is summoned to Naruto's hand. For many on the battlefield, they have never sensed 'life' before, for some it has been three years since they sensed it and for the others it feels like a lifetime ago. The feel of it is warming and calming, an immediate clash with Hashirama's. One moment everyone felt terrified, the next they felt overjoyed and now they only feel calm. The two elements appear to have equal strength.

"If your offer includes killing Clyde, killing my ally, then it is not peaceful at all".

"Father!" Boruto calls. "Must you be stubborn even now?".

Hashirama is quick to warn his student off, raising an open palm in a 'stop' gesture. "Boruto, don't get involved in this fight. This is between Naruto and I".

The shadow Hokage can't help but sigh. It is demoralising to spend so much of his life chasing after his father, getting so far and hearing that he is still not on the same level as him.

"I understand. I can't compete with the two of you. However, father if you would just listen, I am sure that I could convince you that…".

Naruto points at his son, silencing him. "You shut up!".

Boruto stops in his tracks, momentarily reverting to a child being yelled at by his father.

Naruto continues. "Any other day I would be teaching you a lesson as your father but today that responsibility lies with somebody else".

Tao Ma drops to his knees and laughs. This is Naruto's first time seeing him, but he instantly recognises his authority and the matching description. This is the man who took Boruto in the first place, clearly the previous leader of the little group of caped madmen and madwomen.

"You are going to have somebody else fight your son, but none of them could even beat me" Tao Ma begins to laugh once again. His craziness is already irritating Naruto. "Your son has potential, Uzumaki, potential to surpass even you. There is no way that he would…".

He is interrupted by the same sound as before. The unmistakable sound of air being pushed out of the way. The sound of someone moving incredibly fast.

He tries to turn but before he can it is too late. Tao Ma is hit solidly in the side of his face. While Shikadai and Shinki have spent an entire day trying to work out how to hurt him, this newcomer has done it in an instant. Following her fist through, the newcomer lands on the ground, arriving at the perfect moment to save her teacher from a most irritating speech.

Boruto catches her eye instantly. _'Sarada…'_.

"It's the Hokage" many of the shinobi cheer.

"Thank god you are here" Mitsuki smiles.

One of the captains calls to Peterson. "Colonel, did you see that?".

"Yeah. That was unbelievable".

Shinki's thoughts are similar. "Shikadai?".

"Yeah, I saw it. She defeated him in a single hit".

Clyde smiles. _'She got a lot stronger very suddenly'._ He then looks to her teacher. _'She must have been the one who freed Naruto'_.

' _It doesn't matter who she is'_ Elliot concludes, _'She has put us in a far better position than we were in a few seconds ago'_.

Enraged, Sarada activates her rinnegan, fixing her position and remaining completely still as she gazes unperturbed at her fiancé. Just a short while ago things were so different. She was terrified of the group arriving at her village, terrified that they were taking Boruto away from her. Yet now, against him and his incredible power, and amongst this group who intimidated her before, she shows no fear at all.

The game has changed.

Uchiha Sarada has arrived.

While Hashirama and Naruto are both hyper-sensitive to the changes around them, Boruto and Sarada are different. Unlike their counterparts, they are not thinking of the larger ramifications of the upcoming conflict but instead the personal ramifications. Not so long ago they were plotting to get married, preparing for a happy life in the peaceful village they created. Now they stand opposite one another as enemies, each an adversary of the person in the world they least wish to be.

"Boruto, I need you to tell me the truth, please".

"The truth about why you have done this. Why have you gone so far? I can tell just by looking at you that you have switched side" she says emotionally. "You've abandoned the peace we had to pursue your personal vendetta, to pursue your revenge".

Boruto lambasts his luck, thinking this situation to be typical. He hadn't wanted his dad to oppose him so strongly, but he had been prepared for it. For Sarada to be so fiercely opposed to what he is doing from the outside is painful.

"Sarada, this doesn't need to be difficult".

"Don't you dare give me that. We had three years of peace. We had your families blessing to pursue a relationship. We had my master's permission to get married and you decided to throw it all away".

Sarada will always remember this and teach it to those who rest on their laurels. Within the space of one week she has gone from earth, to heaven and now to hell. Destiny will play with your life, no matter how resolute your morals, no matter how mighty your power, no matter how you try to resist it. Even in her emotional state she can feel the flow of the situation, the foreboding nature of their conversation. If Boruto was thinking rationally, if he were the Boruto of yesterday, he wouldn't be doing this, would he?

"Nothing has changed Sarada. I still want to marry you and live every dream we spoke of before" he says, forcing a smile through his tears. "I want to do so much together with you and we still can. We are on the same side as you, we are here to protect the Hidden Leaf from the invaders".

Sarada curses the logic of it. Even if Boruto were right in the long-term, there is room to discuss things now, there is no need to be so forceful. Right now, all four of the strongest people here are from the Hidden Leaf village, with the fifth being a self-proclaimed ally of the village. Even if they were to just stop fighting nothing bad would happen to the village. However, the shadow Hokage's resolution shines through in his body-language; there is no way he is leaving here without what he believes to be an assurance of safety. While it is the last thing on her mind, one of the people Boruto is most concerned for, is Sarada herself.

"All we need is the Circle's agreement. We can kill the invaders and form an alliance between the leaf and our group".

"But there it is, that condition" she replies, "That condition is too important to both us to budge on".

"The invaders must be killed, that is non-negotiable".

"To hell with that, the Circle voted on this before, we don't want an unnecessary war with them".

Boruto covers his eyes with his hand. He is certain now that she will not understand but what can he say to her? She fought against the invaders, that is true, but she was always the rear-line, the last defence who saved lives. He was the first defence, the one who went out and took the fight to the enemy. Every death suffered under Sarada was because of the initiative of one of the colonels. Every death suffered under Boruto's command was because of his initiative. The responsibility, despite her being Hokage, could never truly fall on Sarada's shoulders, she could never truly bear the burden of death in the same way as he. No, there was nowhere to run for him, every time something went wrong it was his fault and people died. There is nowhere to run from that kind of responsibility, all he can do is look back, listen to the voices of the dead behind him and honour them.

He finally does all he can and makes a threat.

"Do you want an unnecessary war with us, Sarada?"

"No, we do not. It is you who has put the ultimatum un front of us. The Hidden Leaf won't just bow to you because you have more strength than the invaders. We will stand up for what we believe is right, just like we always have done".

"… then I have no choice but to fight you. I'm sorry, Sarada".

The 9th Hokage takes two steps forward, setting a high pace for her opponent to follow. He reacts appropriately at first, positioning himself well to deal with this kind of frontal assault. He has seen how Sarada fights many times and knows exactly how to counter it. That is how he thinks initially, but then Sarada's speed increases. A burst of speed faster than he anticipated, higher than he has ever fought against before. She arrives on the ground before her fiancé and levies a punch into his chest.

Boruto skids back, slowly coming to a halt as he grasps at his chest.

"I see. You two have mastered an element".

"It's not just that" a struggling Tao Ma says from his position on the floor. "She has mastered an element that transcends two levels. Just like you!".

Boruto's outlook changes, he immediately realises that he was being foolish before, that he should have noticed when Sarada defeated Tao Ma. Now the true battle must begin.

Naruto vs Hashirama.

Sarada vs Boruto.

The battle of the transcendent, begins.


	114. Battle of the Transcendent

**WAR NEVER ENDS – BATTLE OF THE TRANSCENDENT**

 **The Battlefield**

Naruto and Hashirama stand opposite one another and the whole world seems to stand still. It is Naruto's first time understanding that expression. A silence has encapsulated the whole battlefield with Sarada's declaration that they will fight. People should be running but they are on their toes, electricity coursing through their body as they wait. Even Sarada's attention has now wavered slightly and come to focus on the two mightiest warriors to ever come from the Hidden Leaf village.

Naruto is the first to act; without shifting from the spot he activates six paths sage mode. The same orange chakra that Kurama controls surrounds his body. Flecks of orange chakra float for a few centimetres as they detach from Naruto's newly wielded aura before dissipating and becoming one with the atmosphere. The small whir of energy accompanies the orange light as the sole indicators of Naruto's incredible energy. Comparatively the light is dim, the sound quiet, barely any energy is wasted. It speaks volumes to Naruto's control, the insane power that he has mastered combined with the subtle façade with which he hides it.

Hashirama too is a sage. He need not wait for the minutes to pass, as he used to when he first learnt sage mode. With just a flicker of will, nature chakra comes flooding towards him at an alarming rate. A technique comparable with Naruto's six paths sage mode but perhaps even more subtle. The dark green markings on his face are the only change, dimmer than the orange glow, quieter than the mechanical whir. He wonders if perhaps he has superior control over nature chakra to Naruto but quickly dismisses the idea. This is not a man he can underestimate.

Not a single person on the battlefield is left to guess at the power the two of them wield. Even shinobi who have no conception of divine energy can feel it in the Hokages' chakra. In this moment, and perhaps forever, Naruto and Hashirama have earnt their titles as the mightiest wielders of chakra the world has ever seen. Yet their reactions barely account for the speed with which the fight begins.

Naruto kicks the ground, launching himself forward. The sound of him cutting through the air is just as before, and the awe of the shinobi who watch him only comes after he has skidded to a halt. He is just in front of his opponent.

Hashirama is not like the others though, the only person on the battlefield who can truly keep up with Naruto, he can follow these movements, he can react to them in time. He pivots backwards slightly on one foot, leaving Naruto with a lesser area to strike with the inevitably incoming punches, and putting his favoured right hand between the two of them.

Naruto sees this but doesn't change anything. He has the momentum with him from when he kicked the ground and he cares not to waste it. Furthermore, this is his opportunity to put Hashirama on the defensive. He throws the first punch with his left hand, arching his arm up into Hashirama's body as he aims for the Senju clansmen's protected chest.

Blocked. Hashirama lowers his hand beneath the pivot of the elbow and thrusts it downward to push the incoming punch away.

Just according to Naruto's calculations, for the next punch he jumps slightly, giving him the angle to throw a right-fisted punch down into the side of Hashirama's exposed head.

Hashirama is too quick though, pushing the same blocking arm as before in the reverse direction, he uses his elbow to protect his skull from the 'life' coated fist of his enemy. Punches like this come in threes, that is always how they are planned and there will always be an opening when the third comes. To that end he pivots back to his original position and anticipates the incoming blow.

You need to take advantage of your openings, especially in a fight like this. Naruto knows this basic fact, as does Hashirama, and the blonde shinobi is depending on it. He throws the telegraphed left hand he planned from the beginning, this time targeting his enemy's throat.

There is an easy escape from this punch and Hashirama knows it, step backwards or duck. Keep the same horizontal position relative to your opponent so that you may revert to the exact position quickly and continue to attack them. He doesn't do that though, his years of fighting experience against opponents like Madara compel him to act with superior style. Instead he slips backwards and sideways, moving to allow him a strike at the unprotected region left by Naruto's arching left arm, a region he strikes at with his own right hook.

As the powerful fist flies at Naruto he doesn't panic as most would. It is a superior punch, one that only a true genius could position themselves to do. It is a style that Naruto has fought against for his entire life. He ducks, allowing the right hook to pass over him. To attack he now must swing himself to the left, leaving his preferred right arm as the fastest moving part of his body. Now he is going to let his fist fly, his first truly powerful strike in the exchange, with his high-speed preferred arm against Hashirama's unprepared weaker arm.

With 'life' coating his hand, Naruto is an intimidating presence to Hashirama. The leader of the 'death' controlling group clad his own hand with his element, running through the possibilities, unsure of how he got the worse of that exchange. Then he understands, it isn't because Naruto is a genius, it's because he is the best at fighting against them.

The strong hand of Naruto and the weak hand of Hashirama collide. With a resounding thud and a strong wave of pressure spreading around the battlefield, the Senju gets the worst of the encounter and is forced to step backward three steps.

A shinobi covers his face after being hit with the pressure wave. "Incredible… did anyone see that?".

"I could see it happening but wouldn't be able to think at that speed" a captain answers as she lowers her hands from her ears, "They're fast, too fast for us to even imagine fighting".

Hashirama continues to step backwards, slower but more controlled than before as he creates space between himself and his opponent. He begins to weave a series of signs which Naruto doesn't even bother trying to follow. At the speed and proficiency Hashirama has reached now, it would be easier to react to the jutsu, only those with visual prowess like Boruto and Sarada would be able to follow such a sequence of symbols.

The ground rumbles slightly as spikes of wood start to appear. The wood looks aged and cursed, like the trees in a wintery graveyard. Naruto notices a thin grey layer around each spike. Impaling him would not be enough, but it would be if each spike were coated in 'death'. Feeling the ground start to rumble beneath him, he backflips up into the air, just in time to avoid the sharp rising object beneath his feet as it exits the ground.

The spikes continue to propagate as the Hokage is airborne. Depriving him of a safe landing space, it leaves him with but one choice, to create one. Two arms, each the size of his body, grow from his back. Each arm is formed by the bubbly orange chakra sourced from the nine-tails. Each arm is quickly blessed with the presence of a rasen-shuriken, doped with a healthy serving of 'life' energy. The arms cast the rasen-shuriken forward one after another. Thought the two masses of energy are not as refined as Minato's rasen-bomb, the 4th Hokage would never be confident pitting his own attack against this one.

The pair of rasen shuriken bounce backwards and forwards through the newly formed forest of death, the quickest deforestation the world has ever seen as they slice through branch after branch, rapidly changing direction every quarter of a second.

Naruto carefully controls his landing, finding his feet in a small region cleared of the harmful energy by his own. Upon landing he lowers his centre of gravity, certain that in the time it took him to safely escape that trick, his adversary will have conjured another one.

His prediction proves to be accurate. Amongst the production and demolition of the wooden array, Hashirama weaved another series of signs, spawning the growth of an enormous tree root. It grows towards Naruto at an alarming rate, rising and falling on its path like the body of a snake. Enhanced with 'death', the much larger counterpart to Naruto's previous attack knocks his rasen-shuriken from their path, up into the air, before continuing towards the 7th Hokage.

Naruto concentrates his power, bringing the weapons he used to wield to him once again. Behind his back manifest a series of truth-seeking balls and in his hand appears a staff, forged from the same concentration of chakra. He takes hold of the staff at one end, emblazons it with strategically positioned 'life' energy and waits for the opportune moment. He must maintain the momentum of the staff right up until the moment it hits the growing tree. He finally unleashes it. Chakra and divine energy intermingle as the staff spins, moving at an incredible velocity, it strikes the growing root, stopping it in its tracks.

Hashirama, intent on following the root's path of destruction, dodges to the side of the staff with one step and the back onto his original route with the second. The distance between himself and Naruto has decreased vastly now.

Naruto foresaw this a few moments ago. He set up a trick, playing with his enemy's senses as his best friend and his student had taught him to do. Suddenly, the Naruto that Hashirama rests his eyes on disappears, it was a clone, a distraction. The real Naruto appears behind the 1st Hokage, his hand tightening around the staff he hurled just a moment ago.

Hashirama uses an enhanced kunai to block the incoming attack to his back, quickly spinning on his heels as he deflects it. His blood is pumping at an incredible rate and his eyes open wider than they have done throughout the entire fight so far. He quickly decides that if he had been just a tiny bit slower in reacting, Naruto would have defeated him right there.

The Senju is not out of the woods yet though, as he occupies himself deflecting a melee attack, a ranged one arrives instead. One of the truth-seeking balls flying behind Naruto's back launches past him, hitting Hashirama in the chest. It is a thump, a big thump as the traitor amongst them is sent rolling lengthways along the floor. He lifts himself up only to see himself under attack again, this time a rasengan heading straight for his shoulder.

That is a mistake. Naruto's arm is curving too quickly, and it has left Hashirama a chance. He grabs Naruto's rasengan-holding wrist with his opposite hand and because of Naruto requiring a trailing hand to maximise momentum, he leaves an attack open to Hashirama. He reacts by trying to shift his centre of gravity backward but only makes it worse as he puts himself off balance. Hashirama, like he did with Lara and Clyde, lifts Naruto off his feet, over his head in a big arc, and down into the ground, treating him like a ragdoll.

The kunai slips back out of the 1st Hokage's pocket and he slams it down remorselessly towards Naruto's chest.

The Uzumaki grabs hold of Hashirama's wrists and holds on as tightly as he possibly can. The blade sways side-to-side just an inch above his chest. For the longest period in the battle so far, the two remain relatively motionless as they each push as hard as they can, one to cause a certain death, and the other to avert it.

After a moment's struggle, Naruto directs one of the truth-seeking balls up the length of his body, towards Hashirama's head. Naturally, his opponent pulls himself back out of the way just in time to avoid being knocked unconscious and the slight separation gives Naruto a chance. He grabs Hashirama by his new attire and, pulling it as hard as he can, slams their heads together.

The pain of the headbutt reverberating in each man's head, they get to their feet and stand opposite one another, just as they had started the fight. They each take a step back to improve their balance and throw the stronger leg forward. The collision of flesh sends out another massive shockwave, knocking both shinobi and captains off balance.

Minato watches on, a mixture of happy and dispirited about what he is seeing. On the one hand, he is watching his son do something absolutely incredible. He is watching his own descendent move at speeds faster than he thought possible, attack with a power that belongs to the gods and act with a moral standard greater than even his own. On the other hand, he sees Hashirama, fighting back with equal talent. The two warriors have such might between them, such impressive strength. He wonders, even if he reaches his maximum potential, will he be able to fight anything like that.

His assessment passes his lips.

"This is a godly level of combat".

The shockwave from another kick heads in his direction. As it travels it shows itself by lifting dirt from the ground and cracking the earth. Discarded weapons are blown dangerously in many directions and the dead are shifted from their resting places.

"Old man" Mirai calls to Hiruzen as she forces herself to her feet. "We need to get everyone out of here".

Mirai has distinguished herself greatly in this battle. As the leader of the military, many expected her to play a pivotal organisational role, somewhat similar to what the Naras have done in previous conflicts. She blew those expectations out of the water. Not only did she fight on the level of the Hokage, she actually outperformed them, save for those that have come at the last moment. Hiruzen can still feel the pride in his chest knowing that she is his descendent. It is not her strength that impresses him the most, despite impressing him greatly, instead it is her spirit and determination. She has suffered a setback, watched a friend die at the hands of a terrifying enemy and then come back to overcome that enemy.

He swallows his pride and shouts at the order. "Retreat, everyone retreat! We can't afford to distract Lord 7th and Lord 9th, so retreat".

Peterson and Elliot respectively echo the command to their followers.

"Everyone, get away from here!".

"Pull back, get as far from here as you can!".

The forces clear rapidly, running not only for the sake of their leaders, but also for their own lives. They leave them in the lion's den, leaving behind only Naruto and Sarada with a whole army of people who they now know to be their enemies.

Only two people initially refuse to move. Clyde and Lara.

They stand there, looking the enemy in the face while their army stands behind them. This is where Clyde has been from the start. This is where Lara should have been all along. There is a peace between them, one uncharacteristic whenever Lara is about. Now she has lowered her guard and is simply just allowing the flow of the world to dictate her actions. Standing like this with Lara relaxes Clyde. In this moment she is not an enemy. Perhaps for the first time she doesn't seem to bear any hatred towards him and simply accepts his existence. He wonders how much they could have accomplished if she had been like this from the beginning.

Lara watches the battle, awed by the back and forth taking place before her very eyes. She has yearned for years to prove herself the best in the military, placing only Clyde in her eyes. She never bothered to compare herself to members of the aristocracy, their advantage was unfair from the beginning. Against Clyde though, she could have a competition of raw talent. She could wholeheartedly contest him to see who the best at accumulating power was. For years, that was her only way of thinking. To see what she though impressive talent dwarfed by a few locals dulls her, removes the edge that so many have come to fear.

"Do you see what I mean now Lara? This is what you were up against, what I was up against. Even if it were the right thing to do, even if we threw everything against them, we couldn't beat these people".

Lara sighs reluctantly. "… I admit it".

"You do?".

"There is something special about this world. It's not like those stories you hear about places that people like, this is truly special. It's virtually unheard of for a local to unleash divine power. Yet here, four of them have unleashed a power that transcends even mine. There must be something different about this world".

"I completely agree".

Amongst the retreating forces, Peterson spots one group of people coming the other way. It is a very familiar group of allies he had never thought he would see again. "You guys…".

"Peterson".

It is Sheer, leading a group of her fellow colonels and the remaining visitor who came to their headquarters, Hinata.

He looks Sheer dead in the eye, a disappointed look on his face. "You weren't supposed to free him. You were supposed to keep him locked up no matter what happened. You knew that was important".

"I know".

"You put the entire future of our world at stake by freeing Naruto selfishly. That was a terrible, terrible decision".

"I know".

Peterson speaks emotionally, placing a hand on Sheer's shoulder. "Thank you… thank you Sheer".

Himawari runs past the group from Clyde's headquarters and then spots the most important person in the group to her. She spots her mother. Running towards her, she embraces her in a tight hug. It was only earlier today that they last saw one another yet each feels like a lifetime has passed since then.

"Mum!".

"Himawari, what's happening here, what is going on?".

"It's Boruto, he's turned against us. He's just as strong as dad now and he's trying to kill Clyde and the others".

Hinata watches a travelling shockwave, flinching with the others when it blows past them. After it passes, she smiles and nods to her daughter.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine now, because Naruto is here".

While Hinata says this, she notices that while there is an orange glow to her right, there is a different yet equally distinct glow to her left. In contrast with Naruto's six paths sage mode, Boruto is using his tenseigan chakra mode. The bright green and bright orange glows appear a perfect opposition to one another, as if the two powers were born to clash. Hinata has a strange feeling that she has seen this before and considers that perhaps somehow the memories of her future-self may be leaking to her. She quickly dismisses this suggestion with a sigh of disappointment, her son really is fighting against them.

Boruto, unlike his teacher, is relying more on speed than strength to strike. He pivots not once but several times, dancing around Sarada like a boxer as he throws repeated punches and kicks at her. While each connection fails to generate a shockwave of the same magnitude as the other fight, the smaller shockwaves are far more frequent. The frequency of the shockwaves makes it appear that Boruto and Sarada are trapped within a semi-clear dome like structure.

The blows come thick and fast but Sarada is a specialist at this sort of combat. Her rinnegan moves around in her eye socket so fast it would appear blurred to an average spectator. Up, down, left and right, it directs her to each of Boruto's incoming attacks just in time for her to block them. Eventually it perceives an opening in his form and she casts her leg forward at him, connecting solidly with his gut.

While Boruto skids back along the floor, Sarada uses the force of the connection to flip herself back additionally, creating a separation between them. She uses the separation to create a full body Susano and fires a 'creation' arrow at Boruto.

Boruto uses the powers of his tenseigan to manifest a golem, along with an enormous shield of 'death'. Using said shield, the golem deflects the arrow upwards, the ground beneath its feet tearing as it does so. With an almighty push, a pair of small craters are made in the ground, but it does indeed manage to deflect the arrow away. Noticing that Sarada has not attacked him again, Boruto makes use of his opportunity, launching the shield at the Susano like a frisbee.

If nothing else, Boruto concludes that Sarada will need a lot of divine energy to stop the attack. The Susano's hands reach forward and wrap around the flying shield but he knows this to be a trivial effort. Without any sort of enhancement, the Susano, a pure chakra construct, would be worn away in an instant, and the shield would continue its course toward Sarada.

To his surprise though, the Susano doesn't wear away. Its hands do not wear at all, despite the enormous strain it is placed under. All the while, Sarada's divine energy is showing no major fluctuations. He wonders how this is possible, could she be defending against that last attack with chakra alone.

Finally, he realises it. The Susano's hands are being worn away, they are just being instantly reformed.

On her way here, Sarada didn't have much time to experiment with her powers. She instantly had a hunch though that like Naruto's 'life' had unique powers to bring people back from the brink of death, her 'creation' may too have unique powers. It does. As its name implies it allows her to easily create solid objects. So far it has worked with at least the first few materials she has thought of. The true beauty of this benefit though is in situations like this defence. Her power to create solid objects uses almost no divine energy. In many ways, the perfect foil to Boruto's highly lethal power.

With the spinning momentum of the shield finally halted, she concentrates, squeezing the hands of the Susano shut and crushing the shield.

Each protected by a massive construct, Boruto and Sarada shout to one another, engaging once again.

"Sarada, you must realise it by now!".

"Realise what?".

"You and I are just like our teachers. We are battling with transcendent yet equal powers. We are equal to one another. We could fight for days and not find a winner". He then finally explains the true reason why. "It is because neither of us could bring ourselves to fight with the intent to kill".

He is right, and she knows it.

"I'm not going to kill you. You are right".

"Then why don't we fight the person we should be fighting right now? Let's combine our powers and destroy the invaders while we can".

Sarada allows herself to think for a moment. She is certain that doing that would be wrong but there is so much else to consider. Would she be able to go to the afterlife someday and look her mother and father in the eye? Would her master survive this battle, would she be able to look him in the eye? If she were to go along with Boruto's plan, that would mean certain death for those following Clyde and Lara but what would it mean for her? It would mean that she could go back to the village. She and Boruto would be together, nobody to separate them. It would mean that Boruto and Hashirama would have both survived this ordeal, as would Naruto if she played her cards right. Still, she doesn't even need to consider it when she looks to her right. If she were a kid, still dreaming of becoming the Hokage, what decision would she have wanted to make in this situation? It would be the same one as Uzumaki Naruto.

"I have no intention of killing them" she says. "I have no intention of killing you either. I am going to beat you into an unconscious state. Then I am going to force you to come back to the leaf. You're going to see through your punishment and you're going to apologise. And then, you and I are going to be happy together, just like you promised before".

He casts his eyes away.

"I am sorry Sarada, I truly am. But I have to listen to the voices of my friends who can't be here now. I am not pursuing my own desire for revenge. I am pursuing their wishes for the freedom of their families".

"Then you do that" Sarada says. "But I will remember the oath I swore to the village. As the 9th Hokage, I will protect the people of today in the best way I can".

Their eyes meet again. Neither could believe it possible to convey such emotion through these eyes. Painful resolution through the rinnegan, reluctant defiance through the tenseigan.

Each nods to the other, a sign of their mutual affection despite their clashing philosophies. They then send commands to their constructs, ordering a charge. The golem and Susano close the distance and collide once again.

The battle of the transcendent continues.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi All.

I'm not sure that this counts as the 'epic level long' that was requested.  
However, this is apparently the second longest chapter written for this story (and no, that doesn't include the author note).

I would like to address the power situation that a few reviewers have brought up.

Naruto's power in this chapter (and previous ones from 'The Battle for the Earth') may not be possible. Considering what was known when this story started and what has been written since, it may now be incorrect. I have written over one-hundred chapters now though, I am not going to go back and re-write it.

This situation is also mimicked with Boruto. I first wrote that Boruto 'unlocked' the tenseigan before the Jogan/Jougan was revealed in the anime (and possibly before it happened in the manga). It is too late to go back and correct this now, as I said previously, this is a long story and I only have so much time to write it.

I'm sorry if I come across as complaining, I am simply trying to justify my reasons. I am enormously grateful that people care enough about this story to notice these inconsistencies and suggest improvements in the first place. I would love to act upon everyone's suggestions and try to as much as possible. Unfortunately, sometimes that just isn't possible.

As always, thank you to everyone for reading, I am honestly very grateful.

Cbehrills


	115. The Result

**WAR NEVER ENDS – THE RESULT**

 **The Battlefield**

Three more shockwaves blast through the group, each knocking over a few more people than the last. This is a group of might warriors. The most powerful individuals from Clyde and Lara's forces combine with the Hidden Leaf shinobi from this world. Together they all watch on as the battle between Naruto and Hashirama rages on. Each time their fists connect, the group is reminded of its own hopelessness. The ground before them tremors and the thin vapour in the air can be seen shifting towards them, and as the tremendous force hits them they feel it acting in their chests against the beating of their hearts.

Amongst this elite group, the captains know that this battle is going too far. The battle doesn't exceed moral boundaries, quite the opposite, they fully understand the viewpoint of Hashirama and Boruto. However, the world itself tears every time their fists connect. Something like this isn't supposed to happen, that's why people like Lara and Clyde are put in charge of invasions. The pocket worlds can only withstand so much power, the fabric that holds them together is far weaker than in their home world. If Naruto or Hashirama, or if Sarada or Boruto were to increase their power any further then it would spell Armageddon. This quaint little pocket world that has survived the full might of the military would be torn apart by its own power.

"Incredible" Hiruzen says as he does his best to support the weaker shinobi around him, "Truly incredible".

Nearby Kakashi is also doing his best to protect the weak. Where possible he takes the injured into his other world using kamui, sending medics away with them. A lot of people can barely endure being so close to this fight at full vitality, doing so injured is virtually impossible.

Kakashi contemplates the possibility that the impact is being felt back in the Hidden Leaf too. "I've never seen a battle like this before" he says to himself, "Every single impact, every attack, every spark of energy; I can feel them all".

Minato's speed is incredible, yet as he follows the movements of Naruto and Hashirama he cannot help but feel inferior. It's not just how fast they are moving, it's the speed their minds are working at as well. While he may be able to match that speed if he burst forward as fast as he can, he wouldn't be able to match their mobility, nor their manoeuvrability. In a straight line their speed may be equal, but Naruto and Hashirama would be able to prepare attacks, manipulate their energy and even talk at the same time.

"If any of us were to try and help we would simply get in the way" the 4th Hokage explains to his distraught family. "Their speed, their power, it is not at a level we can reach".

Hinata knows that he is right, as much as it hurts her. It has always been like this and while she dislikes that fact, she is prepared to accept it. Naruto will always be the peak for them, the one who walks at the head of the village, getting stronger and stronger so that he can protect them forever. She wishes that she too could obtain that sort of strength but resigns herself to a fact she has long since accepted. Naruto is simply the best among them, demonstrating an unending resolve and a talent for finding ways to overcome the impossible. It is not a status that can be pursued by the majority, only those who have destiny on their side.

She is about to lower her head and pray when something changes within her.

Hinata's eyes glaze over.

She begins to walk forward, ignoring the shocked looks of the people around her.

The shockwaves don't force her backward, the explosions don't force her to flinch, the energy does not intimidate her. She simply continues forward.

"Hinata" Kushina calls to her, "What are you doing?".

Sheer recognises the affect instantly. _'She's changed, just like before'_.

Hinata is oblivious to the calls of Naruto's mother. Deaf to the world, she continues to put one foot in front of the other, walking hypnotically towards the battle between the 7th and 1st Hokages.

"Hinata, you can't go that way" Minato says as he runs after his son's fiancée. "If you get any closer you will…".

Minato's plea is interrupted by a sudden onrush of water divine energy. With a tremendous power, Hinata's raised right foot kicks the ground hard and she propels herself toward Naruto and Hashirama, cutting through the air as Naruto had done previously.

Himawari is stunned as she flies away. "Mother…".

"What incredible speed" her grandfather adds.

Meanwhile Naruto, oblivious to the happenings nearby, attacks his former friend. He reforms one of the truth-seeking orbs into a staff of concentrated-chakra. He waves it forward, firing three of his orbs forward, coating them in thick 'life' energy as he does so.

A thick wooden vine stretches from the palm of Hashirama's hand. Grey wispy 'death' energy swirls around it as it propagates away from him. When it is long enough, he wraps his hand around it, giving it a quick twirl left and right to acclimate to the weight. He twists wrist three times, masterfully spinning his new weapon to knock all three truth-seeking orbs away. However, during this defence he is distracted just long enough to create an opening, not for Naruto, but for a third party.

Hinata rushes Hashirama, first punching him in the liver and then twisting to kick him in the centre of his torso.

The only one more shocked than Hashirama is Naruto. Looking forward, he double-checks that he isn't seeing things. Hinata is the woman he loves, he is certain that he would have realised if she suddenly became so strong. He can sense the element of 'water' from within her but is certain that it shouldn't make this much difference. He questions his own knowledge of divine energy before wondering how such an increase in strength is possible.

Hashirama bounces back along the ground, mirroring vertically several times as he looks at his assailant. He too wishes to contemplate how Hinata could possibly be responsible. He discards the thought of doing so, knowing that he doesn't have time for contemplation and debate, for now he has two mighty opponents to fight against.

He bounces one final time, this time controlling his trajectory by gently tapping the ground with his elbow. Mid-air he creates a bow in his left hand, an arrow in his right, and with a grip of that arrow, tightly pulls back the string. He waits until he reaches the peak of his bounce, aims accurately at Hinata and waits until the bow string is released before finally exhaling. He has just sent 'death' in Hinata's direction.

Hinata's eyes return to normal.

"Wh… where am I?" she asks.

Spotting the arrow heading straight for her, she closes her eyes.

A hand hits her forcefully in her shoulder, knocking her to the ground. Of course, it is Naruto. While she falls to the ground, a mild pain in her shoulder from his strike, he endures the full brunt of Hashirama's attack. The power of 'death' starting to creep through his body as the arrow nests firmly in his shoulder.

"Naruto!".

The 7th Hokage desperately summons the power of 'life' to his shoulder and his hand, simultaneously healing his wound as he pulls the arrow from his flesh. He shouts as he heals himself. One of the most pained shouts Hinata has ever seen from him.

"Naruto, you're hurt".

He pays her no attention. No hard-feelings or grudges exist between the two, even after this unfortunate incident. Of course, he wants to speak to her, he wants desperately to make sure she is OK, to go home and tend to each of their wounds. He dares not avert his gaze though, for it is fixed on Hashirama. Especially now that Hinata is here, he cannot miss a single one of his opponent's movements, otherwise she could well die.

Nearby, Sarada transforms her body from its human form into one of pure light. Using the powers of her rinnegan to forge her body into a comet before flying at Boruto. Neither has noticed the change in pace of the nearby battle. Likely neither can even sense what is going on, for they are each so absorbed in their own emotional battle.

Boruto also concentrates the power of his eyes. He uses the tenseigan to fire several golden wheel reincarnation explosions in Sarada's direction. Firing again each time one of his attacks is successfully dodged. Even with his certainty that he is acting as he should, he can't help but wince every time he attacks. In such a short period of time they have been as close and a distant as possible. They have endured the weight of one another's decisions, acted for the sake of one another's safety and selflessly attempted to hold back those who would stand in the way of what they think will be peace. They have broken down every obstacle, save one, each other.

Sarada, having dodged the reluctant golden beams, arrives before Boruto and returns to her human form. She throws punches and kicks as quickly as she can. At first, she tries to rely on the weaknesses she has experienced from Naruto when she trained with him but sees within a second that Boruto doesn't share these weaknesses. Then she switches to her father's fighting method, only to see that Boruto is even more familiar with these methods than she is. Frustration then gets the better of her, as she puts more and more force into each punch her speed decreases. She begins to groan in anger as her own training fails her.

As the last punch is thrown, Boruto realises that it is Sarada's weakest yet. He wouldn't even need to use the tenseigan to dodge this attack. He slips sideways and counters, throwing a punch initially towards Sarada's throat but changing his mind at the last moment. Hitting her in the underside of the chin.

Sarada lifts a short way into the air before falling down and landing on her back.

Boruto steps forward, launching a group of five kunai towards her. He wonders if he should use the technique he developed to transform the kunai into rasengan. His hesitation costs him though.

By the time Boruto has made a decision, Sarada activates another of her rinnegan's powers. Strengthening the gravity around her, she forces the kunai to fall down into the ground just before they reach her. She pushes the ground behind her to slide forward along the floor on her back. She reaches Boruto, running up his body by first stepping on his thigh then his torso. Finally, she kicks him in the face, using it additionally as a springboard so that she can flip backward and land on her feet.

They pause as they stand opposite one another, they both know the weakness they have shown. They both know that they are holding back, that they are being polluted in this fight by something in their heart they cannot control.

"You can already see how this fight is going Sarada. You know that I will win if this keeps up" Boruto says, mocking confidence. "Let's just stop this fight".

She shakes her head.  
"Do you remember my family's curse?".  
"Uchiha Obito felt regret, he atoned for his sins and begged his best friend to become Hokage in his place".  
"Uchiha Madara felt regret, in his last moments he admitted that to me".  
"And you know better than anyone how my father felt regret".

"Yes" Boruto confesses. "Your father spent the rest of his life regretting what he did. The only things that kept him going were his sense of duty, his love for Sakura and his love for you".

"Then tell me, tell me what he asked of you at the end".

Boruto knows exactly what Sarada is talking of.  
"He asked me to look after you. He didn't ask me to look after the 9th Hokage, nor did he tell me to look after the Hidden Leaf. He asked me to look after his daughter, Uchiha Sarada".

"Boruto, abandon this path, or you will end up with more and more regrets".

The two of them have been linked by more than their own destiny. Boruto and Sarada have been linked by the destinies of their parents and their teachers as well. They have become the point where generations of tension and differences will finally culminate. Their closest link in amongst the thousands of them, are their parents. Sasuke and Naruto, not only parents to the duo but teachers as well. It leads Boruto to wonder, he knows what his father thinks about this, but what would Sasuke think of his path. Would he agree? Would he understand?

"There is a difference between my former master and I, Sarada. That difference is you" the shadow Hokage declares. "I may tread the line that separates good and evil, but I will always have friends to stop me from going too far".

As he says this, Boruto uses a golden wheel reincarnation explosion to lift dust from the ground between himself and Sarada. He uses the dust to conceal his approach as he dashes towards his opponent.

As the two come together, they both land a strike.

Boruto strikes Sarada's head protector.

Sarada strikes Boruto's heart.

They each hold their fists in position, certain that they are striking the true weakness of the other.

"Boruto, it's already too late for that. You have already gone too far" Sarada says.

Naruto, with his back to Hinata looks on at Hashirama. He watches as he creates a group of at least ten kunai, each one constructed from the element of 'death' that he has mastered. Naruto knows that attempting to endure such an attack is suicide, it is far better to simply dodge. However, he cannot do that because of the one who is stood behind him. He must stand tall and defend them conventionally. He must wait for the perfect moment before every action and reaction.

Hashirama throws one hand forward, gesturing as if he has telekinesis, throwing each of the kunai forward.

Naruto, staff in hand, coats his weapon with 'life'. Thanks to his sage mode he can sense what is around him quite well, but he still feels it somewhat lacking in this situation. Hashirama, being a sage himself, knows how to counteract those senses. The 7th Hokage wishes that he, like his children, had some sort of visual dojutsu to help him. He takes a deep breath, waiting for the moment when the first 'death' kunai arrives.

The first kunai arrives. Naruto predicts the exact path that all the others will take, gambling his fate on his own calculations. The first kunai he hits by swinging his staff, projecting it like a baseball into another of the kunai. Two down. The next four he knocks from the air in two motions, finding the perfect centre to position his hand at to knock two from the air at a time. Six down. Next, he rolls his arms forward, paddling like a kayaker and neatly using the ends of his staff to knock two more kunai from the air. Eight down. Now it is the last two. His previous calculation is slightly off, so he has only one way to block the incoming attack. He drops the staff and catches the two projectiles with his hands.

Success.

Naruto blocks all ten 'death' kunai.

Even Hashirama is slightly surprised by his enduring the frontal onslaught.

Naruto immediately drops the two kunai, crossing his fingers to create a single shadow clone.

' _A mistake'_ Hashirama instantly realises.

The clone takes hold of Hinata and leaps away as fast as it can. He must get Hinata away if he has any chance of winning this fight.

While Naruto knows this, unfortunately for the blonde shinobi, Hashirama does to. The 1st Hokage cringes and his muscles tense as he realises what he must do. This is a tactic he never wanted to resort to, especially against Naruto. He steadies his heart and tells himself that it is absolutely necessary, that the end will justify the means. At last, he combines his specialties of wood and 'death' and launches a spear at the retreating clone.

Clones cannot control divine energy. The few shinobi who have mastered elements realise this while the others don't. That elite group, including Minato, all look in horror as they realise what is about to happen. The clone cannot possibly defend against that attack, nor can Hinata.

They will die!

Naruto puts himself in the way again. This time being hit in the back by the spear.

"Naruto!".

Despite Hinata's scream, the clone continues to take her away, refusing anyone permission to get closer to the fight. As the situation gets more and more desperate, the original body needs them out of the way more urgently than ever.

Hashirama screws his eyes shut as Naruto falls to his knees. He feels horrible, having to do that. He knew that Naruto would get in the way, he slowed his attack deliberately enough to guarantee that he could. He never wanted his attack to kill Hinata, nor to kill Naruto. His objective here is just to put the 7th Hokage down for long enough to execute his plan. Things never go as well as you expect though, it's never as easy as you want, especially when working against Naruto.

Hashirama approaches his fellow Hokage, falling to his knees so they are on the same level.

"We were friends Naruto!".  
"I was sure you would at least here me out, you would at least let me defend my village against these people".  
"They came here, and they made life hell for everyone, yet you aren't fighting them, you're fighting me".  
"I came here to save people".

Naruto and Hashirama have been through a lot since arriving to the future. The second they arrived enormous expectations fell on their shoulders. The two greatest Hokage to have ever lived. Together they battled Peterson, almost giving their lives to defeat him. Together they were unable to do anything as Sasuke was forced to attack the village and Madara was resurrected to counter him. They were the last two standing during the captained-six contest. And while their philosophies differed, they were united in a desire to protect the village. They were brought closer together again when their pupils decided to marry. Yet despite having endured so much together, despite becoming friends, they are fighting. It seems like their destiny is to fight against their friends for their entire life.

"It's because you're my friend" Naruto explains while struggling to his feet.  
"It's because you're my friend that I have to fight you here".  
"I have seen a friend go down this path in the past and I know that Mito wouldn't want that for you".

Hashirama gets to his feet, still opposite his injured adversary. "My wife died so that we could remove this threat".

"Your wife died for you! So, I'm not going to let you live a life full of regrets".

Naruto concentrates his powers of 'life', once again removing an enemy weapon from his body. An enormous pain accompanies every millimetre that he pulls but he does it anyway. He must win here, for himself, for Hashirama, for the entire Hidden Leaf.

The shinobi, alongside their foreign allies, watch as Naruto struggles to his feet. Many find themselves in tears as they see him struggle. On and on, it seems impossible to break his will. However, it's his determination, unwavering regardless of the circumstance, that makes it so much harder to see him this way. It doesn't matter to them that Hashirama regrets using the tactics he did before, they are cheap, unworthy of a man who claims to be a Hokage. As they watch the events unfold, it becomes clear to them where their loyalties lie; Uzumaki Naruto is their Hokage.

Hashirama pushes his fists together, separating them slightly as he channels death into the gap between them. It's pure, dense divine energy. Likely, this is the purest energy to have ever graced this pocket world. After a few moments, Hashirama has finished preparing his attack and it reveals itself as a grey cube shape. This is not a wispy substance like Hashirama's other attacks. This is clearly something different, something much stronger.

"Remember that it is you who decided that we must fight" Hashirama says.

Naruto creates a mini-tailed beast bomb in his hand, doing his best to concentrate his 'life' energy on it. His pain hinders him, but he still gives it everything he has. There is no other choice, this is the moment that will decide everything. Their fates. The villages fate. The invaders fate. The fate of the entire world.

"No, my friend, you made that decision".

They each wait a moment. There is almost a serene moment as they look at each other, perhaps for the last time.

Then, they move.

They run forward and slam the cube and sphere together and a huge wave of raw divine energy spreads from the contact point.

Even Boruto and Sarada, previously absorbed completely by their fight, stop to look at the impact. This is unreal, something even they cannot achieve.

Clyde and Lara rush forward, combining their powers to create a combined barrier of 'light' and 'darkness', the only thing that saves those behind them from death. Surviving this much divine energy would be impossible for them, especially for the shinobi who cannot use it themselves.

As the blast passes over them, they have a quick count of the people around them. It seems that nobody died as a result of that blast. Clyde and Lara managed to save them, at least from that.

Next, they turn their attention to the result of the battle.

Hashirama stands, his eyes tired and aged, his body a picture of pure exhaustion as his last reserves of divine energy and chakra leave him.

Uzumaki Naruto falls first to his knees, then onto his chest.

The terrifying result becomes clear.

Hashirama has won!


	116. A Battle with No Winners

**WAR NEVER ENDS – A BATTLE WITH NO WINNERS**

 **The Battlefield**

Hashirama feels the temptation to cry as he looks at the man who has fallen before him. Even for he, Uzumaki Naruto is a saviour, someone who protected what he loved when nobody else could. He wonders what could have possibly been a more important objective of his struggle here, than saving Naruto. Naruto, the most important person when it comes to the village moving forward, he accepts that even now. He believes the method misguided but judges the intention of the 7th Hokage to be purer than any of those who came before or after him.

He wonders, has he killed him, the man who he admires.

Then he sees it, the hint of a monster. A tiny spark of two blending, contrasting energies. One last bit of 'life' energy and one last bit of orange chakra. They flow into Naruto's body and give birth to just the smallest sign of hope for so many. It's faint, small enough that if you weren't looking for it you wouldn't see it. However, the Hokage's lungs move slightly, and air enters them once again.

He is alive.

Hashirama's relief is accompanied by shock. Naruto must have deliberately stashed away that one last piece of energy. Or could it be that he never realised he had it to begin with? Or was it forced out by Kurama? Whatever the reason, Hashirama now realises what he has been dealing with. No matter how they did it, the combined team of Naruto and the nine-tails survived the most powerful attack he has. While they haven't won the fight, they have shown that together they can survive even the most lethal element.

' _What a monster'_ Hashirama finally says in his head. _'Is it impossible to kill this man?'_.

The healer notices that his unconscious opponent is still in bad shape. He needs medical attention immediately. He stretches out his hand, hoping to help. In the end, even if Naruto completely rejects him, he will still try to save Naruto. For if the 7th Hokage is to die like this, would the village ever be the same again?

As Hashirama's hand moves forward he feels the stiffening of his body. Of course, he hasn't got anything left to give. To win that clash he had given absolutely everything to his attack. He miscalculated, as he has done so many times before. He swears to himself that this will be the last time. That when the Lead requires him again, he will not fail them.

Two people arrive at the sides of the two exhausted Hokage. Boruto at Hashirama's side, Sarada at Naruto's.

"Master!".  
"Naruto!".

Boruto checks his master is OK quickly before turning to his fallen father. His tenseigan active, he notes immediately that his father is breathing. Signs of life, despite all that just got thrown at him. Naruto had been distracted that fight, desperately trying to protect Hinata against the strongest opponent he had ever faced. He had been struck twice in ways that should have killed him, then endured an all-out collision of energy with a mighty user of 'death'. Surviving shouldn't be doable, not even for him.

Looking at his father, the shadow Hokage wonders how he was ever expecting this to go. He hasn't held his father's ideals for a long time and they have argued a lot throughout their lives. However, since his father came to the future, he has always been able to rely on him. He has never betrayed Boruto, and the same thing cannot be said in reverse. Boruto wants to be sick, was he expecting to feel any different when he chose this path. He knew that he would need to see his father in this state to fulfil his ambitions. What hurts isn't the distant eyes of his family; eyes he is certain are burning furiously. What hurts is that he knows when his father wakes up, he won't hate him. There are some sins it feels wrong to be forgiven of.

He has come this far now, he must see this through.

In his hand appears a spinning rasengan enhanced by 'death'. "Sarada, you know that it breaks my heart to see my father in this condition, knowing that I am responsible for it. But my first responsibility is to protect the Leaf from the invader threat, so I will beat you if I have to. This is your last chance, give up".

"I will never give up, that is the ninja way I have inherited from my master".

Hashirama looks past the two feuding students and into the distance. The medical shinobi and the military's medics are no longer seeing to the critically wounded, they have finished. Now their attentions have turned to those they need most. To Clyde and Lara. To Mirai and Elliot. Tsunade has also recovered some of her power, seeing to Hiruzen and the enemy generals. He has miscalculated before. He miscalculated his own power when fighting Grace in the captained-six contest. He miscalculated when fighting Naruto, leading almost to the 7th Hokage's death. He refuses to miscalculate again, especially in the face of such conditions.

Boruto begins to increase the size of his rasengan when his master's hand clamps down on his wrist.

"… Boruto, I'm out of chakra".

"But master, I can win here".

Hashirama shakes his head.

"Look, they are recovering over there. If you fight against Sarada, you may not have enough power left to overcome the generals, even with Tao Ma's help. If that happens and they defeat our forces, there will be nothing to stop them turning their attention on the Hidden Leaf".

"Then we have to win" Boruto argues.

"No. If this goes on we cannot guarantee everyone's survival. If we leave now, Sarada will be here, still close to full strength. She can stop them. She can defeat the generals if she needs to. We cannot remove the threat right now, but we can protect the leaf if we leave and try again another day. Even if they reject us, we must continue to protect them. That includes Naruto, Sarada and everyone in the Hidden Leaf Village".

Boruto understands the logic behind Hashirama's words and looking at his injured father, he too feels that perhaps this shouldn't go any further today.

Lifting Hashirama's arm over his shoulder, he turns back to his followers. "Tao Ma, we're leaving!".

The hums start once again. A signal for the arrival or disappearance of a large group. Once again, the sound shows Sarada that her fiancé is to be taken from her.

Hashirama looks at Sarada, in full knowledge of his imminent disappearance.

"Uchiha Sarada, Lord 9th".

"Lord 1st".

"You summoned me here to the future. You wanted me to protect this world".

"Yeah, I did".

"I am not so easily swayed as Boruto, so you will hear m departing words".  
"While we may fight, we will always consider you our allies, our friends and our loved ones".  
"And while our methods may differ, the path we have chosen is not evil but simply different".

Sarada dismisses this as a hollow justification from someone who is in denial. He is denying making the same mistakes he has warned against his entire life. "You will end up just like…".

"Just like Madara?".

A silence passes between the three of them. It forces Sarada to consider if a path like this is possible to walk down without ending up like her vengeful ancestor and father.

"That regret is something only a very small group of people will understand. Only Naruto will understand the regret Sasuke felt. Only Kakashi will understand the regret that Obito felt. And only I understand the regret that Madara felt. I will not feel that same regret because unlike them, my objective is not to harm the people I once called friend, but to protect them.

In the distance, Kakashi reads their lips and is stunned by what Sarada says. Realising that Naruto has echoed Obito's teachings into the next generation once again.

"You are protecting this world on my orders" Sarada begins, her eyes on her own master. "Shinobi who disobey orders are trash but shinobi who abandon their friends are worse than trash".

Hashirama's eyes are fixed in position, impossible to read. "I see. Farewell, Uchiha Sarada".

Tao Ma raises his fist into the air and opens it. A loud screech is heard across the battlefield and an instant, the black-cloaked army disappears.

The battle is finally over.

A battle with no winners.

 **Days Later, The Hidden Leaf Hospital**

There is a strange feeling in the Hidden Leaf. People don't know how they should be feeling right now. They know the result of the battle, they know the full story. The valour of their own warriors and the betrayal of the village founder and his student. They have beat impossible odds by surviving but how could anyone celebrate or claim to be happy with that. They have survived but at what cost, how much must they discard before they can say that the threat is over? How much must they endure?

The true dark cloud though is hanging over this hospital. Many of the critically injured have been brought here. Even a few captains came temporarily so that Tsunade and Biwako could use some of their more revolutionary medical techniques on them. They are gone now though and while the majority of shinobi are fine and recovering, just one injured warrior is enough to put them in a sour mood. That warrior, is of course, Uzumaki Naruto.

It is days later, in a hospital room crammed with those closes to him, that he finally wakes up.

His eyes open and he looks around to see who is watching over him. This is far more than he would have received during his youth. First, he spots Hinata, sitting on the chair next to the bed, concerned about him as ever. Next, he looks at the window, he can just about make out the silhouette created by the sunlight shining in through the window, his daughter, Himawari. Then, his eyes are drawn to the stunning red hair of his mother and notices the arm of his father around her shoulder. Lastly, sat on a seat at the end of his bed is his student, Sarada.

He can only identify this group one way. His family.

"Hello" he groans, sitting up slowly. "It's good to see you all".

"You're awake" Hinata says a little more loudly than she should as she turns to look at him.

"It would be uncool if the Hokage slept forever, wouldn't it?".

Any medic looking at Naruto would call him a freak of nature. They would be right. Recovering from all the abuse his body took in such a short time shouldn't be doable, even with modern medical techniques. He isn't an ordinary patient though, an Uzumaki clan member, a sage mode practitioner, the jinchuriki for the nine-tailed beast, the second ever user of 'life'. His recovery time is naturally far quicker than anyone else they have ever met.

His family probe him with various questions, asking about certain injuries and how he is mentally. They ask about the pain he feels in his limbs and whether he is feeling sick or has a headache. He insists to them that he is fine though, even going so far as to reject their offer to call for a doctor.

Finally, Sarada addresses the elephant in the room.

"Master, you have to know the truth about why they did what they did. You have to know the full story".

"Sorry, but Sarada is right" Minato sighs. "It's best that you the full story about what happened".

Naruto is initially reluctant to hear about his son and his friend. He doesn't want to taint his own impression of them any further than it has been. He also knows that he is the Hokage though, and reluctantly admits that he should know all of what happened on the battlefield that day.

Himawari, Minato and Kushina are privy to the full details of the battle. They tell him everything. They detail how the groups split up. They re-tell Clyde's speech and how he told them the difference between them and Lara. They tell Naruto who battled who and what abilities and elements they used. They tell Naruto of their amazing victories and of how he was likely the one who inspired Clyde to win in the way he did. Lastly, they tell Naruto of Boruto and Hashirama's stories after they emerged onto the battlefield. The hardest part of this all for Naruto, is the look on Himawari's face as she tells him what Boruto said.

"He had unlocked the element of 'death' and deceived us all in the process".

Naruto nods. "I see" he says, unknowing of what to say.

"I just wish that he could be here now. I wish he had decided to fight alongside us, to protect Clyde and the others" Himawari explains. "Even with everything they did to us".

Minato puts a comforting hand on his granddaughter's shoulder. "Naruto, this is a lot to take on-board. I know that I shouldn't pressure you for an answer, but I need to know. What will you do next?".

Confronted with five miserable faces, each of them asking the same question, Naruto wonders what he should say. As a son, fiancé, a father, a master, a Hokage. They are like lost sheep without him, like they have lost their own ability to make a decision. They have all acted as they think he would, they have all resolved never to give up in their own little ways, but they no longer know which direction they are moving.

The 7th Hokage can only think of one way he wants to steer them. Towards happiness.

"Well, the first thing I'm going to do is make you all smile again" he says with an uncharacteristic laugh.

They are all slightly stunned by his response, but he finds a way to justify it.

"You are all treating this like a total defeat when it's not too bad" he says. "We feared the worst. We thought Boruto and Hashirama were dead, but they are both alive. And you are all incredible, you went to war without my help and you all survived".

"But dad, he's gone" Himawari says, "He's no longer on our side".

"If Boruto's still alive there is always hope that we can laugh together again. We're closer to that moment than we were before, you have to believe that Himawari".

Himawari accepts the word of her father. "Yeah… you're right".

"Hinata, we went to see Clyde and we swore we would get our son back, didn't we?".

"Yes, that's right".

"I trust that promise still stands?".

She smiles. "Yes, of course it does".

They realise that what Naruto says is right. Their ultimate goal may be very difficult, but they previously feared it impossible. That is not the case. What may not have been achievable has become so. And, when something is difficult to achieve, who better to have on your side than the people in this room?

"Then, I will stand by my ninja way, just as I always have done".  
"I won't give up".  
"I will bring them both back to the village, no matter how long it takes or how hard it is".

Seeing how strong Boruto and Hashirama, how convinced they were that they were right, it seems unlikely at first. Yet, there is something about the way Naruto speaks these words that make them ring true.

The news is shortly announced to the Circle and then to the rest of the village that Naruto is alive and well. The mood picks up as he exits the hospital, many people far happier than they were before. There is a sense, even amongst the non-shinobi of the village, that if the 7th Hokage is on their side they can do anything. Uzumaki Naruto is determined to prove them right.

With all the facts presented to him. Once more, he leaves the Hidden Leaf Village.

 **Clyde's Headquarters**

Clyde and all of his colonels reside within one tent, making plans for their next move. Things are looking good for them, now there are three people amongst their group with access to a golden cloak. Of course, that alone will be nowhere enough to fulfil their ambitions of taking back their own world. For that they will need a miracle. Luckily for them, a miracle approaches.

Peterson smiles. "Do you feel that?".

"Yes" Sheer nods.

Colonel Grace walks up to the entrance of the tent, peeking out through the door. She looks back and smiles cheerfully at Clyde. "Sir, he is here to see you".

"Then show him in".

Grace opens the door, politely gesturing in the same guest as they had not so long ago. Naruto enters the tent, a smile on his face that is shared by the whole group. They already know where this meeting is going but are happy to play along with it all the same.

"Welcome Uzumaki Naruto".

"It's good to be here and let me thank you on behalf of my village" Naruto says. Clyde offers the Hokage a seat at the table on it is gladly accepted. "Thank you for saving the Hidden Leaf".

"You know, I didn't realise how strong you were during our last fight" Clyde admits, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Your exhaustion back then made you seem beatable when truly, you were completely out of my league".

"Don't put yourself down Clyde, unlike me you were victorious that day".

"So I was".

There is no bitterness in Naruto's praise. His smile showing that he is just as happy to be here as all the colonels are that he is here. He asks the correct formal questions on behalf of those who he represents.

"What happened to Lara and her followers?".

"They went back through the portal. What they will do on the other side I do not know. Not that it matters, our course is already set". Clyde leans on the table gesturing to an enormous map between himself and Naruto. "Destiny is on the move, Uzumaki Naruto and you are right at the centre of it".

"That's a lot to take in. I am now not only the hope of my people but of yours too".

Sheer nods. "It seems that you have the weight of two worlds on your back".

"We understand it's a lot of responsibility for one person to bear" Peterson adds.

Naruto lowers his head, dropping his voice to a whisper as he states the inevitable conclusion of this alliance. In the end it is all going to come down to a collision between himself and the one he has targeted since he heard of him.

"… I have to defeat him right; Jonas?".

"… that's right".

"He is the man forcing oppression onto your people. He is the main driving force behind the invasion of my world".

"It won't be easy" Clyde confesses, "But, he is the one who has caused all of this heartache and death, I can assure you of that".

"In that case, isn't he the one that Boruto is going after too?".

"I would have thought so".

Those around the table understand Naruto as a person now. He is someone that they all look up to, someone just like the previous emperor of their world. Perhaps he is the one chosen by destiny to take them back to the promised land. The doomed children have found their saviour and he couldn't be more perfect to them. He won't make the wrong decision, he won't think poorly of them for what they have done, he won't stop at anything to right the wrongs that have caused all this heartache. He will never give up.

"There is only one way forward from this point for me" Naruto announces. "I'm going to save both my world and yours. I'm going to bring my son home to where he belongs".

Clyde knows what this means, he leans back comfortably.

"Give me the order and I will follow it".

Naruto does just that.

"General Clyde…".  
"… take me to your world".

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi All.

That was the end of 'Part 5 - War Never Ends'.  
I hope you guys enjoyed this part. It was by far the longest I have written yet.

As the ending suggests, I will naturally be continuing this story in Part 6, which has yet to be named.  
There will be a significant break while I script Part 6 before I can write it. I may write a few short things in that period if I get bored.

I will try to script Part 6 as quickly as I can without sacrificing quality, so I will thank you in advance for your patients.

As always, thank you for continuing to read this story, it is always great to see that you continue to do so. It gives me a lot of motivation to write more.

So, thank you, for everything, see you soon,  
Cbehrills


	117. Quiet Before the Storm

**Author Note:**

Hi All,

Guess who's back? Have you missed me?

It was only earlier today that I got a couple of reviews questioning why I was taking so long. I've had a lot of work to do moving houses, so I apologize for how long I have taken.

I script each of the parts of "To the Future" that I write before I start writing them. This allows me to tell a consistent story through each arc that I write. This also means that the story is written in batches, I write intensively, disappear for a while, then start writing again. Despite the timing looking convenient in the face of these complaints, I genuinely only finished scripting this part a couple of days ago.

To reiterate, I'm sorry this has taken so long.

Now, with my grovelling out of the way, I really hope that you enjoy part 6 of this story. Part 6 is entitled "A New World".

Thanks for reading,  
Cbehrills

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – QUIET BEFORE THE STORM**

 **The Pocket World**

Peterson and Sheer stand at the edge of the pocket world, at the last camp that will ever be made within it. Indeed, the plan is to leave for their world, to take all the villagers with them for their protection. If they don't return, if there aren't enough people left to return to this world, if they simply decide to remain in the other world, then this pocket world will never again have human occupants. Each one of them is dead, save for the villagers and shinobi of the Hidden Leaf and the few survivors of the Hidden Sand village. Perhaps it was always destiny that this world would end in that way.

Clyde looks at the camp around him and then to the portal at the head of the camp. This spot had been chosen deliberately. This portal must have been the entrance that Lara and her followers used to enter the pocket world. It is their ticket back to the homeworld. It is the door they will go through to fix all their issues. Clyde and his subordinates had planned to smuggle Naruto through this door during the previous conflict, so that he alone may attempt to tackle the injustice beyond. That is no longer necessary, circumstances have placed them in an ironic position where they are stronger than they ever thought they would be when this moment came. They are going through the portal and they will be taking a small army with them.

Clyde takes in a deep breath of air and smiles.

"Is something getting to you sir" Peterson asks.

"Do you realise what we're doing?" comes the reply. "We're taking on Furst Jonas. We're taking on Emperor Furst! And logically I'm well aware that this is a bad idea but I'm excited. We're doing something right for a change. No matter what, I feel like I'm not going to regret that".

Sheer nods. It's a fantastic feeling that she is all too familiar with. Not too long ago, she lamented their fate as the cursed children. Too afraid to stand up to daddy. Now things have been turned around completely by an enormous collective effort. An effort unintentionally spearheaded by one young man. Naruto.

"It's something to be proud of, this crazy thing we're doing" Sheer agrees, "We can't really take too much credit. We simply followed the example set to us by these locals. But we are the first military group to rebel against the new emperor. So hopefully this will be the rebellion that brings him down".

"We've been blessed haven't we" Peterson says.

"Oh?".

"I'm sure you remember us describing ourselves as cursed. How we hated what had happened to us. Resenting the circumstances, we had matured in but having no way to reject them. But we have been saved from our own helplessness, and by our own victim no less, if that's not blessed I don't know what is".

It is good fortune, if nothing else, that this has happened to this group of pocket-world invaders. Other groups of survivors have violently rejected the people of their homeworld when given the choice. The group headed up by Hashirama, by Boruto and by Tao Ma. Each man and woman in that group aims to kill them, not to show mercy on them. A stark contrast to the people of the Hidden Leaf Village currently allied with them.

"He's quite something, that Uzumaki Naruto".

"I never should have asked you to keep him in that prison" Clyde says after a pensive moment of silence. "I fought him, yet I underestimated his strength and his value. I thought of him as something to protect. Something to protect, ha, Naruto is the heart and soul of rebellion already. He isn't a child we are waiting on to grow, he's already an adult".

"It's not just his maturity though" Sheer replies. "It's that feeling they had too. That feeling when they found out that Boruto and Hashirama had betrayed them. I can't imagine anyone choosing to be merciful to us in the first place, but they were disgusted with the two of them for making that choice. We were so lucky to bump into them".

Peterson smirks. "They could still lead us to certain death".

"Yeah but even then, I am happy to die having met people like that".

"Our world was that way once" Clyde says, gazing at the portal with a nostalgic glow to his cheeks. "It was a world full of m9orales and principles".

"The old man?".

"Endou Akashi".

"Doesn't he remind you of him General?".

"You mean Naruto?".

"Who else?".

"Yeah, he reminds me of Emperor Endou" Clyde concurs. Comparing the two, they are so alike to him. Not only in their beliefs and their element but in the way, they make him feel. "It's not just 'life' either, it's their whole attitude, their demeanour. I gave that speech about our backs before but when you're with Naruto… it's like you're constantly looking at his back. Like you never need to worry".

"Well, I hope that sensation stays with us forever" Sheer says.

"Yeah" Peterson agrees.

Clyde looks away from the portal back at the two of them. His two mightiest subordinates, his two most trusted allies. They have been through everything with him since they came to this world. They were their when war against Naruto was declared. They were there for the key moments of the battle, when it was won and lost. They were there for the first act of mercy they received. They were there for the battle to protect Naruto and the battle against Lara. Right until the bitter end, his two most trusted soldiers.

"I'm proud of you both, you know that, don't you?".

"Sir?".

"You've matured so much since coming here to this pocket world. Not just reaching the General level but mentally too. I am proud of each of you and Emperor Endou would have been too. That is something that cannot be taken from you".

They each have their own separate reasons. Ascending at the right moment, saving the right person. Having a rivalry with the second Hokage, encouraging those behind them by shaking his hand. Becoming friends with Sarada, learning a lesson about true perseverance from her. There is no end to what they have learnt.

"Thank you, sir" they both say.

They don't say it aloud, but they know that Clyde himself has matured the most of all. Thanks in part to Naruto, thanks in part to Lara, but mostly thanks to them. By being the cursed children, they have drawn something out of him. Something that can never be hidden away again.

 **Tsunade and Tobirama**

Tsunade stands with her fists raised and faces the invisible opponent in front of her. General Brooks. Despite winning the fight against her child-like opponent, it never felt like much of a victory to Tsunade. What she did that day she didn't do alone. Most of the credit, in her mind, had to go to Peterson. If Peterson hadn't compared Tsunade's durability and speed with Brooks in the way he had, she would never have been able to defeat her. Other than that, she also had the help of her own teacher, the third Hokage. Without the help of these two people, she would never have been able to win.

Hashirama has 'death'.  
Tobirama has 'water'.  
Hiruzen has 'earth'.  
Minato has 'wind'.  
Kakashi has 'lightning'.  
Naruto has 'life'.  
Sarada has 'creation'.  
Shinki has 'sand'.

She has nothing. No element to rely upon. Just her raw strength. That is why, despite having one ace up her sleeve, she cannot claim to be on the same level as the other Kage. She could never fight against a general alone and hope to win. Against a high-level general, an elite like Blackburn, Elliot or Lara, she wouldn't stand a chance. That's why it haunts her even now that her grandfather made the offer he did. She had a chance not only to learn an element but a transcendent one, 'death'. Was turning him down the right thing to do? Should she have made the decision emotionally or rationally?

Regardless, she throws her fists at the imaginary opponent in front of her, occasionally weaving her head side to side or ducking beneath a kick that nobody else can see. She switches between an array of opposing mannerisms. She imagines fighting Brooks, Elliot, Clyde, even Naruto. Slowly but surely, she increases her pace, throwing punches and evading imaginary ones faster and faster, practicing for the high-speed battles she will be inevitably roped into. The air flows through her body as fast as she can force it, but she still tires of the repeated strikes. Fighting at this speed may not be possible without using divine energy.

Tobirama approaches her tentatively, aware that a sudden distraction at the wrong moment may prompt a terrible accident.

"Tsunade" he calls.

"Uncle".

"How are you holding up? You've been through a lot recently and I would understand if you just wanted to give up".

Tsunade stops punching, allowing her arms to drop. They have been feeling like dead-weight for a while now. "I resent giving up. I hate the mere idea of giving up with every fibre of my being. Those of us fighting at the very top level must never give up".

Tobirama can sense the pain in his niece's words but knows not how to tackle it. "Very true" he eventually says.

"How about you Uncle? I know you always try to seem distant, but my grandparents were your closest family. Are you coping well?"

People have seldom asked Tobirama that question through his life. They have asked it even less since he came to the future. He has endured his brother's death in his previous life. It never felt like this though, not so painful. In this time though, there have always been more important people. Naruto, who has carried the entire village on his back. Boruto who has suffered through the death of those around him. Sarada who was entrusted with being the villages last line of defence. Even his brother, who suffered more than anyone when Mito died.

"I don't want to believe that my brother could come to the conclusion he has done" the 2nd Hokage says, "Personally, I believe it is a solution more suited to my school of thought than his own. However, all I can do is hold on to my memory of the incredible person that he was and fight for the Hashirama of yesterday".

"Yeah, that's right, we just have to keep moving forward". Tsunade lowers her head and wipes the sweat from her eyes with her sleeve. "For him, for my grandmother, for Dan, for everyone who has died as part of this stupid invasion".

"Together Tsunade. I know that I may seem distant and solitary, but I believe that while people may seem incredible individually, they can move mountains when they work together".

This strikes Tsunade as true. After all, working together with Peterson and Hiruzen, she moved such a mountain just a short while ago.

"Especially a pair of Senju Hokage" she muses.

"That's right" Tobirama nods.

Tsunade finds the strength to raise her arms once again, so Tobirama turns and walks away, leaving her to train. "Talk to me if you need anything, we will never get anywhere if we don't work together".

"Yes".

As Tobirama walks a short distance away, he sees a close friend watching from a short way away. He walks over to join him, the Hokage that he has been closest with in the last few months. Hatake Kakashi.

"She's still training I see" Kakashi says, gesturing to the invisible punches that Tsunade throws once more.

"Yeah".

"Still no hint of understanding an element?".

"None".

"You know that it will hold her back, don't you" Kakashi sighs, slipping his gloved hands into his pockets. "Her power is incredible but manifests as strength alone. A freakish attribute brought about by Mitsuki's crazy training regime. Soon she will not be able to keep pace with our speed".

"I know that of course. I am mindful of my brother's offer to teach her 'death' as well. But, no matter what, I must prevent that from happening. If Tsunade learnt 'death', I wouldn't be able to look Mito in the eyes in the other world".

"Don't be so morbid". Kakashi removes one hand from his pocket and pats his friend on the back. "After all, you're not heading to the other world for a long time yet".

"Of course not. We're going to win this war!".

 **Naruto and Hinata**

This is the camp on the edge of the world. Even the Hidden Leaf has now switched to using tents. It is not ideal, but they are good for temporary accommodation and Clyde's group have put up with them for years. Previously, the village stayed in wooden huts constructed on demand by the 1st Hokage. That is obviously no longer an option.

One tent belongs to the Uzumaki family. Given the size of the family in its unusual circumstances, the Circle did offer Naruto, Hinata and their relations additional quarters but they turned it down. The Uzumaki's reasoned that in a time such as this they should stay closer to family than ever before.

Two people sit alone in the tent, each perched on a small weak chair around a table a few inches taller than is convenient. These two are, of course, Naruto and Hinata.

"So, what will we do now?" Hinata asks.

"What do you mean?".

"I'm talking about the Leaf, Naruto. Something like this isn't easy, moving this many people around, keeping them safe".

Naruto groans, understanding the logistical problem in greater detail than he would like. The Circle meetings can be awfully boring for him sometimes, but he admits that Shikadai is nothing if not thorough.

"I'm overseeing most of the preparation with my clones" Naruto says, explaining why he has been so exhausted lately. Maintaining so many clones constantly was difficult before but when factoring in the benefits of 'life' it became somewhat more plausible. Still, not even the 7th Hokage himself could keep it up without exhausting some stamina.

"Are you doing it alone?".

"No, of course I'm not doing it alone. The other Hokage are all trying really hard too. And Mirai is starting to organise military input, she should be calling on you soon".

Hinata nods. Technically, she is part of the military too. It's strange for her and Kushina. They came forward in time, surrounded by people who would determine the fate of the world in the years that followed. On the other hand, the two of them haven't had such a great impact on the fate of that world. They have each offered morale support as Sarada always intended, and Kushina had saved Minato's life by transferring Kurama to him. Unlike the other family members who have participated in the Circle, the two of them have duties as shinobi, just like any other.

"Doesn't this feel different from before?" Hinata asks.

"How do you mean?".

"I mean that I feel like we have a semblance of hope. We're part of a far larger group and this time we're going on the offensive" she says, her eyes lighting up. "We're not opposing another world, we're trying to help it".

Naruto smiles. "Yeah, I suppose it is kind of different".

"It's been a crazy journey hasn't it. We were brought forward in time by the woman who became your student. It's been crazy meeting our children, you are saving the world over and over again. And despite all that, it feels like we're just getting started".

"Don't worry, it will be over soon" Naruto says, placing a comforting hand on his fiancée's arm. "I will put everything back to the way it should be. Then, when we are free, the real adventure can begin".

Shaking her head, Hinata takes Naruto's hand and lifts it into the air above them. "Naruto, every step we take together on this journey, it feels like we're flying. Every second with you is an adventure".

"I don't have to fix the other world if you don't want me to" Naruto jokes. "But Hinata, I promise, I won't ever let you lose this feeling. Every second we spend together, I'll make it an adventure".

Hinata smiles before kissing Naruto lovingly. "I better go if Mirai is gathering shinobi. I don't want her to have to call on me".

With her final words, Hinata gets to her feet and leaves the room.

Naruto smiles as he watches her leave. He wonders how he got so lucky, considering that perhaps it is because he never gave up. Coming to a dystopian future and being asked to fix everything for his descendants, it should be impossible for things to have gone well. It's not like there haven't been drawbacks. His son and friend have abandoned him and almost killed him. Good people have died around him, Konohamaru, Mito, Dan. There will likely be more. Yet, he has seen been reunited with his parents. He has seen the incredible people his children have grown up to be. He has met a student who he works well with. And, despite how different everything is, he is still together with Hinata. It's as if destiny has tied the two of them together.

As Hinata leaves the room, Minato enters it. Initially the 4th Hokage smiles at Hinata but after she leaves his smile disappears.

"Hey dad" Naruto greets his father.

"We need to talk about the elephant in the room" Minato says immediately.

"Oh… that…".

"We can't afford to ignore it Naruto. We can't ignore it as her family and we can't ignore it at the Hokage".

"I know" Naruto says, nodding his head reluctantly. "But she doesn't even realise that she did it. I couldn't bear it if the knowledge brought harm to her in some way".

"Then you better keep an eye on her and work it out Naruto, otherwise she could do anything. She could hurt the villagers for all we know. We may just have been lucky so far".

"I know" Naruto says once again. "I want to find out more too…".

"… just what was it dad… that power she used…".


	118. Boruto and Sarada

**Credit**

Hi All,

This story now has a delightful cover image.  
The cover image has been supplied by jessejzette.  
Unfortunately, I can't provide a link but please head over to Deviant Art to find more excellent work from jessejzette.

Thank you,  
Cbehrills

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – BORUTO AND SARADA**

 **The Camp**

Sarada rests her head in her hands, her elbows rooted to the table beneath her. All that covers the top is plans and diagrams. This is possibly the hardest time to manage the village. This move is a logistical nightmare for her. They have to take every villager with them to keep them safe.

Moving children and the elderly through the portal and around the enormous world on the other side is difficult, especially if they are depressed or disheartened. Groups of shinobi have been established to look after the most vulnerable of the villagers. Additionally, she and Shikadai have devised drills to use should they need to run away, plans for who should help which villagers to run. Who needs to use clones, how many clones they each need to use, what should happen if any of the guardian shinobi die – all questions that required answering.

She used to be much happier going through plans like this. She remembers spending hours with Shikadai and with Konohamaru planning exactly where the village should go in the future. That was part of her dream, a necessary part of being Hokage. She was amused when she found out how Naruto hated it, paperwork was never for him. This has been different though. Unlike before when she took pleasure in being a perfectionist, now her only option is to rush, completing the work as quickly as she can.

She wondered for the first few days if this displeasure was connected to recent events. Of course, it was. Everything has changed since she first became Hokage. Her parents had died, her teacher had died, her fiancée had abandoned her. Only one loyal companion from her days as a member of team 7 remained.

Mitsuki entered the tent she and Shikadai had been using for planning without a word.

"Thanks for coming" Sarada says, not needing to look back to tell that it is him. His footsteps have always been gentle, as if he were quiet naturally rather than through practice.

"… is this about Boruto?" he asks.

"Of course it is".

"So, what are you going to do about him?".

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to kick his ass, make him apologise and then drag him back to the village where he belongs".

Mitsuki takes a moment to observe Sarada. Her breath has quickened, her fist has clenched, her back arched slightly – it doesn't take a trained eye to realise when Sarada is feeling the pressure, and his eye has been trained by the best.

"You always talk as if things are going to be easy, you take too much after your parents" Mitsuki says with a smile. "Boruto won't be defeated just like that, he's strong, incredibly strong. I admit that I wouldn't even be able to touch him anymore. And on top of him, there is also Hashirama, I assume you remember what happened when Naruto and he fought".

Sarada spins round, looking angrily at Mitsuki. "You know that Hashirama had an unfair advantage, that Naruto would have won that fight if…".

"… are you confident that Lord 7th could defeat him now?".

The silence grips the air between them for a moment as Sarada's anger calms and Mitsuki's curiosity peaks.

"No" she eventually admits.

"Then, are you so confident that you could make Boruto realise what he has done is wrong? Lord 7th spent years, went through suffering that only he and your father could understand, and after the greatest war in history, they fought again. It was only after that, after a battle where they almost killed one another, it was only then that Lord 7th was finally able to get through to him".

Sarada knows the story well. She has heard the details of it from her father once or twice, including events that he was reluctant to tell her. She also heard similar stories from her mother. Two separate records of what transpired between Naruto and Sasuke. Each story reinforced to her exactly how much her current master had to go through to bring her father back.

"I get it Mitsuki, I really do. Perhaps I can't make Boruto change, at least not as quickly as I would like. But, I have time, I can make him understand, no matter how long it takes. Then I can bring him back".

"… but?".

"I still wish I could get through to him quicker".

Mitsuki, deep down, has the same wish. He realises that he will likely never be strong enough to reach Boruto in that way but that doesn't change the desire. It was his connection with Boruto that he credited with his understanding of the Hidden Leaf Village and its people. He knows that the Boruto from back then would never agree with the Boruto he sees now.

"… some things nobody can do" Mitsuki sighs.

"Everyone has someone they listen to" Sarada replies. "Someone whose words will move them, like my Uncle was to my father".

"Like Lord 7th is to you?".

"Yeah, I guess Naruto is like that to me".

"What do you think about what Boruto said then Sarada. About how if you acted differently, Lord 7th, your hero, would have come back and used 'death' to save us".

What Boruto pointed out that day rang hollow for many of the shinobi of the hidden leaf. For those at the top however, their power gave them a clearer view of the larger picture, one free from Naruto's presence. The villagers had practically been indoctrinated into believing in Naruto, indoctrinated by his fairy-tale like accolades. The Kage and Senior Shinobi could tell that Boruto was telling the truth. The circumstances were as he said. If Sarada hadn't brought Naruto forward from the past, the present-day Naruto would have been revived by Sheer and he would have understood 'death'.

"I know that he is acting like the 7th Hokage from our childhood" Sarada smiles. "He is the 7th Hokage who I had hoped to bring forward in time, and I feel much more comfortable having him at my side, especially when he is using 'life'".

"Then you can relax, he is aiming to bring Boruto back too. You can depend on him, can't you?".

"Yes, of course I can".

Sarada's comforted smile disappears, she rocks back and forward slightly and lowers her elbows from the table to her thighs. She lowers her voice as if ashamed and keeps her eyes fixed to her feet as she asks Mitsuki a question that is more painful than she could ever have realised.

"I did the best thing for the village, didn't I Mitsuki?".

"Yes. You did. That's why you're our Hokage after all".

With a few more words of comfort exchanged. Mitsuki turns and leaves the tent once again. He has to make sure that Tsunade has been keeping to her training schedule. He may not be able to influence this conflict much on his own, but by training her, he can truly make a difference.

As Sarada is left alone in the tent, she rises to her feet and looks to the open space on the ground beside her.

"Everyone has someone whose words will move them…".

 **Outside the Tent**

Having left, Mitsuki takes a moment to collect himself. He seldom shows emotions to those around him, there are very few people he is comfortable doing it with. The first person after his father was Boruto. After Boruto came Konohamaru sensei and Sarada. Two of those people are dead, one of them has gone rogue. Now the only person left he can show his weakness to is Sarada, but that is under normal circumstances. These are not normal circumstances. He can't show Sarada his weakness now, he has to be strong for her. If Sarada breaks down, the village may well follow.

Looking around the immediate area he is stunned by how calm it is in face of the imminent manoeuvre. There is no fanfare, no guard on the tent, nor on the Uzumaki tent where she has supposedly been staying recently. Mitsuki notes how Sarada is living subtly, quietly, just as she and Boruto must have done for years. They spent so much time as a couple, refusing to tell anyone, even Boruto's parents, about what was going on.

He wonders for a second, _'… could they not have at least spoken to me'_.

Boruto had reason to be nervous about telling his parents. There shouldn't have been any reason to be afraid of telling Mitsuki, should there? He had never been judgemental of either of their actions, he had simply observed them. Had he not also been their friend? He rarely spoke to anyone else about social matters, so there was almost no chance of him letting the secret out?

"Uh… it's Mitsuki isn't it?".

Mitsuki turns back to look at the source of the voice. Unfamiliar, educated, calm. He is surprised to see that the speaker is wearing a uniform from the other world, bearing a cape of silver that runs down her back.

"I'm surprised you know me… it's Colonel Sheer, right?".

"Yes, I am Colonel Sheer".

Mitsuki has always been intrigued by Sheer, particularly due to the parallels between her and his father. Both had been scientists, experimenting immorally to return people from the afterlife and turn them against their own kin. It is an art that he is afraid to admit, he has practiced himself. After fighting with an Uchiha, both Orochimaru and Sheer had reversed their loyalties and sided with the Hidden Leaf Village. He cannot help but wonder if that is how he would have ended up if had been born in their world.

"Is there something I can do for you, Colonel Sheer?".

"I want to know about their history together. I'm referring to Sarada and Boruto of course".

Mitsuki nods his acknowledgement. "They're strong for sure, and key figures in this conflict we're about to enter. But, this doesn't feel like that kind of routine enquiry. Am I correct?".

Sheer smiles. He is.

"You might recall that Sarada and I battled during the captained-six contest. She and I also fought over Naruto's freedom while the General lead you into battle against Lara" Sheer begins. "While we often fight, she has helped me to walk a new path. Sarada is the reason I feel confident to go home and be part of a rebellion, to fight against Jonas".

"Really?".

"Yes, Sarada, you could say, is the first friend that I have made in a very long time".

Mitsuki accepts this explanation.

"Very well, I wouldn't mind telling you a few things about the two of them".

"Thank you".

Casting his mind back, Mitsuki tells the couple's story. "She, Boruto and I first met in the shinobi academy where the three of us formed a team. It was Sarada's dream to become Hokage, Boruto's dream to become a cool shinobi like his old master. The three of us were part of Team Konohamaru. We were taught by the man who became the 8th Hokage".

"I remember him" Sheer guilty admits. She had a large part to play in the death of that very man.

"Indeed, the 8th Hokage was still an active shinobi, one of the leading figures in the village when you declared war. He sacrificed himself to save our lives and left the fate of the village to Sarada. As you can see, by asking the right people for help, Sarada did just what he asked and saved the village".

"Was Boruto one of those people?".

"Yes. The two of them are the children of the duo recognised as the village's greatest shinobi" Mitsuki says. "From the start, only the two of them understood the pressure they were under. It is likely that during three years of peace, that mutual understanding and appreciation developed into something more".

"Presumably that is when Boruto asked Sarada to marry him?".

"That's right. Their circumstances pushed their relationship into the dark, where the rest of us could not see it. If the rest of us had worked out they were together, we may have been able to save Boruto from what he has become".

Sheer listens attentively to each detail Mitsuki provides her. "They are clearly special to one another".

"More than could ever be explained".

"Will she be alright. After this betrayal, I wouldn't want to face up to it".

"She has no choice" Mitsuki explains with a shrug of his shoulders. "The Hokage can't just stop. But if you are concerned for her, she is in the tent behind me. Head on in and ask her how she is feeling".

Mitsuki walks past Sheer, his hands hidden by his sleeve as he marches towards Tsunade.

"Is that alright?" Sheer calls after him.

"… you are her friend, aren't you?".

 **Sarada's Tent**

Sheer tentatively peels back the entrance to the tent and peaks inside, looking around to see if Sarada is there. Upon not seeing her, she pulls the canvas fully back and enters.

"Sarada, may I speak with…".

Sheer's words get caught in her throat when she realises that something is wrong.

Sarada is hurt.

Laying on the ground without moving or breathing. One arches over Sarada's head, the other is trapped underneath her torso. Her eyes appear unblinking and vacant, absent is the texture of the rinnegan and the colour of the rinnegan. The total lack of motion is enough for anyone to draw the same alarming conclusion.

Sheer runs quickly over to Sarada and rolls her onto her back. She performs a quick inspection of her body to confirm any signs of life. Every member of the military is given the basic training to do that and while Sheer isn't a doctor, she is a scientist. She quickly realises that she can't get a pulse and that she can't feel any air passing in and out of Sarada's lungs. If she doesn't act quickly something terrible could happen.

"Sarada!" Sheer shouts while shaking her body, hoping to wake the Hokage from her deathly sleep. "Sarada, wake up! Stay with us".

Nothing.

The sound nor the vibration is stimulating the Uchiha.

Sheer realises that she needs help.

"Naruto!" she shouts. "Someone get Naruto now!".

 **A Few Minutes Later**

Naruto arrives in the tent and begins doing what only he can do. He urgently circulates the power of 'life' around Sarada's body, healing her in every way that he can think of. Each organ, every inch of skin, flesh and bone is bathed in the pure energy that only the 7th Hokage can wield.

Along with Naruto the other senior members of the Hidden Leaf's medical entourage arrive. Mitsuki united with Tsunade shortly after leaving to find her only to return immediately with the 5th Hokage, one of the village's leading experts. Also quick to the scene was Biwako, who rushed to the medical emergency at the first sign of trouble. There are other patients but none such high-priority as the 9th Hokage.

"Has she been unwell at all?" Biwako asks the tent's occupants.

"I was speaking with her earlier, she seemed depressed perhaps but not unwell" Mitsuki says.

"And when you found her Colonel Sheer?".

"She was just collapsed on the floor, not breathing at all. She looked like all the blood had drained from her body, like she had been running for a thousand years without rest".

Tsunade strokes her chin and contemplates the strange occurrence. "It's like she is dying of exhaustion. But coming out of nowhere like this, I don't understand it".

"She doesn't look like she's been in battle".

"A self-inflicted injury then" Tsunade concludes. "Mitsuki has she ever…".

"No" Mitsuki cuts the medic off mid-sentence. "That's not something Sarada has ever done. She has never even hinted at it. She was looking to the future as well, talking about how to bring Boruto back to the village".

Mitsuki has been worried for a while now about the possibility that the Hokage could give up. He has worried that they could do something stupid and end up hurting themselves out of grief. Tsunade had been the one he worried about most, Sarada's mental strength seemed far greater, it seemed like she would never falter. The 9th Hokage is headstrong, perhaps more than anyone else. If she could do this to herself, it would be tremendous blow to the village's morale.

"This looks familiar" Naruto mutters.

"Familiar, have you seen this before?".

"I've never her seen her like this before, Lord 7th" Mitsuki says, dismissing the idea with a flick of his hand.

"It seems familiar to me too" Biwako says, scratching her head as she attempts to recall where from.

The room goes quiet when Sarada's lungs begin to function once again. Her eyes slowly regain their focus and blink as she opens her mouth to speak.

"… Naruto…".

The room shares a collective sigh of relief. Sarada is alive!

Naruto grins to himself as he finally stops circulating his divine energy. "Don't worry me like that Sarada, not now of all times".

Biwako leaves the room to order a pair of medical shinobi inside with a stretcher, eager to take Sarada to receive care as quickly as possible.

"I'm so sorry" Sarada says, "So sorry, I… couldn't do anything".

"What are you talking about?".

"Naruto" Biwako yells under her breath, "Now's not the time, we need to take her to the medical tent right now".

"Right, sorry" Naruto says as he stands away from Sarada and allows the medical shinobi to lift her onto the stretcher. He has saved her twice using 'life' now and it's never been a pleasant experience.

Biwako follows after Sarada as the two medical shinobi carry her stretcher.

"Sarada, have you ever had problems with exhaustion?".

"No".

"Dehydration?".

"No, I've been drinking plenty"

"Do you have any idea what might have caused your incident?".

Sarada shakes her head dismissively, "I don't really want to talk about it".

"… it's not like it worked anyway".


	119. Welcome to Our World

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – WELCOME TO OUR WORLD**

 **The Portal**

Hiruzen stands amongst those closest to him as he looks at the portal before him. A large structure, circular, easily wide enough at the base for ten people to pass through at a time. It's black stony outline as thick as a tree trunk, it stands as the most prominent landmark for miles around. The circle is filled by a purplish haze, giving any who look at a semi-transparent window to look at the view beyond. Not being able to see through it into the other world has driven many to fear what they will see when they pass through, but most have been calmed by the Hokage's presence.

All around people are gathered into groups of family and friends. Some because this is their first step on a much greater adventure, some because this could well be their last few moments of life. They hope the Hokage can protect them. Even ten at a time it will take them a while to walk through the portal. Several thousand survivors from the Hidden Leaf and Sand Villages wait to go through, along with the soldiers under Clyde's command.

Naruto notes the portal's texture is slightly different to previously. Nothing significant, it's makeup and size remain the same, but the rock formations used to create it have clearly changed slightly. He has discussed his decision to destroy the last portal with Clyde previously, asking how Lara could have gotten to this world. It is likely that this portal is an entirely new one, made for the sole purpose of reaching this pocket world. The construction of the portal was likely driven by Lara's obsession to fight Clyde, otherwise the Leaf may well have been free for good.

Hiruzen, having looked at Naruto, feels calmed. He hasn't been fearing death in this situation, at least not his own death. He has been fearing the potential loss for the villagers, the possibility of the impending calamity for the village. While his face is a picture of concentration, Naruto's relaxed body shows how calm he is feeling, how confident of survival he is when they head through the portal. Either way, it would be a bit late to back down from this decision now. The tents have been packed, the supplies gathered and distributed, the shinobi and captains prepared. Now is the moment. This is the instant in time where the Hidden Leaf will realise its destiny and leave the pocket world from which it was born.

"Well then" Hiruzen nods, "This is it".

Mirai smiles at her grandfather. "Are you as excited as I am old man?".

"Kids these days, do you think we were so different in the past. I am excited, of course, I am excited".

"Hey, we're undertaking a difficult mission with low odds of survival" Shikadai tells the grandfather-granddaughter duo, "Try to take it seriously Mirai, lives could well be depending on your actions".

"Aww, come on Shikadai, light up for once. This may be a step into the unknown but it's also a big step forward".

"Then I hope we are not stepping off a cliff-edge".

Several puffs of smoke rise from amongst the villagers and captains as Naruto's clones dissipate. Information floods in his direction from the four corners of the civilian group. He's pleased with what he finds out, everyone is ready for this. With his checks on the others complete he turns his attention to his own family.

"Mom, are you alright, you look a bit nervous?".

Kushina pulls her hands from her hair, running them down over her face and leaving her with a dishevelled appearance. The bags in her eyes speak to her lack of sleep as another bead of sweat rolls down her head.

"I've got good reason to be nervous, haven't I?" she asks rhetorically. "This family keeps on suffering at the hands of this invasion. How do we know that one of us isn't going to die the second we get on the other side of the portal?".

"Because we've got a Hokage leading us through it".

"I… you… alright, I'll trust you".

Naruto understands Kushina's reluctance is sourced from her own familiarity. The Hokage has long since been an omnipotent figure for her. Her husband is the Hokage. Her son is the Hokage. Her grandson is the Shadow Hokage. Despite three generations of such a power, Boruto has been taken from them, Mito has been killed, Dan has died. Who knows what will happen next.

Clyde approaches them from behind. "Mrs Uzumaki isn't it?".

Kushina confirms her identity. "I'm Naruto's mother, yes".

"You don't have to worry, the other side of that portal is the military headquarters" Clyde explains, his air of confidence born from years of experience with the location. "No matter who is stationed there, I am confident that I could defeat them myself. With the group that we have here, with Naruto and with Sarada, we are well equipped to survive".

"That's what we thought when Minato was attacked…".

A hand then catches onto Kushina's shoulder, snapping her head around to see who it is. It's Sarada, here with the Uzumaki family for the first time since she was released from the medical facility.

"Don't worry Lady Kushina, everything will be alright. I'm not going to let anything else happen to the Uzumaki family".

Naruto nods to his apprentice in appreciation. "You are feeling alright now then? Exhaustion all cleared up?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. I have to be alright for this after all, don't I?".

"Yes. You are going to lead us through after all".

It is what the Circle agreed long ago. Sarada believed that Naruto would be leading them through the portal, a symbolic leader for the village. That was not what the Circle agreed. The Circle believed while Naruto was a good leader, his greatest strength is his status as the village's hero, an icon they all look to in times of trouble. As a leader, Sarada is more qualified to lead them through the portal, for it is her decision making that brought the other Hokage back and brought the village to this point.

With this in mind, Sarada steps to the front of the group and raises her voice to speak to those behind her. Not just the civilians, not just the shinobi or the Hokage but for everyone present. She is now their leader.

"Everyone!".

"Thank you for gathering here. I know that some of you didn't want to make this journey but I'm glad that you have come".

"I know that a lot of you… that most of you are scared about what we are about to do".

"I won't lie, this is a step into the dark, but you should look around you. This is the first time for such a long time that this world has been united. Everyone here today, look around you, there are no enemies, only allies!".

"Whether you are a villager, a shinobi, a captain, a colonel, a general, a Hokage, right now we are all equal in our battle against the unknown".

"That is why we will all step through this portal together, the next big step in the history of both our great worlds".

"It won't be easy, but we have to have faith. The Hokage are here for you, Clyde, Sheer and Peterson are here for you".

"So, no matter what, we are moving forward hand-in-hand from now on".

"From this moment, we are one family, a family who won't lose anyone else".

"From this moment, I beg of you once again, not to believe in me but to believe in one another".

"Step with me, once again, into the unknown"

With her piece spoken, Sarada turns to look at the portal. In her mind it's three times bigger than before with a magnetic field meant to drive her away from it. Now, anything that happens on the other side, good or bad, is her responsibility.

Naruto walks up to her side and the two looks into the purple haze together.

"He's through there you know" Naruto says, "Boruto is through there, so let's not hesitate".

Sarada extends her fist, "Together".

Naruto bumps his fist with hers in reply. "Together" he agrees.

The 7th Hokage and the 9th Hokage make history by walking together, leading the village into the unknown.

 **A Few Minutes Later**

The last of the civilians are ushered through by shinobi as the act of mass world-crossing is completed. What has been done cannot be undone, the people of the Hidden Leaf have now crossed into another world.

The Hyuuga clan, as per the plan, are the first to act. Each member of the clan begins to exercise their visual prowess, looking out for any incoming attackers coming from any direction. Amongst the clan are Hinata and Himawari, doing their best to set an example for the many clan members who look up to them.

The silence is ominous as the pocket-worlders look around the original world for the first time. This world has no known origin, it is unlike their world that was created by a mad-man. Many look around and consider that this is their first time seeing the real world.

"Am I the only one who's really scared right now?" one of the civilians asks as he hugs his terrified daughter close to him.

"What if that Lara attacks us again?" another asks.

"Don't worry!" Mitsuki barks uncharacteristically. He knows that it is important to calm any nerves before mass panic breaks out. "We have beaten Lara before, we have people here who could do that again if need be".

For the first time since arriving in this place, Naruto gets over his shock and looks to the general he once fought.

"Clyde, what is this place?".

In every direction the ground is grassy, sustained by a light that seems to have no source, as if born from the air itself. Some people just start to notice that the grass is not born of the sun, because they aren't outside, they are indoors. They are in a building so large that they cannot see both walls at the same time with a ceiling almost a mile above them. A building so large it has an atmosphere as if it were outdoors.

One wall that is visible is the wall they just emerged through. The rear of the portal is pressed up against it and either side of it other portals can be seen. There are hundreds of them, going on for further than the average shinobi could see. Each portal a gateway to a unique pocket world. The invasion into their pocket world was just one of many and for Naruto it finally becomes clear the scale of operations that the military has performed. Clyde himself has been through dozens of these gates and previously slaughtered countless people all because he had been forced by Emperor Furst Jonas.

Shikadai notices what appears to be a collection of papers in a box next to the portal. As he picks it up he realises that what he is holding is thicker than paper with more rigidity. He immediately feels it has a sense of permanence. Reading through the notes he realises that it lists details about their world, climate, gatherings, population status, even the names of the villages.

"… we were so small to you" Sarada whispers to nobody in particular.

"The keyword being 'were'" Clyde says, "Compared to us you seem like giants now".

Naruto takes a few steps forward and looks at the ground to search for traces of habitation. He finds a few weak traces of divine energy and after a few seconds of scratching away grass notices an old footprint. This must have been where Boruto came when he first encountered Lara. This is the place that haunted Boruto for so long that he only told his father about. The most terrifying experience of the shadow Hokage's early life took place right here.

Many among the group take notice when they sense approaching divine energy. Nothing spectacular but Naruto judges that it is likely a group of colonels.

"They're coming" Hinata says to her husband, confirming what he already knows.

"Prepare to defend the villagers" Naruto shouts as loudly as he can. Those without the protection of chakra may be injured by stray divine energy, a fact he is keenly aware of.

Clyde steps forward at the head of the group.

"Colonels! Cease your offensive immediately. This is General Clyde speaking!".

The colonels do not stop, much to Clyde's surprise. Lara's group had been informed of General Georgia about his betrayal, but he didn't think she had informed anyone else. It was possible that Lara could have told someone, but he concedes that is unlikely. Lara wouldn't want to advertise her failure to defeat Clyde, she would keep the information close to her chest. Unknown to Clyde, several colonels died patrolling this area days previously, killed covertly by Lara. Since that incident, the military have been ordered to keep this area clear with the exception of this group of patrolling colonels.

"It seems that your word doesn't have much weight" Peterson glumly assesses.

Sheer agrees. "It looks like we will have to deal with them the hard way".

Clyde steps even further forward, ahead of the group by some way. He sighs as he continues away from them, his composure relaxed in spite of the situation. It's the first time in a while that Sarada remembers being afraid of Clyde.

"Do these people not remember who I am? How amongst all of them, I am the only one who has risen to defeat Lara?". He summons the power of 'darkness' to his hands, sending a shiver down many spines, "Of all the people in this army, there is one they should fear above all others… me".

Just as Clyde readies himself for combat, a series of kunai fly past his shoulders at great speed. Using the kunai as markers for teleportation points, Minato and Tobirama teleport around the colonels, dancing through their ranks and defeating them with their powers of 'wind' and 'water'.

"Oh…" Clyde begins.

Sarada explains to him. "General Clyde, you need not bother yourself with adversaries like these. The Hidden Leaf is more than ready to deal with them".

Minato and Tobirama continue to take out the colonels, themselves being on the general level, it never takes them more than a couple of blows to defeat their opponents.

The duo's combined assault appears perfect until the final moment when a seemingly fatal punch flies towards the rear of Minato's head, one wise colonel who sees through the teleportation method is the one to deliver it.

However, just as the punch is about to connect, a hand grabs the colonel's wrist. A hand with a mighty force behind it that can stop the force of the punch from the unusual angle. The colonel looks to his side and for the first-time spots Hatake Kakashi.

"One day you people will learn to take your eyes away from what is flashy and focus on what's effective".

Using 'lightning' to enhance his raikiri, Kakashi effectively assassinates his teacher's assailant and finishes off the group of patrolling Colonels.

Minato smiles. "Kakashi are you competing against me?".

"Yes".

"That's good. I'm your teacher. Never stop competing against me".

The 2nd, 4th and 6th Hokage's quickly return to the main group where Sheer explains the situation.

"More will be along soon. This headquarters is the home of thousands of mighty warriors, those deaths will likely attract attention".

"Then we had better move soon" Hiruzen declares, "Otherwise we will be overwhelmed by enemies. Which way is the best exit from this headquarters?".

"There are several non-official 'back entrances' made by training accidents" Peterson says, smirking as he recalls his days training here, waiting for an assignment. "I've memorised the location of several 'back entrances', follow me and I will take you to the closest one".

Sarada turns to the masses.

"Everyone, follow Colonel Peterson!".

 **Twenty Minutes Later, Outside the Headquarters**

The escape has succeeded.

Each civilian was carried by a shinobi or captain. Significant weights were divided between those most capable of carrying it. Everyone pulled their weight, whether they be Hokage, Shinobi, Captain or General. By working together, demonstrating the unit that Sarada spoke of previously, they have escaped from the military headquarters unharmed.

"Naruto, is everyone here?" Sarada asks, aware that Naruto has the most active clones and is therefore the most aware of the situation.

"Give me a few moments" he replies as he replaces and destroys the clones, returning their experiences to his mind and adding their memories to his own. "Yes, everyone is here safely, including the elderly, the disabled and the children".

"Excellent, your plans worked well". Clyde sings the praises of the Leaf's planning team, "Your people will have to get used to travelling great distances, soon they won't have a choice".

Hinata stands at the top of a small and steep grassy hill, looking in each direction, marvelling at the sights. "This place is incredible".

Naruto takes the opportunity to enjoy the surroundings as well, not something he expected to be doing. This is the first time since arriving in the 'homeworld' that he has been able to relax. Now that he is outside with a view in each direction he admits that the sights here are truly spectacular. Minus the nostalgia, this is a view as good as anything he ever saw back in the pocket world.

Every direction is covered in idyllic grassy plains, well-kept grass of just over an inch height. The entire world appears garden-like despite the lack of maintenance. He wonders if the divine energy of this world is responsible for such an incredible environment because in the pocket world such a scene would surely be impossible to find.

"Is the entire empire like this?" he asks.

"No". Sarada surprises Naruto, answering in place of Clyde. She uses her rinnegan and reports what she sees in the distance. "It's a land of large ecosystems. From this vantage point I can just about make out some others, mountains, volcanoes, lakes, waterfalls. It's truly beautiful".

"It's a pity we don't all have a rinnegan to look at it with" Shikadai says while rolling her eyes.

Sarada is left to chuckle to herself and awkwardly scratch the back of her head. Unfortunately, vision is not something she can share.

"Tell us about this world Clyde".

"I will tell you what I can" he begins. "This world is not entirely mapped but compared to yours it is enormous, thousands of times larger. The military headquarters is a testament to that. While it is one of our larger buildings, it still dwarves your largest building".

"It felt as if it had an atmosphere of its own" Sarada says, "It felt like you were outdoors even when inside".

"Strange, isn't it?".

"Are all your buildings like that".

Clyde smiles, like educating a naïve child. "No, many are like your own, small little family houses, containing groups of three to six".

Clyde decides to explain the family dynamic of his world.

"We grow up with families as I have explained before, but those who serve in the military are forced to forget about them. Still, most people will stay with their families forever, working to expand the empire for the man who sits at the top".

"… family houses, I never would have imagined it".

"We also have taller buildings, several kilometres tall" Clyde continues, "It allows us to house families one atop another, it's better use of the space".

"Better use of the space? I can't see a village or town for miles, how much space do you need to save?".

Sheer steps in to answer her friend, "Our illustrious leader has predicted that one day we will, even in a world this large, have a problem with overpopulation".

Clyde nods, "Besides, large swathes of land like this are owned by wealthier members of society".

"Land like this?" Minato's curiosity is peaked as he and his wife join the conversation.

"Just how much land are we talking here" Kushina asks.

"A typical member of the aristocracy would pick their preferred type of biome. They would be given a small ecosystem to match, similar in size to this one we're in now".

Kushina gasps, "You mean this entire area, as far as I can see and beyond, is owned by a single person".

"Our society is different to yours. It's weighted in favour of the powerful" Clyde explains. "If we were to take the people of your world and assume their power, I imagine that Naruto, Sarada, Boruto and Hashirama would own 95% of the land between the four of them".

"That's absurd…".

Clyde nods, the unfortunate truth of his life.

"Welcome to tyranny Mrs Uzumaki… welcome to our world".


	120. What's the Plan?

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – WHAT'S THE PLAN?**

 **The Nara Family's Tent**

The villagers of the Hidden Leaf proceeded to walk for another three days at the behest of General Clyde. The journey would have been a lot slower if it were not for the bursts of high-speed travel when shinobi carried the villagers on their backs. After three long days they made it to the edge of the grassy region. In this time, the high-level fighters may well have been able to cross the entire pocket world, but the journey they have taken here would barely be visible on a map of the homeworld.

With the group at a complete stop they erected the tents that would serve as their home until they could work out how to execute their plan. A plan so poorly developed yet upon which all of reality is depending. Emperor Furst rules over the world. Furst Jonas is the man who holds dominion over all of reality, a powerful dictator, driven by his own desire to become a god, a man whom they must remove from power.

For generations now, plans like this have been the responsibility of one family in the Hidden Leaf Village. A family with tactical prowess superior to the Uchiha or Senju, who make up what they lack in wisdom through shear intelligence. That family comes from the Nara clan and the two most well-respected members are about to discuss their ideas.

Shikadai enters his parents' home, prompted by a message he received from a runner just moments ago.

"Father, you wanted to see me?".

"Ah yes, sit down" Shikamaru says, pointing to the seat opposite him.

Shikadai takes his position atop the hard-wooden stool. The table between the two gentlemen is not a common commodity. The majority of the villagers were not afforded such luxury as it would be too difficult to carry. There were some exceptions though, notably the Hokage. Another such exception was the Nara family who needed the table for planning purposes.

The table is flimsy at best, a collapsible structure clearly constructed by an amateur in the last-minute rush before they left the village. Shikadai wouldn't be quick to complain though, somewhere to rest his elbows for once is a welcome change. As he balances his forearms on the table and takes the weight from his shoulders he lets out a gentle sigh, wondering why he ever referred to life before this as a 'drag'.

"Where's mom" he asks finally.

"She's checking up on the villagers from the Hidden Sand Village".

Shikadai nods. "This tent situation is less than ideal, isn't it? I wish we could have made huts like the last time".

"I admit it's rather tiresome. If Lord 1st was still with us we could have done that again. Anyway, I didn't ask you here so that we could complain, I wanted to speak with you about the Circle"

"Oh yes, I will set up that tent soon" Shikadai says, forcing himself to sit upright. His only official duty now is as the Circle's Administrator, he feels that he must at least take that one duty seriously. "I believe that four of Naruto's clones carried the canvas and furniture here".

Shikamaru flips the papers on the table to reveal his scribbles from previously. "I think we should expand the Circle, take up a bit more room and take advantage of this opportunity to include Clyde's group".

"You're thinking of cohesion". Shikadai scratches his chin. "This will require more administration. It won't be easy work and it will require someone with a strong mind. Are you still up to it?".

"Of course, I may be older than you but I'm still a shinobi".

With the principle agreed upon, the two great strategic thinkers of the last 50 years shake hands and prepare to usher the Hidden Leaf leadership into a new age.

 **The Circle**

Later the same day they achieve what they set out to do and collect a group of people who they feel should have a say over the fate of the Village. They gather not only the leaders of the Hidden Leaf but the individuals who the captains look up to and form a new Circle. A Circle who can represent everyone.

Sarada's initial impression is positive. This idea appears to be in line with her thinking, with Naruto's thinking too. Including Clyde's group in the decision-making process will be just another step to true cohesion between the two parties. It is another step towards the peace she yearned for since the start of the invasion.

"I guess I should make an opening statement for this new joint venture" Sarada says, rising to her feet as the incumbent leader of the village. "Nothing complicated, I would just like to welcome Generals Clyde, Peterson and Sheer to the Circle".

Sarada returns to her chair.

"Thank you Sarada" Peterson says, "But we are not Genera…".

"Peterson!" Clyde snaps, cutting his subordinate off. "I know that we are rogues, no longer part of the true military, but we still represent Endou Akashi, the true emperor. You would still hold a commission in his eyes, a commission as a General, so be proud and accept your rank, General Peterson, General Sheer".

"Yes sir" they both answer, his juniors in rank for the final time.

Shikadai, positioned as the administrator in the centre of the Circle, explains the nature of the decision-making concept.

"To explain to you newcomers, this is called the Circle for a reason. Partially because of the formation we are sat in and partially because of the equal weight of the opinions we share here".

The lead general grunts his approval, arms crossed, "Emperor Endou used a similar method to come to a consensus with his closest allies".

"That's why we use it as well" Shikamaru says before passing the reigns back to his son.

"We recognise you as our close allies and we want to discuss issues such as logistics here".

Sarada takes note of this, having influenced joint logistics significantly. "Key issues will include food and water. Waster won't be in short supply given that many of your captains can make it as easily as breathing. However, we only have so much food and it's not easy to get more out here".

"I expect that you have brought a hefty reserve of food with you" Sheer asks.

"Yes, but if we're here a long time, if it's not enough…".

"We will provide you with more of course" Clyde interrupts.

"General, can we spare it?".

Clyde looks back at the questioning Peterson. "I don't know but I have a collection of highly trained soldiers under my command. They are ready for anything. They are fit and healthy, a short while without food will do them no harm. However, the children of the Hidden Leaf will surely suffer if our reserves get low, so we shall prioritise them".

"Yes General".

Naruto, the youngest in the room, runs out of patience with the subject of logistics. It is not his specialist field and there are people far better equipped to discuss it. However, he is ready and eager to discuss the highest-priority subject on the list.

"Sorry, could we discuss the most important thing first" he says, drawing the eyes of all those around him.

"How are we going to kill Furst Jonas?".

In the minds of Clyde, Peterson and Sheer, chemicals start to reach places they haven't reached in a long time, the mere speaking of such a sentence puts them in a state they are not familiar with. It's real, it's not a dream, someone is discussing how to kill Furst Jonas.

In their minds two figures stand opposite sides of a chasm. On one side stands Furst Jonas, the figure of oppression who has made their lives hell for years. On the other side is the echo of their previous emperor, the man who gave them years of freedom. On the other side is the echo of Endou Akashi. On the other side, is Uzumaki Naruto.

Through the medium of battle, two completely opposing ideologies will clash. Endou Akashi's podium has been unattended for years but finally it has someone who will stand by it and shout the words of his cause. Uzumaki Naruto will carry the flag of freedom, he will be the second one to clash with the demonic emperor who wishes to become god.

"How to kill Furst Jonas" Sheer whispers to herself, forcing her giggles away. "It's a strange thing to even ask about. It's not something that would normally be thinkable".

"It's a bit like trying to kill god" Peterson notes.

"Remember the prophecy Peterson, we are trying to kill a god".

"Emperor Furst isn't a god" Clyde says, asserting himself to stop his colleagues getting too carried away. "However, just because he's not a god doesn't mean he will be any easier to defeat".

"What do you know of his power?" Hiruzen asks.

It's like pouring a bucket of cold water over the three homeworlders. Suddenly all the memories come rushing back, along with the realistic expectations of failure.

"I've never seen Jonas fight. I've only ever heard of one person fighting Furst head on, that was the previous emperor" Clyde explains glumly. "As far as combat goes, people don't fight Furst Jonas. They just don't. There is perhaps only one person in the world who would stand a chance against him and he's not willing to risk it".

Peterson explains things more bluntly. "If they were to fight one hundred times, Furst would win at least ninety-nine".

Sarada understands what it's like to see people with that kind of power. From a young age, she and Boruto got dragged into their parents' battles. Two children standing next to Naruto and Sasuke, when they looked at their fathers' they realised just what it was like to look at a god. There was nobody in the world who could stand on that plateau with them and there wouldn't be for at least another twenty years.

"Unlike Sheer and Peterson, I have stood before Emperor Furst, spoken with him, been looked at by him" Clyde says. "He's a scientist by nature, an incredibly intelligent man on par with our administrator I would say".

Many look, awkwardly at Shikadai, appraising him as having the greatest battle intelligence they have ever witnessed. That was perhaps their greatest advantage a few seconds ago but they cannot even rely on that anymore.

"Good people are willing to kill one another if Furst orders them to. Everyone is afraid of him, naturally, he has the power to have their families killed at a moment's notice but that's not all".

The Hokage wonder what more there could possibly be about this man.

"When he looks at you, you can feel the weight, as if his eyes are each four tonne masses pressing down into your back. The people he surrounds himself with, they are the most talented and powerful people in the history of this land, they could kill me without breaking a sweat. They don't show fear around him but… they don't take orders well, not unless they come from him, then they never hesitate".

Sheer has never met Furst before, only heard the stories. She has met one of these fabled subordinates though. It was as Clyde said, there was no giving them orders. There was no mutual respect in the encounter, just a one-way respect born out of fear for her life. Sheer knew then that this person was above her, at a level she could never hope to reach. Yet this person would take orders from Emperor Furst without hesitating. The same fear this individual inspired in her, the individual felt for Furst.

"In the corner of their free-spirited eyes, eyes that conceal everything, there is still one emotion that leaks through. Fear" Clyde explains. "I have never seen Furst Jonas fight, because his power is so great he no longer needs to fight. If he were made to fight though, his power would be the greatest this world has ever seen".

Tobirama leans back in his chair, humbled. This is what it feels like to be completely outmatched. He always figured that if he were given enough time, he could reach the same level as his brother. He felt that if he were given the opportunity to prepare, he could find a way to defeat Madara. He was even sure that if the gods let him live longer, he would be able to outpower Clyde and Lara one day. He feels nothing like that for Furst, this demonic emperor is on a godly level that he can't even imagine. It's no wonder that Sheer and Peterson got excited, that level of power was more akin to a fairy tale than reality.

"You haven't seen him fight. Are you certain that it is his power they fear, it could simply be his influence?" Tobirama asks hopefully.

"These people cannot be blackmailed" Clyde answers. "Only intimidation would make people like them behave in a way like that".

"Anyway, Endou Akashi's power was well documented, he was the saviour of this empire" Peterson says with a shrug of his shoulders, "A mighty user of 'life' that had reached the golden cloak stage. That's two levels beyond Naruto currently".

"That's not all" Sheer adds. "The Emperor used strength training manuals like the General and had a divine ability too. He was far beyond Naruto and in a straight up fight, he completely lost to Furst".

"Then this isn't a battle that can be won with a head on attack. Naruto, I hope you are prepared to use whatever tactics are necessary".

Everyone looks nervously towards the young Hokage. If he isn't willing to do it then they will all suffer for his pride.

"I dislike using cheap tactics" he admits, "But I am more than willing to do so to protect the Hidden Leaf Village".

A sigh of relief is shared by the room's occupants. Thank god for that.

"As the General said, Emperor Furst is a scientist, a one-in-a-billion level genius" Sheer says cheerfully, losing herself in a moment of admiration, "He will see through your techniques after seeing them a single time. He will be virtually untrickable, feints won't work, dummies won't work. Any sneak attacks we plan will have to be godly".

"… that will be fine then" Kakashi says calmly.

"Oh?".

"You haven't known we shinobi for a very long time, but you should have learned a few things about us by now. When it comes to tricking our opponents, there isn't anyone better".

Sheer is awe-struck by the sudden presence of each shinobi in the room. It would take a godly sneak attack to fool Furst Jonas, but the room is full of sneak attack experts.

Minato concurs. "We have teleporters, a man who can walk in another dimension, a woman whose punch can shake mountains, someone who can turn herself into a comet. Then we have Naruto himself".

Clyde smiles.

"Indeed, this is part of the reason why you present so much hope for us…".

"… if a perfect assassin exists for Furst Jonas, they are most probably here right now".

Sarada senses the excitement the homeworlder trio shares and can't help but wonder if their minds are blowing the situation out of proportion.

"Is it really impossible to defeat Jonas?".

"Was I unclear before?" Clyde asks.

"I can't help but feel you're underestimating us Clyde, as well as yourself. When you, Naruto and I work together, our strength is incredible, enough to surmount any obstacle".

"Sarada do you truly believe that?" Shikadai says incredulously.

"Of course I do!".

"Just a short while ago, the three of you worked together yet you lost to Boruto and Hashirama. Do you really think that you can recover from that and work as a team to defeat this legendary foe before us"?

Shikadai's words sober Sarada. It's true, they struggled recently to fight someone on the same level as them. More than struggled, they lost. Prior to that, Naruto fought tooth and nail against Clyde before he understood 'life' and he couldn't' defeat him.

"Perhaps it isn't possible after all".

"Defeat Furst Jonas conventionally may be possible. Numbers can overwhelm any foe when they are applied correctly" Clyde says. "There are millions upon millions of soldiers in the military, they may be willing to rally behind a leader greater than Lara or myself. On top of them, there is the aristocracy. The aristocracy is almost as large as the military and they are much stronger, truly the homeworld's best and brightest".

Naruto nods, recalling Clyde's previous tales of the aristocracy. Neither universally bad nor good, but they are the powerful ruling class whose power allows them to rule over this cruel world.

"Many of the aristocrats are discontent with the rule of Furst but rallying them against him would still be difficult. They were warring against one another for many years before they were united to form the aristocracy, and only one man has ever successfully united them. Of course, that was Endou Akashi".

"Would it be possible to rally them again?" Naruto asks.

Clyde smiles at Naruto, nodding to himself. He knows the truth of that matter, but the full truth is not worth saying. There may be one person who could pull that off. But it may not be worth pulling off anyway.

"The one to do that would have to be truly inspiring. They would have to spread their message for years while avoiding the terror of the regime hunting them. Such a figure would have to be less of a leader and more a hero for the people to rally behind".

"This path is unpractical, it's not even worth considering" Kakashi says, aware of what Clyde is thinking. "None of us in this room could do it, we would have to spend a thousand years making a name for ourselves. The world is too big".

"Lord 6th is right" Shikadai adds, "You are working on another level now, your approach to strategy has to be different".

Kakashi refocuses the conversation. "Let's think about this assassination, it won't be easy to reach Furst, surely he will be well guarded".

"Yes. His headquarters are enormous. In terms of your world, they would be the size of a small country. It's very well guarded, a transparent but unbreakable dome surrounds it in its entirety. An impenetrable shield".

"Then how do we get in?".

"I happen to know about another… 'back way' that might be able to help us".

Peterson frowns as he looks at his commander. "A back way into the imperial palace sir? That sounds like nonsense to me".

"I'm telling the truth, Peterson. It won't be guarded, likely even Furst himself doesn't know about it. However, the Military Academy's Headmaster, Emperor Endou's brother-in-law knows about it. And once upon a time, he took a young Clyde and Lara to see that entrance".

Sheer and Peterson share a questioning glance. They suppose that it might be possible for the headmaster to know about such a thing. If that man were to tell anyone about the entrance, it would likely be Clyde and Lara.

"That's the perfect opportunity then" Sarada says, leaning forward slightly. "An entrance that won't be guarded, a golden ticket to a once-in-a-lifetime assassination".

"That entrance will make us seem like ghosts" Clyde declares, "We go in through that and then it will seem as if an entourage of invisible assassins are descending upon Jonas".

Sarada has been encouraged. "It could work".

"It will work" Naruto answers.

"Yes… yes, we will make it work!".

"We will take this back door, we will walk right into god's house without him noticing".  
"While he sits back and enjoys playing with human lives, we will defeat him from the rear".  
"And we will free this world, once and for all".

Thanks to the talent Clyde showed in his youth, they now appear to have a fighting chance.

A golden ticket to history's greatest assassination.


	121. The Guardian

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – THE GUARDIAN**

 **The Hidden Leaf Camp**

Tobirama has been worried since they came up with this plan. He's been worried about many things, the low chances of success, his brother's actions, the consequences of failure. Above all else though, he has been concerned for the villager's safety. The plan involves taking the clear majority of fighters away from here, leaving them with virtually no protection. A handful of shinobi at most, certainly no Hokage, no fighters who have mastered an element. At one point it was proposed that Mitsuki were left in charge of the villager's safety, but the suggestion was rejected on the basis that he is one of the more likely shinobi to make a breakthrough. Many members of the homeworld military insisted to Tobirama that the villagers would be safe here, but it will take more than the unjustified promise to calm his nerves.

The plan is to leave any moment now, he is just waiting for the few last-minute equipment and logistical checks to be completed. Sarada and Clyde have taken responsibility for that, making sure that they are bringing enough with them for their journey to the imperial palace and that the villagers will have enough to survive in the meantime. If the worst should go wrong they would have to integrate into this terrorised world. They would have to entrust their destiny to the small group of captains and shinobi designated as their guardians.

Tobirama exchanges a few words with a trio of jonin, the three of them elites who have been assigned as the captains of shinobis who will stay. As Tobirama leaves them their final instructions he comes to the grim realisation that if they fail and should they die, this trio will effectively become the new Hokage. With his lasts word said he dismisses the trio, hoping that they will protect the village in his stead, passing his duty to them the same way his past-self did to Hiruzen so many years ago.

Peterson walks past Tobirama, having himself just spoken to the small group of his subordinates who are to be left behind. As captains they are stronger than the vast majority of shinobi and should the worst happen, it would be their duty to help the shinobi and villagers survive in their world.

Tobirama looks at Peterson as he passes. "There is definitely no way my brother will find the villagers?".

Peterson shakes his head. "It would be impossible for a man of his skill. You would need to truly look to the monsters of this world to find someone who could do that. For the few people who resist Emperor Furst's rule, not even he can find them easily".

Peterson walks on.

Tobirama runs the logic through in his head, Peterson and Clyde have spent most of their lives in this world, they must know what they are talking about. This place is so large that not even his incredible sensory powers can detect the nearest people to the camp. Even for Sarada, it would take years to search the ecosystem and find someone if they were hiding. It must be safe he tells himself time after time. After a while, he begins to wonder, is he being logical or is he just trying to fool himself.

Nearby, Sarada's mind is on another worry altogether, as she looks into the vacant space before her. Her whole body seems to shut down for a moment and the dull roar of her thoughts begins to overtake her, consuming her brain from back to front, saddening her every millimetre forward it crawls until she is finally snapped from her trance by a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Sheer asks.

"Sheer? Oh yeah, I'm fine, I was just thinking about someone from my past, that's all".

"Your parents".

Sarada feels stunned once again by how much Sheer knows about her. Perhaps, as her master once taught her, you truly do learn the most about someone when you feel their emotions through fighting.

"How did you know I was thinking about my parents".

More specifically, she was thinking of her father.

"I gather that they were unique shinobi in both their talents and attitudes" Sheer says, summarising what Mitsuki told her with an awkward shrug. "I just wanted you to know that I'm grateful for what you're doing for us. You're doing it in spite of what we did to you and you're sacrificing a lot for us".

"It's fine" Sarada says, "Whether it's for the Leaf, for this world – your homeworld or for any of the pocket worlds, it will all end with what we do inside that dome".

With many farewells said, the fighting force of the Hidden Leaf Village, combined with the military might of Clyde's forces, make their way towards the hidden 'back way' into the imperial palace. They begin their journey to execute Furst Jonas.

 **8 Hours Later**

After many hours of walking they approach the location. This is Clyde's foretold rear entrance to the imperial palace, the gateway which turns them into the perfect invisible assassins.

They approach nervously, looking in every direction to make sure that they are not spotted, that there is nobody around. Long in advance, the Hyuuga clan and Inuzuka alert the Hokage to the presence of another person. This rear entrance isn't so unguarded as Clyde made out.

The shinobi, captains, colonels and generals all stop a good kilometre before the rear entrance. There it is, clear as day, the route they want to take, the route that nobody should have known about, the route that somebody has blocked.

The group, despite its large population of warriors remain mostly silent as they stand opposite the entrance to the large glassy dome. An army of a thousand stopped by the presence of a single person. Minato hasn't encountered many situations like this before, very few shinobi have ever had such an impact on a battlefield. It had not happened since a reincarnated Uchiha Madara arrived in the 4th great shinobi war.

"Is it Lara?" Minato asks, hopefully.

"No" Naruto answers.

The question had been directed toward Hinata, Himawari and Sarada, Minato hoping to learn from their visual prowess. Naruto shouldn't be able to see the individual clearly from this far away at such an angle, but Minato has a strange feeling that Naruto is right. The words of his son add a tinge of electricity to the air, putting him on edge. He was hoping that Naruto would remain the calmest person amongst the group, that he would settle them all down, but he has done the opposite of that. He has turned the tension right up.

"Stay here" Naruto says as he walks out to the front of the group, flanked only by Sarada and Clyde.

They walk forward until they are a mere thirty meters from the individual blocking their path and for the first time, Naruto and Clyde get a clear picture of what she looks like.

A woman just shorter than average, whose olive skin and dark brown hair contrast and highlight the distinctive rose and turquoise hair tie on the left side of her head. Her face marks her body as being in its late twenties or early thirties, but Naruto is aware that she is likely much older than that. She wears a purple cape on her back fastened with a red button on the front.

"Purple" Sarada whispers, facing the strange woman, "I thought you wore capes to denote your rank, what rank is purple supposed to be?".

"She is not a member of the military, she is a member of the aristocracy" Clyde explains, "She is too strong to be in the military. She is someone chosen to be strong from the moment she was born".

The lady opens her eyes for the first time, revealing one strong brown iris and an eye with a weakened iris colour. Sarada starts in surprise when she notices that the eye itself is damaged. This aristocrat is blind.

Clyde greets the woman. "It's been a long time… Carmen".

"Too long Clyde" she replies, "Though I hate to imagine why you are here".

The three warriors look at Carmen as she starts to adjust herself to the world after opening her eyes. She quickly takes in the group behind Clyde, quickly detecting the presence of divine energy and feeling, in addition to that, a group of people without any divine energy. They appear to have got here through their own efforts though, so they must be strong. Carmen then notices that Clyde has brought two other individuals like them forward with him, people whose attire she doesn't recognise.

"I can only guess who you have brought with you".

"Clyde, who is she?" Naruto asks.

"Carmen is a teacher at the military academy in this world" he says, not daring to move his gaze from her, "She has a powerful history and is a might member of the aristocracy. She was a teacher reserved for the most powerful students".

"… she was my teacher".

"Was?" Carmen smiles as she nods her head, "Do you no longer count me as your educator, Clyde?".

"I would never be so bold ma'am. However, I hope you won't prevent me and my allies from continuing on this path. I need to get into the Imperial Palace".

Now Naruto can feel the electricity in the air that his father felt previously. As Carmen's nostalgic smile changes into a faint frown, he feels their situation change, he feels the danger in the air magnify.

"You can already tell what I'm going to say can't you? I'm going to stop you from going ahead. I won't let you proceed, Clyde".

"Why?".

"Oh Clyde, surely you should know. I'm blocking this path to save your life".

Sensing the atmospheric change, Naruto also realises that he must have been the last one in the entire group to feel this intimidation. He realises that his father felt it before when he was unsure of what was going on and perhaps only Clyde, who is familiar with Carmen, doesn't feel it. This is their first step into a whole new world and Naruto must step forward and take the lead. So, he does just that.

He steps to the front of Clyde and Sarada, putting himself between Carmen and everyone he is sworn to protect.

"Miss Carmen, you seem like a good person" he begins politely, "You've probably already worked out that I am from a pocket world and that Clyde's allegiance has changed, yet you still wish to save our lives".

"You are correct" she softly says, "Indeed, I sense your youth and inexperience, it shines through despite the way everyone else is looking at you. You hold a high status in their eyes".

"Thanks, but I can't stop here just because you want me to, I'm fighting for something far more important. I am going to have to move forward, even if that means I am going to fight you".

Naruto repeats apologies in his head as he can practically feel Sarada's muscles tense next to him. If she is feeling like this, everyone else must be terrified. He berates himself for the situation he has put them in but knows that he cannot apologise aloud, he can't show even the first sign of doubt. He has to stand up for them, he has to be the Hero of the Hidden Leaf once again.

"I admire your pure will and your nerve in the face of such great danger, but you just saying something won't make it so" Carmen says. "You will never be able to advance past here without my permission".

"Will you force me into trying?".

"Yes, I will".

Suddenly, a tremendous divine energy bursts forward from the group as Clyde activates his divine 'darkness' cloak. Those behind him are stunned, marvelling once more at the true extent of Clyde's power. Those at the top however, are all too aware of the true terror of the battle that may be about to unfold before them, Clyde is likely the weakest of this foursome.

"A divine ability? No, a strength training manual, you have gotten stronger again Clyde".

Next, another powerful divine energy comes from the group. This time it is Sarada who begins to draw the energy from her body, summoning it to her hands as she uses it to create a perfectly moulded kunai. This is her power. This is 'creation'.

Carmen is more shocked after feeling Sarada's power, it's even greater than Clyde's.

' _With the way she is dressed, I could swear that she is from a pocket world too. But this power… it must be transcendent, doubly transcendent'_.

Lastly comes the most shocking power of them all, Naruto's. He activates his power of 'life', combining it with the multiplier from his six paths sage mode, readying himself for the inevitable combat that is about to begin.

' _Emperor Endou?'_ Carmen wonders, her body going weak for a second before re-tensing.

' _No, that's my madness talking. There is no way… but the way they were looking at him, Carmen… No, that's crazy, he said he was a pocket worlder! A pocket worlder who understood 'life'?'._

Carmen breaks through the shock and at last manages another smile. _'It seems there is hope for us yet. But only if I stop them here'_.

Naruto and Sarada are the first to move, reacting at the same time to a gust of wind, knowing the exact audio-visual signals that could act as a synchronisation medium for their attack. They both take the first step forward.

It takes no longer than that first step before Carmen reacts. A series of white-gold semi-translucent projectiles begin to fire at all three of her would-be attackers. Naruto notices that she activated her golden divine cloak quicker than he could even perceive, doing so expertly while leaking almost no divine energy.

Naruto and Sarada each call on their years of experience as shinobi, dodging the incoming attacks acrobatically yet proficiently. They also immediately begin to dissect the nature of Carmen's powers.

' _Her element is similar to Sheer's but it's different somehow'_ Sarada notes, well aware of the excess power she is being confronted with, _'This isn't like 'wind''._

' _The shots are clearer'_ Naruto tells himself, _'It's almost like the difference between 'ice' and 'cold''._

Clyde already knows what this power is. _'It's not wind, it's 'air', the transcendent equivalent of 'wind''._

He continues to block each of the incoming attacks with a shield of golden 'darkness' but is quick-witted enough to recognise the situation his teacher has put him in. _'I can't move'._

The barrage of golden 'air' shots is constant, not permitting him a moment for recuperation. This superior technique supported by a foundation of overwhelming divine energy quantities, this is something he has strived for all his life but never achieved. This is what it means to be part of the aristocracy.

Just as he dismisses the situation as hopeless, he comes to realise that these attacks are not stopping his two allies.

Carmen is just surprised as her student as she sees a 'life' coated rasengan swinging in from her right.

It doesn't overwhelm her though, she is used to combat on this level, she has been attacked by thousands of people weaker than herself. She grips Naruto by the outside of his inward-swinging arm and thrusts his arm past her so that the rasengan travels straight towards Sarada.

Sarada had been trying to approach Carmen from the opposite side to Naruto, flanking her as a standard practice for fighting together against a mightier opponent. Carmen is clearly different from other opponents though, tactically wise enough to see through this as if looking through a sheet of plain glass. Still, Sarada reacts appropriately, leaping up a short way into the air and using 'creation' to create a metallic boot on her foot. She kicks out, aiming straight for Carmen's head.

No luck for Sarada's kick.

Carmen calmly leans backward, skilfully allowing the metal boot to swing just past her face.

Satisfied with her own evasion, Carmen summons the power of golden 'air' to her hand and uses it to push Naruto upwards, forcing him to collide clumsily with Sarada in mid-air. The collision is painful but is only the first of her two-staged attack. Next, she raises her right hand so that it is between herself and the air-born duo and then symbolically thrusts her hand downward. Golden 'air' bombards Naruto and Sarada, pushing them back towards Clyde.

While they fly backward, Carmen maintains her continuous shots of golden 'air' aimed at all three members of the group.

Sarada is forced to 'create' a great stone wall to protect the three of them.

Naruto makes use of the moment's cover, leaping out from behind the wall and firing a tailed-beast bomb at his opponent.

The tailed-beast bomb is big, enhanced by 'life' energy but based upon techniques and energies that Carmen has never experienced before. She is momentarily phased by it, comparing it to one of many techniques that the previous emperor employed during the last great conflict.

Snapping herself from her nostalgic flashbacks, she crosses her arms before her, blocking the tailed-beast bomb with skin and flesh alone. She uncrosses her arms, powering them forward and sending the tailed beast bomb away from her and up into the sky.

Naruto realises now what he is up against, even more so than before.

' _She's strong, stronger than me'_ he concludes, _'This isn't what it will be like against Furst. This is not an assassination, then again, she isn't trying to kill us either. This is going to be difficult'_.

After his few seconds of relief, the scatter-shot of golden 'air' returns to firing at Naruto, Sarada and Clyde. The first two dodge but the third is less acrobatically inclined and is forced to maintain his position while he blocks the attack.

"That continuous attack is really awkward" Biwako notes, "Even if it's not that powerful".

"It may not look that powerful, but if those three were any weaker it would be devastating" Shikadai says glumly.

"That's not what's most impressive about the attack" Hiruzen adds, "It's the way she handles it".

"So, you noticed that too Lord 3rd?".

"Yeah. She is regulating her power. Her reserves of divine energy are recovering just as fast as they are depleting. This isn't costing her any energy at all".

Indeed, for all the effort Naruto, Sarada and Clyde have put forward, for all the energy they have expended, they have done nothing to Carmen. Her powers of recovery outweigh their powers of attack, such is her perfection of the form she is using.

Naruto tries another tactic, using a pair of clones as a distraction to approach Carmen. The distraction works beautifully, just as he expected. The homeworlders are unfamiliar with techniques like this, that is clearly one of the few advantages the shinobi have over them.

Having used his clones to get close, Naruto grabs two kunai, coats them in 'life' and throws them forward, each soaring just over the top of Carmen's shoulders. He forces her to stay in position for an extra moment, unable to move to the right or left. He takes his chance, he approaches her when she cannot move and lets his fists fly. The first two punches are blocked by Carmen's superior speed by the third connects.

The punch connects. The punch connects hard!

' _This kid! His hand-to-hand combat is godly. There is doubt he learnt to fight as a pocket worlder'._

Just as she begins to think about the pocket worlders superior hand-to-hand skills, another trio of punches comes at her. This time, it is Naruto who takes the numeric advantage, landing punches two and three, each connection harder than the last. Carmen tries to retaliate with a punch, but Naruto skilfully ducks it.

As soon as Naruto ducks, the body of another is revealed behind him. Carmen's arm reaches full extension as her punch hits nothing but air, and as she looks at the spot Naruto just moved down from, her eyes are instead confronted by Sarada, who was hiding behind him.

The second her attack is complete, Carmen is at her most vulnerable. Sarada leaps upward, kunai in hand and spins in the air, adding just a bit of extra momentum. When her spin is at its fastest, she releases the kunai. Thanks to some quick reactions, it largely misses Carmen, but it does cut the distinctive hair tie from her head.

Carmen's whole posture weakens for a moment as she reaches out to catch the falling hair tie before it can hit the ground.

A chance!

Sarada uses the unique powers of her rinnegan, focusing the chakra power of the sun on her fist and throwing a deadly punch straight into Carmen's chest.

Carmen is stronger than Sarada, but she noticeably wobbles as a result of the punch. She reacts furiously, suddenly blasting both Naruto and Sarada backward with a more vicious demeanour than she has employed previously.

Both Naruto and Sarada land on their feet, but it is Sarada, who notices the change in Carmen's eyes. Something inside their opponent just snapped a little bit. Was it because of the hair tie?

"She fights very well for someone who is blind" Sarada remarks.

"Carmen is like Naruto. She is someone who works tirelessly to compensate for her weaknesses. She found a way to rebalance her senses" Clyde says through heavy breaths, "She compensates for her lack of sight by weakening her brains focus on it and enhancing it on other senses".

"There is more" Sarada says, "She still hasn't move from that spot".

"She is just too strong" Naruto says, "She's stronger than we could ever hope to push back".

"No. My solar punch should have at least made her take a step backwards. I could feel it. She only wobbled though, her feet didn't move".

"Why?".

"Her feet. They are tied to the ground with roots. Roots made from divine energy".

"It doesn't matter" Naruto says confidently. "If we hit her with everything I've got then she will go down. Clyde! Get ready to attack with your full power!".

Naruto creates several clones, each of which manifest a full-sized tailed-beast transformation. The many incarnations of Kurama bound over the surrounding area, each step shaking the ground. They position themselves an equal distance apart and at the same moment, they all fire tailed-beast bombs toward Carmen.

Carmen deftly knocks each of the 'life' enhanced bombs away with golden 'air' bursts but fails to see the greater plan at work.

Sarada transforms into her comet form, flying straight at Carmen.

Clyde lifts his shield of golden 'darkness', making use of the fact that the scatter-attack has finally stopped targeting him. He throws the shield through the air like a frisbee. Behind the frisbee he throws as many golden 'darkness' darts as he can make, each one targeting Carmen's head.

They are nothing to her. She blasts them each away with golden 'air'.  
Unfortunately for her, this was just another distraction.

Sarada reaches Carmen and transforms back into her human form. She uses her rinnegan's unique power to amplify the gravity pilling Carmen downward. Lastly, she throws another solar punch at her adversary.

Carmen dodges to the side of the solar punch, using yet another burst of golden 'air' to pus Sarada aside.

An attack is about to arrive from Naruto, but Sarada notices that Carmen is acutely aware of her master's presence. An ultra-dense layer of golden 'air' has been assembled around Carmen's body, like the perfect body armour, the perfect defence to counter any attack, no matter how strong.

Naruto arrives at Carmen from the front, using the attacks of his own clones, of Clyde and of Sarada to buy him the time to do so. He then shoves a 'life' coated tailed beast bomb straight into her chest.

"Take this" he yells as he drives his most explosive attack into his enemy's torso from point-blank range.

The explosion of light resulting from the clash of energy is blinding, leaving everyone a dramatic few seconds to wonder if the assault was successful.

"Did it work?" Sarada asks.

As the light dies down, she is the first one to see the result. It was inevitable, she knew it was.

Carmen is fine.

Naruto's hand is just a few inches in front of her, floating, unadorned.

She took the tailed-beast bomb without any harm!

"Are you done!".

Naruto gasps, falling to his knees.

Carmen now takes her turn to attack.

She begins to gather golden 'air' in front of her right hand. She funnels it into the spot once but as some of the energy escapes, she refunnels it back into the same spot, cumulatively building the energy in a way Naruto has never seen before.

With the full-power attack prepared, she unleashes it at the three of her attackers all at once, leaving them broken and battered, in a neat little pile.

Naruto rolls to the side, separating the three of them and giving them breathing room.

"No way" he tells himself, shaking his head gently. "That defence… that attack… that isn't possible".

Carmen walks over to her fallen opponents, her face angered from the audacity of their continued attack.

"Don't worry, I would never kill the three of you. But I am seriously warning you, don't come back here, you will not enter the imperial palace this way".

The three of them frown at the warning. Their greatest chance is being robbed from them.

Carmen looks down at the hair tie they cut from her head, holding it close to her face so she can see it and smiling.

"You three are all gifted. Develop your skills, become stronger and give birth to a genuine resistance. Don't throw away your lives here foolishly".

With her piece said, Carmen turns and walks back to the rear-entrance, guarding it from anyone else who should try to throw their lives away.

Is this avenue really closed off to them?

Is Carmen right, should they walk away now and play the long game?

Peterson questions if that could work at all.

" _The General… Naruto… Sarada… if they had waited patiently for their talent to develop… if they had done that instead of rashly pursuing their goals…"._

"… _would their talent have developed at all?"._


	122. Encounter with Hashirama

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – ENCOUNTER WITH HASHIRAMA**

 **Between the Camp and the Back Entrance**

The floor of the cart barely creaks at all as it is wheeled forward along the ground. The wheels have been made beautifully considering the lack of resource available and the inside is luxurious enough for a royal to travel in. The floor on but firm wooden material, either side thick cushioned benches are present, wide enough to sit on, long enough to lay on. This is not the means of transport that the villagers have grown use to and especially not what Naruto has been used to.

"Why do we have to be pulled in this damn cart" Naruto snaps, crossing his arms like a stroppy child, "Sarada, you shouldn't have made this thing".

"I was asked to, I wouldn't have felt right saying no, especially given Clyde's condition".

"I'm feel fine, honestly" the general says.

The three of them have been grumpy for the entire trip so far. This trip has been much slower than their previous ones. The defeat at the hands of Carmen sapped the warriors mentally, making them feel completely devoid of energy. It has sobered them, shattered their previous high-spirits and reminded them just what they are up against.

Sarada was the one who made this cart, she used her power of 'creation'. It is a difficult power to use. She could, like Hashirama did previously, have created temporary accommodation for all the villagers as a substitute for the tents they are staying in. That wouldn't be practical though, to do such a thing for the villagers, military and shinobi would require an astonishing amount of energy. It would be wasteful, especially considering that they may have to move constantly over the coming months. Creating this cart was well within her capabilities though, the luxury element of it more a consideration for her comrades than herself.

The trio, having fought Carmen, are each blaming themselves for the defeat. Sarada for not seeing the opening she was looking for the entire time. Clyde for not being better prepared to face his own mentor. Naruto for being the strongest of them yet not being able to do anything at all. They have worked together, given it everything they had, and failed.

"The three of you should shut up" Tsunade shouts as she walks along the length of the cart. "You should be focusing on your own health right now. You don't know how much internal damage has been done to you".

Biwako nods, "Tsunade is right, it's best not to blindly trust your powers Naruto, just relax and let us check you over".

Frankly, the two medics have been incredibly useful and will likely continue to be so. They may not have the raw healing power of Naruto or even Hashirama, but they do have an in-depth knowledge of medicine accompanied by a keen intellect. Overall, they are arguably more useful as medics than either the 1st or 7th Hokage.

Sarada groans, confident of Naruto's abilities and that he has healed them already. It was Biwako who insisted she create this cart, a means of allowing them to rest and be tended to by the villages finest medics. She almost regrets it now. It's just like when she got the flu as a kid and her mother stayed home from work. Not a single person could have been more annoying, or so she thought.

"'Life' should have…" Naruto begins.

Suddenly, a voice from outside cuts him off. A shout. A scream.

"It's Lord 1st…".

Naruto exchanges a glance with Sarada and Clyde before the three of them quickly leap from the cart. They must be ready for action at a moment's notice. Truthfully, this is the worst time they could have bumped into Hashirama's group.

Emerging from the cart, the three of them circulate their divine energy to the utmost, dashing to the front of the group with a supernatural speed and positioning themselves between their allies and their enemies. A position where they belong.

They are met with a familiar sadistic laugh from an insane man.

"Here he is" Tao Ma says, swaying back and forward like a drunkard.

Sarada immediately praises their good fortune as they are not confronted by a large group, just a group of three. Hashirama, Boruto and Tao Ma. If the group had been larger, there would be no way to guarantee their safety. There is always safety in numbers though, as Clyde said previously, with the amount of people behind them using divine energy, they would stand a chance even against a mighty foe like Hashirama.

Boruto sighs, looking to the blonde man standing opposite him. "It looks like you've had better days father".

"Perhaps choosing the wrong path has weakened you" Hashirama says questioningly, "Otherwise, it would be impossible for you to be beaten so badly, Naruto".

Naruto flicks his eyes downward at his arm to see that the bruises from his fight are still there. He supposes that minor wounds like this are outside the scope of his healing powers, at least for now.

"Naruto hasn't chosen the wrong path since I've met him" Clyde counters defensively.

Hashirama ignores Clyde. "Why must you weaken yourself by allying with these people Naruto? Have you forgotten all the suffering they have caused your family?".

How could he forget something like that?

"… where are you going Hashirama, I can't imagine you're just taking a walk".

"I assume that you have just come from the rear entrance of the imperial palace, as it happens, I am heading there too".

Clyde starts. "The rear entrance? How do you know about that entrance?".

"I have no reason to answer you, unlike Naruto, you are my true enemy".

Clyde can't help but wonder. How many people know about the rear entrance to the imperial palace. That he knows of, the previous emperor, his headmaster, Carmen, a few other teachers, himself and Lara. Lara would never be willing to tell Hashirama about it, would she? Even if she would, it wouldn't matter, would Hashirama's group really trust anyone from this world about something like that? But who else could possibly tell him?

"Father" Boruto calls, "It's unusual to see you in this sort of state, it seems that the rear entrance must have some sort of guardian".

"Yes, it does".

"Have no fear" Hashirama smiles calmingly, "Uzumaki Naruto, I won't let anyone from this world get away with doing this to you. I will kill the guardian, then I shall kill Furst Jonas".

"You will?" Sarada steps forward, clearly mocking her former friend. "Lord 1st, do you honestly think your previous victory makes you a better shinobi than Naruto? You just used cheap tactics and had the element of surprise on your side. If the circumstances weren't so favourable to you, Naruto would have won".

"Right?" Sarada looks to Naruto for confirmation but surprisingly comes up empty.

Naruto just keeps his head low, refusing to tackle the question.

Many behind Naruto can only take this as a denial, a subconscious admission of Hashirama's superiority.

"… are you looking to fight here?" Naruto finally asks.

"I have never wanted to fight you, nor any other shinobi. You have simply forced me into it. Regardless, fighting here, even when you have been weakened, would be suicide. We are outnumbered by so many. Right now, we have stronger enemies to face".

Sighs of relief travel through the group of shinobi and captain as Hashirama refuses to fight with them. If he had decided to fight, regardless of the outcome, casualties would have been guaranteed.

"Boruto!" Naruto calls to his son, preventing him from leaving.

Boruto turns back to face his father, hearing him out.

"Back when I first came here you spoke to me. You spoke to me about something you would never speak to anyone else about. Who do you speak to now?".

"That sort of conversation is no longer necessary for me" Boruto says.

"I see…".

With the last words exchanged, Boruto, Hashirama and Tao Ma head on to make their attempt on the rear entrance.

They leave having posed more questions than they answered.

 **The Rear-Entrance**

Carmen gazes at the hair tie in her hand, unsure how she should be feeling as she looks vacantly at it. It's nostalgic if nothing else. Even with her reduced sense of vision, looking at the beautifully woven clothing is like looking into her past. This contains many memories for her. So many of those memories are miserable, memories of failure and of loss. There are also good memories though, ones she would never want to forget, no matter what the cost.

A student approaches, one of the few that know about the rear entrance, one of the few that Clyde doesn't know about. This one is from the latest batch of prodigies to pass through the academy's walls. The modern-day version of a young Clyde. Still naïve to just how important the opening in this wall is but adored by Carmen all the same.

"Lady Carmen" he says.

She pays no attention, instead continuing to gaze at her own hair tie.

"Lady Carmen! Have you been in a fight?".

Carmen raises her head, seemingly only just aware that her student has approached. He notes that this is unusual, normally Carmen is keenly alert of everything that goes on around her. Her sensory re-balancing and her neatly exercised energy regulation see to that. The bruises forming on her face though, and the tie cut from the top of her head, that is very unusual.

"Sorry" Carmen says, smiling to her junior, "I was just lost in nostalgia. Yes, I was in a fight, but you don't need to worry about me, it was nothing I can't handle".

Carmen has always liked this student since she first met him. It wasn't because of his talent, not that it wasn't exceptional, it was because of his attitude. The student has no unique powers, no transcendent abilities, he's just a talented man. Gifted in the element of 'earth'. He is not like Lara, not mean, arrogant or headstrong. He is not like Clyde, emotional, a leader and at times overconfident. His foremost attribute is his kindness and consideration. Ironically, for a general in training, he is not very suited to a life of violence.

"To be able to cut this hair tie from your head, your opponents must have been something special" the student says.

"Yes, they were unusual, very unusual indeed. Sorry, you haven't come here to discuss me, can I help you?".

The student instantly perks up. "Yes. I was wondering if you could go over those five principles with me again".

Carmen smiles, "The five principles hey, I would be glad to, a lot of students don't pay as much attention to them as they should".

Carmen does just that, explaining each of the points concisely but leaving out certain details so that the student may work them out for himself. The five principles are her pride as a fighter, something she practices with great effectiveness. As she says to her student, she wishes other students studied them in greater detail. She can understand that they are too difficult for most to master, but not her most gifted two students. Lara, Clyde, the two of them have ignored the principles entirely.

Carmen finishes her explanation of the principles.

' _Clyde, this young man is studious and hard-working, just like you were as a student. His potential is high, it's hard to know how powerful he may become one day. But, there is a monopoly on power and unlike you students, we aristocrats are allowed in on that monopoly. The world is unfair, but you can't change that by being hasty'_.

"Is that enough detail for you?" Carmen asks.

"Yes, I'm very grateful my lady" he says politely, "Would you like me to fix your hair tie for you?".

"You can?".

"Yes".

Carmen gives the hair tie to the student and he masterfully uses his element to create imitations of the tools he would require. He then sets of on repairing the small garment.

' _That hair tie, what would I do without it?'_ she wonders.

 **Many Years Ago, A Hospital**

A much younger Carmen sat in her hospital bed, staring at the arm band she had worn throughout the campaign. It had been a war unlike any other, not nation against nation, or even good against evil. It had been order against chaos. Mighty individuals had fallen from a world full of villages and peace. Once those individuals died, the peace died with them. People with motivations beyond comprehension encouraged war and battle on a scale never seen before. It was like an enemy that could not be fought, that could not be ousted into the light of day.

It continued that way for many years, until one man united the agents of peace. A man just around the corner.

Endou Akashi.

He pulled the door to the hospital room open and walked inside, meeting one of his finest soldiers in person for the first time.

"Emperor Endou" Carmen said beginning to scramble out of the bed and onto her feet.

"No, please don't stand soldier, I don't need the injured trying to stand up for me, please".

He was a kind man, too kind in the opinion of many.

"But for the emperor I must stand!".

Akashi laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Emperor? It's just a silly title the people gave me, I'm just someone whose good at punching people".

"You're more than that. You united us. You deserve all the titles people give you" Carmen said.

For years Carmen had been fighting helplessly against shadows. Battling an unknown enemy who could attack from any direction. She had never even heard of a young man from the other side of the world, a young man who would come from nowhere to unite them. He was unique, a charismatic leader and a mighty warrior, a true hero who people rallied behind. He had discovered an element that nobody else had ever understood, he was the first person to use 'life'. Hyperbole couldn't be used for such a person.

"I was just born lucky. Trained and supported by the right people, at the right time, in the right place" Akashi said, standing calmly at the side of Carmen's bed. "You are different though. You've had very little support and yet came so far. I'm proud of you".

Carmen dreamed of one day hearing those words. She dreamt about the success of Endou Akashi, about meeting him since she first heard of him. A legend spoken of in stories. The words are not as sweat as she hoped they would be though, all because of the armband in her hand.

"Sir, this is the band my subordinates wore on their arm. I was the only survivor. I was supposed to be their leader but they all died".

Akashi picked the band up. "Hmm, a wonderful identifier" he said, raising to Carmen's head and tying a neat bow in her hair.

"Huh…".

"Listen Carmen, we cannot save everyone. As your superior, I am also responsible for their deaths".

"but…".

Akashi shushed her gently. "We can't let our lives be defined by the deceased. We can only keep them with us forever, in our hearts".

"Yes sir".

"You always do your best to look after people, to protect the good people in this world and to preserve hope for the future" Akashi explained, "I admire this quality…".

Akashi then explained to Carmen the origins of a system that would one day dominate society. A system that he never wanted to have such consequences.

"… I want to make you one of our honoured citizens. I'm giving you a title so that people know you are someone to be admired. You will become part of the aristocracy".

 **The Present Day**

The student returns the bow to Carmen and she ties it in her hair, remembering how she once wore it on her arm. She cannot bring her comrades back from the dead, nor can she bring back Endou Akashi, but she can honour them forever, in her heart.

' _I won't let you through here Clyde, not until you're ready. Anything else would be spitting on the Emperor's grave'_.

 **The Leaf Hideout**

Upon reaching the Hidden Leaf hideout, the large group of fighters dissipate. Shinobi return to their families. Captains reunite with their friends or platoons and head back to their tents. It's been a long day and they are in need of sleep now as much as ever before. However, some of them have higher priorities on their mind, one such person is Nara Shikadai.

"Shinki".

"Are you OK, Shikadai?".

"I'm fine" he answers, "But I worry for the village. Were you watching the encounter between Naruto and Hashirama?".

"Yes, I saw, I was watching every moment of it".

Who wouldn't have? Every last shinobi and captain had their eyes wide open and were staring straight at the encounter when it was happening. They feared for their lives, Hashirama could likely have slaughtered half of them alone and Naruto was at less than 100%. There were also other snippets of subtext to be understood from the conversation. As the last Kazekage, he could hardly turn around and give them a chance for a private conversation.

"What did you make of Naruto's response to the question? Did he silently admit that he cannot defeat Hashirama?".

A few members of the Nara clan listen in on the conversation, the closest remaining family of both Shikadai and Shinki. They wait with baited breath to hear just what the Kazekage will say. Will he force himself to answer one way for the good of the village, will he convincingly believe that Naruto is stronger, or will he answer honestly that he believes Hashirama the mightier of the two? A lot of minds may shift with his words.

He sighs, feeling the weight of their stares on his shoulders.

"No. I refuse to believe that. The Lord 7th my father told me of would never surrender in that way. I have wronged Naruto since meeting him, but I have yet to lose faith in him since then. He will never give up".

The words are good. Everyone agrees on that. The tone is open to interpretation though. Some believe Shinki means what he says. Others think he is putting on a brave face. As for what the truth is, only the Kazekage will know.

Shikadai is critical of the tone, dismissing it in his head. He doesn't know what to believe about Naruto and Hashirama. He does know his cousin though, and he knows that if his experience is serving him well, Shinki didn't mean what he just said.

Just as he is about to speak, a hand descends on his shoulder, his father's hand.

"I can understand why you are worried, Naruto gets like this from time-to-time" Shikamaru says, "It happened when Jariya died. However, Naruto never fails to bounce back. Soon Lord Hashirama will realise he was foolish to look down on Naruto".

"Of course" Temari agrees, "Naruto is the hero who saved our family and the entire world. Don't ever forget that Shikadai".

"I know. I have fought to protect Naruto before for that very reason. I just hope he realises that his own self-assessment will impact everyone else too" Shikadai says glumly.

"He has lost confidence, not power" Shikamaru says, "When he finds it again, he will be the person he used to be. He will be unstoppable".

Elsewhere, Sarada walks away, turning her back on her fellow warriors, leaving Sheer to chase after her.

"Sarada!".

"Hello Sheer, are you going to ask about Naruto's response?".

"Yeah".

Sarada knew that was where the conversation would be going from the second Sheer came over. She isn't so foolish as to think herself as important as Naruto. He holds a symbolic importance greater than she could hope to compare to for the mean time. His mood can sway the mood of everyone around him, his charisma is infectious in a strange way.

"Who do you think is the stronger of the two?" Sarada asks curiously.

"I will always believe it is Naruto. He saved us from our fate, so my view is biased" Sheer admits. "But he broke the mould. He was the local who made us realise that you could learn to use divine energy. Someone that incredible, I refuse to believe that he could be beaten by anybody less practiced than himself".

"I want to believe that too. In my heart I do but my head is telling me something different" Sarada nods, confident in her own situational analysis. "If Naruto has lost his confidence, it's almost as if he has lost part of his identity. Without that confidence, Naruto just isn't Naruto and he may never be as strong as he once was".

"Sarada…"

"When you reach our level as a shinobi, your mental state is an important part of your ability to fight" the Uchiha explains, "Countless times shinobi have seen their battle senses dulled and lost against a theoretically inferior opponent. I myself have beaten several stronger opponents whose battle senses have dulled".

Nearby Hinata and Kushina follow behind their husbands and Himawari, deliberately keeping just out of earshot. They too ponder the nature of Naruto's silence before.

"Hinata?".

"Yes?".

"Do you think he will be alright?".

Hinata is slightly touched by her future mother-in-law's question. She knows that everyone else is concerned with Naruto's strength functionally. It is nice to know that someone is still looking out for his wellbeing in this situation.

"I'm the only one here who has always known this Naruto" she says.  
"He and I came from the past together, moving from the same timeline. He may burn himself sometimes, but he is like a phoenix. He will rise from the ashes he creates".

Kushina smiles. Her son is just how she hoped he would be.

"We can try to look after him and as good people we should probably worry about him" Hinata explains. "But just from a purely analytical point of view…".

"… we have no reason to be afraid. He is Naruto after all".


	123. The Five Principles

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – THE FIVE PRINCIPLES**

 **The Circle**

The circle convenes after just a single nights' sleep, giving people just enough time to gather their thoughts yet not enough time to actually relax. The situation is urgent of course, if they do not find a way past Carmen quickly, it could be all over for them.

Presiding over the discussion of the new expanded Circle are both Shikadai and his father Shikamaru. Both full-time shinobi now control the single greatest government body in their village's history. It is not only representatives of the village gathered though, Hokage's act as representatives of the villagers while the three Generals, Clyde, Peterson and Sheer, represent the captains who serve them.

The mood is sombre, some people in the room are ready to discuss solutions to the problem. They easily identify themselves by their body language, leaning forward and resting their arms on the table. The others though, those less optimistic about their future slump back in their chairs.

"What are we going to do now?" Hiruzen asks, "Carmen has surely blocked off our only hope of success for this assassination".

Hiruzen represents a large portion of the village and the villagers. There are those still alive in the village who remember growing up when he was the Hokage. He also represents many people who have become hysterical about the situation. Ever since Naruto, Sarada and Clyde came back, defeated, the villagers particularly were disheartened. Their destiny is far out of their reach now, it will be determined instead by the likes of the Hokage. Each defeat for those Hokage is another nail in their coffins.

"Calm down Sarutobi" Tobirama says.

"I am perfectly calm, Lord 2nd. I am just wondering how we intend to proceed from here because unless something changes, I have no ideas".

"We are in a good position. We can simply keep on trying to defeat her as many times as we like, and she will not kill us".

Tobirama's analysis is dangerous if it is trusted. It relies on the idea that Carmen is a good person, solely focused on stopping their passage because she fears for their lives. If Carmen is telling the truth, then she really won't kill them, not deliberately at any rate. However, if she were to change her mind, or any accidents were to happen, it may well be that Naruto, Sarada or Clyde could die in their battles. If that were to happen, it would be all over for their hopes of assassinating Furst.

"There isn't much of a point in trying again right now, is there?" Peterson asks rhetorically.

"What makes you say that, General Peterson?".

"Currently, common sense dictates that Carmen would defeat our representatives in a battle of strength. Not only is she stronger than us, she is many times stronger than us. There would have to be a fundamental change in our power, otherwise we could try this a million times and not bridge the gap in power".

Kakashi makes a cutting point. "If that is the case, aren't things the same for our planned assassination on Jonas".

"Are you willing to kill an innocent woman" Peterson asks in return.

No. None of them are, of course they are not. Ultimately, Carmen agrees with them, Furst Jonas is her enemy. She is simply stopping them based on timing and their development. She is trying to do the best thing for their cause. They would likely be successful if they attempted to assassinate her, sneaking up on her from behind and attacking her lethally when she is caught off guard. To kill her would be an entirely different decision though, a decision none of them would be prepared to make.

"Is she really blind?" Sarada asks suddenly.

"Of course, she is" Clyde answers, "Is there any reason to doubt that?".

Naruto rolls his head along the back of his chair to look at Sarada. "Eyesight isn't everything, otherwise you would be far stronger than I am, Sarada".

"Regardless, we need more information on the way she fights" Sarada decides, "Otherwise we will never defeat her".

"I know about the way she fights" Clyde admits with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

"Then please enlighten us General Clyde".

Clyde recalls his days as Carmen's pupil. "Carmen uses five principles which guide her fighting style. Five battle principles. It is thought that she may have contributed towards the creation of the principles. It doesn't matter though, either way she uses the principles now. She teaches the principles to her students, and a wiser student would have made more effort to learn them".

"So, you don't use the principles?".

"I've never really had to. There is only one student who was ever on par with me and until recently, there was no great benefit in defeating her".

Clyde ignores a large part of the problem with his declaration. In the past, the principles were never of great use to him, but that isn't to say he could have learnt them. Very few students from the academy have ever successfully practiced any of the five principles. Mastering all five of them at once is rare, even for members of the aristocracy. Carmen, unfortunately for her attackers, is part of a rare-breed of exceptional warriors.

"What are the five principles?" Sarada asks.

Naturally, Clyde explains.

"Principle one, scatter attack, a simple but diverse attack that can hit many opponents at once. It's more of a hinderance than a killing blow".

"Principle two, regulation, you should be able to perfectly control the flow of your divine energy. If mastered, you won't lose any energy unless you execute a powerful attack".

Kakashi notes mentally that this is what he observed during the fight.

"Principle three, foundation, against weaker opponents this is used more often than not. You root yourself

Sarada takes her turn to confirm her observation. This is what she noticed before, Carmen doesn't move when she fights.

"Principle four, the concentrated attack, an energy recycling super-attack that will put your opponent down and end the fight".

"Lastly, principle five, the concentrated defence, a full body armour constructed from your element, virtually impossible to break, the perfect defence".

The feeling in the room is grim as the others begin to understand the exact ramifications of what Clyde is saying. Carmen can always attack them. Carmen will not lose divine energy. Carmen will not let you move her from the spot. Carmen can defeat you at any time. Carmen cannot be defeated.

"These principles are useful at fighting those on the same level as yourself. They are very helpful for fighting those weaker than you" Clyde explains, "Defeating someone stronger than yourself who uses all five principles in a head-on attack is unheard of. Perhaps we are the only group who have ever stood a chance".

Minato summarises, "It's practically impossible for us to win".

"If it's impossible we'll do it anyway. We just need to find another way" Sarada says, her determination undying.

The people of the Circle can easily be split into two groups, those ruled by their heads and those ruled by their hearts. While Naruto and Sarada fall into the hearts group, people like Tobirama and Kakashi fall into the heads group. It is left to another member of that group, General Peterson, to bring a sense of realism back to the room.

"Think of it though, have any of you ever defeated someone so much stronger than yourselves… anyone…".

With an image of Kaguya in his mind, Naruto speaks up, "Yes… I have…".

Naruto's success over Kaguya was different to this though. Naruto and Sasuke were granted a power tailor-made for defeating Kaguya. In addition to that, Naruto and Sasuke formed a perfect team, the two of them could almost read each other's minds. In that fight they also had the help of Kakashi and Sarada, their teammates. Also, their speed was on a similar level to Kaguya's, even if their power was not. The speed differential to Carmen is greater. For a miracle like victory over Kaguya to occur again is very unlikely.

"Everyone, we should relax, we are being too tense about this situation right now" Clyde says, putting on what Naruto now recognises as his 'leader voice'. "I know someone we can speak to about this issue. He will help us with our problems".

"Who is he?".

"Please, allow me to explain some things about this world. Some of you may have heard the story before but I think we should all hear it together, in this formal setting".

With Shikadai largely responsible for directing the flow of conversation, Shikamaru prepares himself to take notes on what Clyde is about to say. If the worst comes to the worst and the people in this room die or get trapped somewhere, it is important that this information be known to those outside; to Mirai and Hinata, even to Hashirama and Boruto if necessary.

"In this world, the gifted are taken to the military academy. It is the first place you saw when you came to our world. It's huge, entirely indoors, it even has its own atmosphere. Anyway, you are taken there when you first show signs of the potential to be a warrior, like Sheer, Peterson, myself and all my subordinates have done".

"That usually happens when you first break through to the captain level" Sheer explains.

"Yes, that's exactly right" Clyde nods, "Now, students are sorted into classes according to their talent. Most of them end up in larger classes, with hundreds, thousands, sometimes tens of thousands per class. That is where Colonel Burns learnt for example".

The majority of the Circle are familiar with Colonel Burns, a warrior and master of 'ice' who they fought against during the captained six contest. Experienced, talented and powerful, an adversary who caused them much trouble back then yet has since evolved into a powerful ally. She was once placed in a large class in the military academy, labelled as someone with low talent.

"Then, the more talented students go into small classes" Clyde explains, "The teacher would be able to learn everyone's name quickly, they could become familiar with a few of the more talented ones too".

"That's the sort of class Sheer and I went into" Peterson recalls, still slightly disgruntled that his talent had been rated below the top level.

"Then, there is the most elite class that is formed once every few years, it contains around ten members, only the most gifted students can get into it" Clyde says. "You have to credit the students; the aristocracy aren't necessarily that gifted".

This is initially met with confusion but after a moment's consideration, the members of the Circle understand the difference between the students and aristocrats.

"Furst picks people he trusts to enter the aristocracy and they are nurtured to greater levels of power than we could hope for" Clyde tells them, "The students on the other hand, we were all gifted, we were commoners, born in cities, towns or villagers, earning great power despite our impoverished upbringing".

"It sounds awful" Naruto says aloud. It's a world where everyone struggles, just like he once did.

"It's a system we are fighting to end" Minato says, comforting his son, "We are fighting so that nobody else will need to be raised in this way".

"That system wasn't implemented until after I joined the academy. For all I know, I could have lived a privileged life before all this began" Clyde says awkwardly, noting that his talent may not have been so random.

Clyde is one of the oldest members of his entire group, older than either of his subordinate generals or any of his subordinate colonels. He is one of the few with this uncertain background. The likes of Peterson, someone born into the Furst regime, certainly came from an unfortunate background. He was once a small boy, wandering aimlessly in a near-infinite world, unknowing of the great power he would one day wield.

"In my generation there were a number of elite generals, some even had transcendent powers that climbed a level, just like I do". Clyde's voice has become slightly hushed as he calmly explains his background. "There were two clear standouts in the class though, one was me, the other was Lara, two people with a completely different approach to leadership".

He then explains where Carmen enters into the equation. "Carmen taught our class regularly, she was a renowned teacher with a high status in the academy. Our class had more potential than any that had come before, it made sense that she teach us. It was when I was getting my first practical experience, battling in pocket worlds, that Furst killed the previous Emperor Endou. We believe that is when our memories of our families were… trained out of us… that we forgot who we were and became the perfect soldiers".

Mortified, Naruto can only mutter two words. "I'm sorry".

"With the poor conditions most of us were raised in, it may well have been a blessing for them to forget their pasts. Sometimes I wish I knew my family name though" Clyde admits, losing himself in unfamiliar nostalgia. "Regardless, Carmen thought highly of Lara and I".

"What did she do?".

"She took us to the academy headmaster for tutelage, the only two students ever to have the privilege. The headmaster, he is our former Emperor's brother-in-law, a mighty warrior who once fought at his side. He taught Lara and I for a while, it was during that time that we were shown the rear entrance".

"General…" Peterson mutters. Each time he hears Clyde talk about the past, he is more amazed by just how unique he is. Clyde is an exceedingly rare talent, if he had been born a thousand years earlier, he may well have been one of the mightiest members of the aristocracy.

"The headmaster may be sympathetic to our cause, he's a good man and was Emperor Endou's brother-in-law. I'm sure that if we ask him for help, he will provide it. He may even become the catalyst for our success".

"Is he strong?" Sarada asks.

Peterson laughs loudly. "He was among the group of three that went to see the fortune teller who predicted the coming of a god. He went along with Emperor Endou and then scientific advisor Furst. Other than Furst, he is probably the strongest person alive".

The second strongest person alive.

The headmaster.

Sarada likes the sound of it.

"It sounds like a good idea".

Shikadai concurs, polling the room to find unanimous agreement.

"Then it is agreed. General Clyde will take Lord 7th and Lord 9th to see the headmaster. Then we can all pray that he is as you describe him".

 **The Uzumaki Tent**

Walking in, exhausted from a day's worth of meetings and admin, Naruto raises his croaky voice.

"Is anybody here? Hello!".

Nobody is around, he guesses that they must all be organising things. He knows that the others have all tried to take the pressure off of him by working harder. He sees the way that Shikamaru quietly takes work away from him and gives it to Kakashi. He overhears when Hiruzen offers to cover for things that he missed, insisting that nobody tell him. He is only human, all the Kage make mistakes but the others have to cover for themselves.

In spite of how hard everyone works to relieve him, he wonders how he can possibly be worked so hard that he ends up this tired. What he fails to realise is the emotional tole these events have taken upon him. It's all centred around him, bad things happen because he hasn't been there to stop them, treachery has cost the village and his son and friend have been the traitors. With the sadness weighing down on his mind, he brushes past the thin curtain that separates living and sleeping areas and instantly falls asleep.

Hours later he is woken by the sound of whispering voices and heads into the living area to see his family.

"Dad" Himawari smiles as her father emerges.

"How are you, Naruto?" Minato asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Naruto says as he sits down with his family members.

"Naruto…" Hinata lowers her head slightly, beckoning for another answer.

"I'm fine" Naruto insists once more.

Naruto thinks to himself that he has made his point, he doesn't want to talk about this. He should know that his fiancée wouldn't roll over so easily. She stands up, grabs Naruto by the shoulders and makes him look at her.

"Naruto, are you OK?".

He sighs. "I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders you know. You heard it before didn't you dad, and you've heard it Hinata, what Clyde said".

"Mum told me about it" Himawari speaks up. "About the way the people here are raised and selected for the academy".

"It's barbaric" Hinata adds.

"But you will stop it dad, I know you will".

"But that's it, isn't it?" Naruto leaps to his feet and points immediately at his speaking daughter. "It's the way everyone looks at me. I can feel the weight of their expectations and don't get me wrong, I will do everything I can to live up to them. But if I fail, more people than I could ever hope to count will be let down, I will have failed them".

Minato understands, at least the most of anyone present. He has been the Hokage before. What's more he was the Hokage who had so much expected of him. He was to take over from the stable Lord 3rd and drive the Hidden Leaf Village, and the world, into a new golden age. That is something that never happened.

"Naruto, the people of this world have never met you" he explains. "The people who have may look at you a certain way, but these billions of people you are hoping to save, they have no expectations of you. So, try to relax, they will be grateful no matter what you do".

Naruto nods awkwardly, accepting the argument for now.

Minato knows that he is only nodding for them. _'It looks like there is nothing that will stop him thinking about it'_.

He is right, at the very same moment his son thinks, _'I have already let too many people down'_.

One thought leads to another.

"Is Sarada here? She is supposed to be staying with us, right?".

"Sarada hasn't been here, no" Hinata admits.

"Dammit" Naruto scrunches his fist into a ball. "I'm supposed to be her master, her teacher, she should be relying on me, shouldn't she? After what happened with Boruto, shouldn't I be supporting her".

Kushina shakes her head. "We all handle grief in our own ways".

"Is she avoiding me because she wants to handle it alone" Naruto asks.

"Or is she avoiding me because she blames this all on me?".


	124. Naruto's Resolve

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – NARUTO'S RESOLVE**

 **A Moorland Ecosystem**

Naruto and Sarada wander towards the peak of the hill, following closely behind Clyde. This sort of setting shouldn't feel threatening but there is an ominous silence about the place. Largely devoid of the wildlife you would find in the equivalent climate in the pocket world. In fact, on the way here, Naruto noticed several wild animals, but for the last twenty miles or so there has been nothing. If it weren't for the short grass and bushes he could swear this area would be completely lifeless.

As they reach the top of the hill, the object of their attention finally comes into view.

"This is it" Clyde says.

Down below is a great drop, perhaps over one hundred meters, leading to fields filled with huts and tents. With her rinnegan, Sarada is able to identify many items that make such a location easy to identify. It's a training field, just as they had been expecting. At the end of the drop, another hill rises, even higher than the one they just climbed, atop which stands an enormous building, a castle of proportions far greater than they had ever seen.

The castle is perhaps just a bit smaller than the military headquarters they arrived in but not much. This place seemed to have more activity going on. In contrast to the prior lifelessness of the environment, Sarada notes the flicker of lights through the windows and through the little gaps in the walls. She notes the patrolling guards around the edge and the men and women wearing capes of bronze, silver and gold. They wear uniforms much like Clyde.

There is no mistaking where this place is.

"This is the military academy". Clyde opens his arms wide, welcoming himself home. "People are brought here when they are just young. They are separated and trained in groups. They are destined to one day work with one another on dangerous missions, guided by a general who will choose groups to work under him".

Naruto contrasts it with his own training as a warrior. He was brought into a team, not by his own choice but that of the 3rd Hokage. It had been for the best though. Hiruzen likely saw the influence that Kakashi and the three of them would have on one another. United, their incredible teamwork and chemistry changed the lives of all four of them. This place doesn't facilitate that kind of learning, it's a survival of the fittest environment. Even with a kind headmaster and good people like Clyde, that kind of philosophy is not easily changed.

"When I first achieved my golden cloak, I walked the corridors of this very building" Clyde explains. "I interviewed some people, looked at their records, assembled my command. I found a promising scientist named Sheer, a man with incredible talent named Peterson. It all started here".

Sarada allows Clyde a moment of nostalgia before speaking. "Previously we were attacked when the people from your world saw us. Should we be worried about that again?".

"I suspect that only a small group were informed who tried to make things difficult for us. I can't imagine Lara spreading news of our betrayal far and wide" Clyde answers, surveying the landscape. "There is a chance we will be attached, of course there is. If it happens, then we should run as fast as we can".

"Understood".

Naruto feels out of his comfort zone, further than he ever wanted to be. Normally, he and Sarada have a power that gives them a position of importance. That isn't the case here. The teachers are members of the aristocracy, people who could well be on the same level as Carmen. The three of them proved unable to defeat one such individual, never mind several. If the students or teachers get suspicious, they could well die here.

They begin to walk, using their power to enhance their speed. They dash up to one of the academy's many entrances.

As they get closer they slow their pace down to a leisurely walk. It's important they appear calm Clyde insists.

The entrance they have chosen is one of the less guarded ones, protected by three captains. Their ages appear scattered, but Clyde has met many people in his time, ages ranging from children to elders of over a thousand years in age. He can judge roughly how old people truly are. These captains are not much older than one hundred, relatively inexperienced.

"General Clyde" one of them shouts, "General Clyde has returned!".

The one to his left is somewhat calmer. She tells the third member of their group to inform the teachers of his arrival immediately.

Naruto nods his head gently. He figured that Clyde must be a big deal here.

"My General, will you need a guide today" the enthusiastic captain asks, "Or would you like to speak to anyone specific, someone I could get for you?".

"It's private today Captain" Clyde says politely, "I have two very important guests with me, I shall guide them through the academy".

"Of course, sir".

The more level-headed captain opens the door for Clyde. "You and your guests may enter General" she says, bowing her head slightly in recognition of her superior.

The three of them enter and begin walking the corridors following Clyde. The light here isn't source-less like at the military headquarters. Several balls of light float around the corridors, patrolling like tiny little fireflies. Naruto places his finger on one of them and detects a vague hint of divine energy.

This is 'light' divine energy.

Clyde smiles as he stops and watches Naruto touch one the little flies.

"An initiative I helped to start" he explains. "It helps teach new students how to control their powers of 'light'. We use it to illuminate the corridors".

They keep moving. Past many such similar innovations, unnatural yet beautiful springs of water. Heat generated by fire and flame. Glass formed by the combined powers of several students. It looks surprisingly fun. Perhaps once, this was a good place to learn.

"Those guards were very respectful to you" Sarada says after walking the corridors for a while.

"I often return to teach groups of them. I tell them stories of the worlds I have conquered".

"How… noble of you".

Clyde sighs, momentarily forgetting who he is with. "I didn't want to do it you know. Stories like that lift their morale though. Very often, they have nothing else to strive for, nothing but the conquest of pocket worlds like your own".

"It's fine, I understand".

The group continue to walk for a while longer. The shinobi remain largely silent, but internally are amazed at the sheer population contained within these walls. Naruto admits that this would be boring if he hadn't been discussing his observations with Kurama the entire time.

Often, captains, colonels, and even some generals step aside and salute Clyde as he walks on his path. There is a look hidden unsubtly in the backs of their eyes though. It is a look Naruto saw not long ago in the eyes of Clyde's followers. Disdain, disgust, distrust, and a fundamental dislike for him and Sarada.

"It looks like none of them know" Naruto whispers to Clyde.

"Yeah but I wouldn't mention it again, just in case" Clyde says.

"They're not giving us very kind looks".

"Your capes aren't bronze, silver or gold. They're not even purple. You're not wearing any kind of uniform. They probably think you're civilians, peasants compared to them. It would likely terrify them if they knew how strong you were".

As Naruto resists the urge to pat himself on the back, Sarada looks over at the young blonde. _'It's true. We've been walking for quite some time now and we've only seen a few generals. Clyde is supposed to be the strongest general now. That means Naruto is the strongest person we have seen so far'_.

Sarada's thinking is optimistic and positive. It's also a jinx for what unfolds a moment later.

A man, clad in a purple cape, walks out into the corridor, blocking their path.

This man is a member of the aristocracy.

His eyebrows, each angling sharply downwards, highlight the sharp look in his eyes. His face is stern, as if he has worn a frown upon it for a thousand years. Naruto notices that there are a few grey strands amongst the man's largely black head of hair and that at the corner of his mouth he has a deep scar, likely a result of a fight from a long time ago. He holds himself with a hardened rigidity. You could tell just by looking at him that he is a strong disciplinarian. Most attention is drawn by his attire though, a purple cape with a red button. He is an aristocrat.

"Clyde" the man says, his voice droll and without inflection.

Clyde smiles, perhaps slightly forced. "It's good to see you again Santiago. You are still teaching I see".

"Indeed I am. Tell me Clyde, what brings you back to the academy?".

" _This guy clearly doesn't like Clyde much"_ Naruto says internally.

" _Let's just wait and see what happens"_ his nine-tailed counterpart replies.

Clyde takes a deep breath. "I would like to speak with Headmaster Sora".

Headmaster Sora!

Sarada takes note of the name. Sora, that is the Headmaster's name. That is the name of the man who could well prove to be their salvation.

"I'm afraid that Headmaster Sora is elsewhere at the moment" Santiago says, his tone less apologetic than his words. "He is acting on business that I am not privy to. And as you well understand Clyde, sometimes it is better not to ask the Headmaster what he is doing".

"This time, I am bringing him that sort of business".

Santiago looks past Clyde at the two people he has brought with him, narrowing his eyes even more if such a thing were possible. In an instant, both Naruto and Sarada find themselves under his intense scrutiny. He wonders just who these people are. No uniform, no cape of any colour. They wouldn't be following Clyde if they were haughty enough not to wear their uniform. Are they just ordinary citizens, or is there background something far more interesting?

"If you are bringing business of that nature, perhaps I would be better ignoring you" Santiago says, his eyes finally returning to Clyde. "However, I feel compelled to ask, who are these two you have brought here with you".

"Ah". Naruto steps forward.

"We haven't been introduced have we" he says, his hand outstretched, "my name is U…".

The moment the 'U' leaves Naruto's mouth, Sarada's arm strikes him firmly in the side of the ribcage, silencing him. He looks at her only to be immediately intimidated by the fury in her eyes. _'Idiot'_.

" _Idiot"_ Kurama shouts in Naruto's head, echoing his student's sentiment.

" _What did I do?"._

" _The people of this world only have one name. Don't announce yourself as Uzumaki Naruto!"._

"Nice to meet you" Sarada says, making the save. "His name is Naruto, my name is Sarada".

Whether that worked or not they do not yet know. It doesn't look hopeful though as Santiago lowers his head and closes his eyes, his face as stern as ever.

"I see now" he says, "It all makes sense".

The entire corridor seems to go silent as the trio attract unwanted attention from the dozens of nearby captains and colonels. Eyes fix to the backs and fronts of Naruto and Sarada and the intention behind the eyes gets more hostile every second. That's not what's worrying though, as Clyde pointed out previously, Naruto's true power would be enough to terrify any of these people. The problem comes with the man who was charismatic enough to move them. The problem comes with Santiago.

Clyde, detecting the atmosphere, steps forward and whispers to Santiago. "May I have a private word".

The four of them head into a room at the side. Naruto assumes that due to the layout of desks around a desk, this was likely used as some form of classroom.

As they enter the room, Clyde seems to relax. His change is posture is so open that it induces the same relaxation in Naruto and Sarada, as if the weight of the stares has been literally removed from their back. Accompanied by the change in Clyde's voice, it is enough to assure them of their safety.

"Naruto, Sarada, this is Santiago, a teacher here at the academy and a member of the aristocracy" he says. "Santiago has spent a lot of time teaching Lara, he is credited with turning her into our military's greatest leader".

That attracts mixed feelings from the shinobi pair. So, this man is Lara's teacher.

"That praise is perhaps no longer valid" Santiago admits.

"Santiago, these two and I, we are going to attempt an assassination on Emperor Furst" Clyde says. He pauses for a second, silently canvasing for a response but getting surprisingly little. "Carmen is blocking us from…".

"I am well aware" Santiago says, interrupting Clyde impolitely. "Carmen sent me news of the incident. It may be a surprise to you that I too am aware of the rear entrance. Carmen said I should know in case anything ever happened to her".

"Why is she trying to stop us?" Naruto asks.

"Because that is what Emperor Endou would have done. She is loyal to him, even after his death, and she always will be". Santiago's stern attitude now has the opposite effect from before. He no longer feels like an oppressive ruler, but instead a protective parental figure. "Endou Akashi would not have wanted you to discard your life so pointlessly, not even for his empire. Any attempt you make on Furst Jonas' life is almost certain to end in your death".

"Santiago, you don't understand…".

"No Clyde, you don't understand! Stronger people have tried and failed. These two you have brought here, they may be gems but they are unpolished. It is you who is robbing them the chance to reach their full potential. Carmen is right to stop you, you should reconsider your actions".

Clyde felt before like he was a crusader against someone stuck in their ways. He understood Carmen's actions but felt that she was wrong and that he had to overcome her to do what is right. Now, hearing Santiago echo her opinion on the matter makes him doubt himself. Is he actually trying to do what is right or is he just overconfident because of his inexperience? Is he failing to realise how deep the ocean truly is?

However, his uncertainty is quickly cured by the man he learnt to trust.

Naruto steps forward, putting himself between Clyde and Santiago.

"Listen. I don't really understand why you people are acting the way you are, but I do understand one thing".

His next words send a sting into Santiago's brain.

"You never succeed if you give up, and not trying in the first place is even worse still".

With a polite bow, Naruto thanks Santiago for his advice and leaves the room.

Sarada immediately follows Naruto.

In just an instant a series of things stunned Santiago. The raw determination of a young man never to give up. The power behind his eyes when he delivered the message. The unafraid unwavering stance he had has he left. The way the woman followed behind him. The look in her eyes that showed she had absolutely no doubt in him. Santiago doesn't believe in destiny, or at least he hasn't for a very long time. However, in one instant, Naruto forces him to reconsider a thousand assumptions he has made regarding a greater destiny for this world.

"I don't know if you feel it as strongly as I do".

Santiago hears Clyde's voice and looks to him.

"But I truly believe that Naruto is Emperor Endou's successor" he salutes his superior, "Thank you for seeing us".

Clyde leaves the room, leaving Santiago alone.

The slip up was fairly obvious. He is almost certain that this man Naruto was someone from a pocket world. Someone from a pocket world who could defeat Clyde must have mastered divine energy. If such an individual were to have emerged after so many years, then it would prove a symbol of hope. It such individuals could truly be born, then it may be possible after all for somebody to defeat Furst, given time. There are a lot of assumptions there, but Santiago is confident in most of them.

He sighs, certain of one thing. "I don't know if I agree with you Clyde, but indeed, that man's presence was remarkable".

He walks out through the only door to the room and heads along the corridors to one of the rooms set aside to him. This room is private, he can use it for whatever he wants, and nobody would dare ask a soul. A perk of being an aristocrat, sharing part of the monopoly on power. He enters through the door and shuts it gently behind him. The room is dark, deliberately, like it is hiding something terrible.

"I just saw Clyde, he brought two people with him, does that interest you?".

"Who were they" a female voice croaks back to Santiago.

"One was a woman, red and grey clothing, glasses, shoulder length black hair, about average height" he recalls, "The other was a man, orange clothes, spiky blonde hair, about the same height".

"I see" the voice replies with a small delay.

"Well, were they the ones from the pocket world… Lara…".

The aforementioned Lara rolls on the mattress her teacher has been kind enough to provide, looking straight into his dark eyes as she is forced to tell yet another detail of her embarrassing time in that world.

"Yeah, they were from the pocket world".

"Tell me about them".

Lara is reluctant at first but does, after a few moments begin to tell the story.

"When I went to the pocket world, I expected that Clyde had developed a conscience. I expected that I would have to finish his job for him after finally killing him. I expected some local resistance sure, but I went there with it fixed in my mind that Clyde would be the mightiest opposition there".

"Were you wrong?" Santiago asks.

Lara nods. "The locals helped Clyde to overwhelm me. That was before the strongest two had even arrived, that Naruto and Sarada".

"Yes, that's what they said their names were".

"I've never met locals like them, probably never will again" Lara says, her eyes downcast as she thinks of the humiliation. "They are anomalies, quite frankly people like them shouldn't exist, people who make myself and Clyde look so… small".

Santiago is taken aback, not for the first time today. Lara is a serial winner in life. The most talented in her village, in her class, in the school. She had the best teachers, she had an attitude that assured she would live an easy life. She even had a chance of working her way into the aristocracy, something practically unheard of. Humble isn't a word that has ever been used to describe her. However, to him, that's how she appears now. She has been overwhelmed by another warrior in a way he has never seen before.

"People like that will always exist" he says.

"I lost to Clyde. I lost to Sarada. I lost to Naruto. That makes me a complete failure".

"I suppose you could say that".

"Do you disagree?" Lara asks her teacher.

"What I feel is irrelevant. What matters is what you will do moving forward" he explains, doing his job as her teacher even in this dark time. "Will you crumble into nothingness? Will you disappear? Will you give up?".

Lara's breathing accelerates. Her breathes, almost like an animal, straining to kill it's pray. She gets to her feet, raising her hands to her head and pressing her own fingertips firmly into her skull. Crazed. Insane. This is what Lara has become. This is where her life has taken her.

"This feeling of inferiority grinds me" she howls, scratching at her head, "It feels so unnatural, I am going to get rid of it forever".

"How?".

"I will aim above Clyde, yes. I will aim far above him" she says, a sick smile coming to her face. "I will achieve something so far beyond his means that I forget ever feeling this inferiority that I do now".

Santiago almost fears his student for a moment. "Dare I ask what that means for your future?".

"It means…".

"It means…".

"It means…".

She calms herself, going silent for a moment.

"It means more blood".


	125. Lara's Decision

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – LARA'S DECISION**

 **On the Way back to the Hidden Leaf Hideout**

It wasn't too long ago that Clyde gave his speech about eight backs. He spoke that day of the eight leaders that fought at the head of the recently formed alliance between his group and the Hidden Leaf. He spoke particularly of himself, Peterson and the group of Hokage who were present that day. However, at the time one person wasn't able to be there with them, that was due to Clyde's actions of course. That person was naturally, Uzumaki Naruto, the man he believed to be key to saving his world.

He still believes that Naruto will be the key. He doesn't believe it is a coincidence that Naruto is only the second person to ever master the element of 'life'. He is an inspiration. He is something beyond a leader, a hero whose presence alone makes you feel like everything will be alright. He isn't like the rest of them who had to strain for a few hours not to turn around. Naruto has always showed them his back, just as he is doing now. He keeps walking forward, never turning around to see where he has come from. No regrets, simply determination.

It has been silent for a while now, he notices. Naruto has found his determination and is simply walking towards his goal. Witnessing her master's resolution was all that Sarada required to find her own. However, he is left simply to follow in their wake. This is the first time in a while he has seen such an expression on Naruto's face.

"It's all well and good that you have found some resolve" says the general, "But what do we do now?".

"We try again, and this time we win".

Clyde expected an answer slightly less fundamental. "You make it sound easy but has anything really changed. Surely the only difference from before is that your mental state has improved".

He looks to the two-shinobi accompanying him to gauge their responses. Nothing, not the slightest flinch on the face of either as he points out how much trouble they are still in. Have they thought of some incredible route to victory, or are they simply showing an iron will that they have obtained through a life of struggle?

"Carmen has perfect control over her position" Clyde continues, getting no response. "Even if you hit her with your strongest attack it does nothing".

"Then, I'll just have to hit her when she isn't expecting it" Naruto says, his eyes still firmly fixed to his front.

The environment around them changes as they leave the hilly moorland environment of the academy and return to the plain grasslands where the hideout is located. They are safe here, it's more idyllic, somewhat like home.

"What if we shatter her foundation" Sarada asks, recalling what she witnessed during their previous battle with Carmen.

Foundation, one of the battle principles. Carmen roots herself into the ground and maintains her position. She becomes an immovable object. A technique useless against those stronger than yourself but helpful against the weak who battle with manoeuvrability.

"Many have tried to shatter Carmen's foundation. The majority have failed" Clyde says, "However, it must have been done in the past at least once".

"It must have been done in the past? Have you seen it done?".

"No, I haven't" Clyde admits, "And I don't know that it has been done since Emperor Endou rose to power".

Thousands of years. That is the time scale they are dealing with, Sarada realises. It's quite possible that Carmen's foundation hasn't been broken since before Clyde's birth. That foundation will have become many times stronger in that time interval. Shattering it again may be impossible for those on the same level as Carmen, never mind for those, like themselves, who are weaker than the aristocrat.

After taking a few more steps, the trio stop in their tracks. It appears that they have no external stimulus, that they all became aware of impending danger simultaneously. It's as if they are all blessed with a form of telepathy.

" _Hey, what's happening, why are you stopping"_ Kurama shouts, breaking his silence.

Naruto carefully turns his head to the side, looking in the direction of the impending danger. _"He's coming"._

His prophecy comes true as once more he does the impossible and ends up encountering three of their most familiar adversaries.

Hashirama.  
Boruto.  
Tao Ma.

The three of them change their course slightly and come face-to-face with Naruto, Sarada and Clyde once more.

It doesn't take a genius to work out how their fight against Carmen must have gone. Though clearly, given the time frame, they must have persisted in their battle for a long time. Their clothes are battered and torn, with Tao Ma's in an even greater state of disrepair than usual. The cuts and bruises on their faces appear deep and painful. Their injuries, Naruto decides, must have been much worse before, as Hashirama likely tended to them with his medical prowess.

The three of them lost against Carmen.

"Woah, woah, woah" Clyde rushes to say. He holds out his hands before him, gesturing for calm. "We don't want any trouble here, let's just go our separate ways peacefully".

Tao Ma laughs. Initially the same sadistic laugh as usual but Boruto looks at him with concern. There are almost tears in the eyes of the crazed 'death' user.

"I'm surprised you know the meaning of the word peace" Tao Ma says.

Ignoring Tao Ma, Sarada steps forward, looking only at her fiancé. "Boruto, you look hurt, are you alright?".

"Yeah" he answers. "You seem to have recovered from before".

"Yeah".

In any other situation, Naruto would take a moment to be delighted at the interaction. His son and student are talking again. They're concerned for each other's welfare. He can't afford to pay attention to details like that now though, all he has to worry about is this encounter and any long-term repercussions for the village.

"Hashirama, did you lose to Carmen as well?".

Screwing his fist tightly, Hashirama responds, "Don't get too cocky Naruto. I may have lost but I am still confident in my ability to defeat you".

"Maybe… perhaps 'death' is an element that 'life' is destined to lose against. But if you force me to fight we can find out, there is nobody around after all".

"Yeah" the 1st Hokage agrees, "We can definitely fight with our full power here".

Clyde's entire body goes cold. That is a large part of why they didn't fight before. At the bottom of each group's philosophy is a desire to do what is best for the Hidden Leaf Village. Each group simply has a different view on how to achieve that. They are willing to fight one another but never to the immediate detriment of the village that they love. However, now there is nobody around from that village. There is nothing to stop Hashirama from attacking and trying to wrest control of the village from Naruto.

One after another, combinations of chakra and divine energy flare.

Boruto.  
Sarada.  
Tao Ma.  
Clyde.  
Hashirama.  
Naruto.

If anyone with less power than this group were to stumble by they would be absolutely stunned. On their respective levels, each individual has a claim to fame. Each one of them puts out such a tremendous pressure that it shakes the very grass around them without their even moving.

Just as the howling pressure of the wind appears to be steadying, it intensifies further as Naruto holds his hand out and begins to generate a 'life' enhanced tailed beast bomb. This may not be quite as strong as a concentrated attack, but it has all the power it needs to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies.

Contrary to the power he is faced with though, Hashirama stands opposite his adversary unphased, ready to take on any impending attacks.

"Please wait a minute" Boruto says, placing himself between his father and his master. "Now is not the time to be fighting, it would only weaken each other. No matter what, we have the same ultimate goal here, to kill Furst Jonas".

"Good point".

Boruto, Sarada, Tao Ma and Clyde are all quick to calm their aura's, leaving only the two most powerful ones left. Naruto and Hashirama are still at pistol's drawn.

"Well Hashirama?" Naruto says with the tailed-beast bomb still in hand, "Are you willing to stand down for now?".

After a moment, the 'death' user answers. "Yes, for now".

Both the 1st and 7th Hokage retract their expanded aura's. This causes the other four to exhale lungs full of oxygen they hadn't realised they accumulated.

"Boruto is right. There is nothing to gain by fighting here" Hashirama admits. "Conversely, if you were die here then both sides would suffer a great personal loss".

"I'm glad you've seen sense".

"It is you who refuses to see sense Naruto. You continue to ally yourself with Clyde instead of us, it will come back to haunt you".

Clyde worries each time Hashirama speaks on the subject. The 1st Hokage may not be an intellectual academic but his speeches have a charisma to them, just like Naruto's. Each time he speaks Clyde is left to wonder who will pay attention. Yet, he looks at Naruto's back for any signs of hesitation and Naruto doesn't move. This world's greatest hope isn't willing to change sides, at least not for now.

"Let's go" Hashirama says, waiting just long enough to see Naruto's reaction.

They do just that. Hashirama, Boruto and Tao Ma move past the three of them, converging back with their original course and presumably heading towards their own hideout. Clyde finally relaxes his shoulders as he realises that his plans aren't going to fall apart today.

The three of them don't move on. Instead, they stay in silence for a few minutes. Clyde would quite happily leave right now but he knows that he has the fewest decisions to make amongst the group. There is no choice left for him, simply hopes and prayers. Naruto on the other hand still has a large part of destiny that is his to determine. That is why both Clyde and Sarada wait on his first actions.

He turns around to face the two of them, offering a weak smile.

"I'm glad Boruto is still thinking clearly" he says.

"I'm not. I could deal with this if he had made an irrational decision" Sarada replies. "But knowing that he made a logical choice to turn his back on us, it hurts just that little bit more".

Naruto nods, lowering his head after he does so. He knows that perhaps Sarada is right. Perhaps if Boruto had gone insane or had been corrupted by a dark incomprehensible force, this would be easier on them. However, thanks to the dying words of the deceased and the war Clyde once brought to their world, Boruto has made a rational choice to fight against them.

The general walks over to the two of them, patting them comfortingly on their shoulders. "The two of you should calm down. If there is anyone who can make him return to the way he was, it is you two. He will eventually be forced to see what the rest of us see. He will see how brilliant the two of you are. Then, he will regret the decisions he has made".

"I hope you are right".

' _So do I'_ Clyde says to himself.

His words were not simply to comfort his companions though. They were truly spoken from the heart. If there is one thing he understands about Boruto, that is that he cares for both Sarada and Naruto. That is the sort of emotion that isn't easily destroyed. That is the sort of emotion the two of them have restored his faith in.

From their rear, they hear the rumbles of a travelling group, like the footsteps of approaching wildebeest.

Clyde is quick to recognise that this is likely a group of humans. Animals are common in this region but are never brought together in such large groups. He prepares to ask Sarada to use her rinnegan and see who the approaching group is, but his question is answered before he can do so.

"You!" a voice screams as its owner approaches.

He is stunned.

"Lara!".

Lara arrives at the head of a large army, the broken and battered remains of what invaded the pocket world not too long ago. A group containing Elliot, Brooks and Blackburn. This is a group that a short time ago struck fear into the heart of the pocket world, however, now is a very different story. Now Naruto and Sarada are ready to fight.

"… are you here to fight?" Naruto asks Lara, "If you are, I am ready, I won't go easy on you".

Lara simply smiles at Naruto, flexing her fingers as if to reach for an invisible weapon. This is a look she has given to her prey for hundreds of years, the look of the military's greatest leader that strikes fear into the hearts of her victims.

"No" Clyde says, calming Naruto. "She's not here to fight. That wouldn't be possible. You could defeat her alone. With Sarada and me by your side it would be easy".

"Clyde. Do you think I am afraid of you because of a single defeat" she asks, raising a used glass from her pocket and throwing it into the ground. With the shattered glass, Lara marks her comfort zone. "Do you think the most feared general in the history of the military is going to lie down and roll over?".

"I don't know what you will do now Lara, I found you impossible to understand, a mystery that nobody will ever solve".

Clyde's comments clearly frustrate Lara. She frowns and the murderous look in her eyes is replaced by one of contempt. She hates it when people do this to her, look at her as if she is a puzzle to solve. However, for many people that is what she always has been. How could someone with so much talent and potential end up such a way? How could a person such as her come to exist? What differed between Clyde's path and her own that she would end up so broken?

"Clyde. I no longer care about killing you. I have decided to set my sights high above you. Yes. So much higher than you" she announces.

"Are you going to start killing again?".

Her smile returns. "I am going to remind you that you are my subordinate, just like they are" she says, point to the other generals with her thumb. "So stop standing beside those two and get behind me, because that's where you belong".

Clyde is uncertain of how to interpret Lara's orders. Is there no longer animosity between them? He could get use to that. However, the tone is slightly condescending, unbefitting of his status as her equal. Either way, he knows where he belongs now. It is not behind Lara.

"… I have no intention of obeying that order".

"You would disobey me? I don't believe that you have the guts to do so. You are a man of principles and honour".

"Then why would I follow a woman who has neither".

"Because you still wear that cape of gold on your back. You are still in the uniform you have always worn. By wearing that uniform, you are announcing to the world that you are under my command" Lara explains. "So either stop wearing it or stop disrespecting me by doing so".

Clyde reaches his hand up and clutches hold of the golden garment. This has been part of his attire for so long now, it's like part of his body. He berated Martin on countless occasions for disrespecting this uniform. Has he ever respected it though, why has he wore it for so long if he doesn't fight for the emperor. Then he realises why he wears it. It's because he does respect the emperor. The true emperor.

"This uniform does not symbolise my falling under your command. It shows my loyalty to the man named Endou Akashi" he tells his former leader. "I will not stand at your rear, I will proudly stand beside this man, Uzumaki Naruto".

"Very well!".

A golden 'light' cloak appears around Lara, putting her into her most powerful state as divine energy emits from her core.

"I knew that you wouldn't make this easy Clyde".

In an instant, Naruto pulls a kunai to his hand and shrouds it in the element of 'life'. This isn't an element that transcends a level life 'light'. This is an element that transcends two levels. This is the element of the previous emperor. While Naruto's understanding of his element is inferior to Lara's, when he combines his divine energy with his chakra, he outpowers her enormously.

Out of fear, everyone under Lara's command takes a single step backward.

This is the man they didn't have to fight before. This is the man at the head of the Hidden Leaf Village. This is the one who they have had nightmares about since witnessing his power.

"It looks like I will be made to fight after all" Naruto says. "Lara, you haven't fought me before, but you surely know how this is going to go. Will you fight me regardless?".

It is a fight she will certainly lose, what will Lara say?

"I am who I am, no matter who I stand in front of, next to, or behind".

Naruto takes that as a yes. "Very well".

Lara teleports to Naruto's front before he can react. He is amazed straight away by her teleportation speed and technique. Unlike his father's it requires no marker or prior preparation. Unlike his sensei's it requires no time to traverse gaps in space-time. It's a seemingly perfect teleportation technique.

Lara grabs hold of Naruto's collar with both hands.

Sarada is the first to respond to this, gathering the energy of the sun on her fist and preparing to attack. She is interrupted by Clyde's hand though as he beckons to the 9th Hokage not to attack.

"Listen to me" Lara whispers, before shouting. "You will listen to me, Uzumaki Naruto!".

She lowers her head as she speaks, yet her voice has the imperious nature of a queen speaking to her citizens.

"I despise you Uzumaki Naruto".  
"Ever since you have shown up, my entire world has been turned on it's head".  
"Before you were here, Clyde was a coward afraid to act".  
"He was afraid to act how he knew he should, he was weaker than I was".  
"I was on top of the world, the strongest general ever, destined to join the aristocracy and live an easy life where I could do no wrong".  
"But then you show up".  
"You understand an element. And not just any element, you understand 'life'. The same as the damn old man".  
"And you're strong, stronger than Clyde, stronger than me for god's sake".

Naruto looks down at the lowered head of Lara as her grip slowly weakens on his collar. He can see the shaking of her bald head, feel the trembling of her hands, sense the shaking in her voice. He doesn't know whether this is a rant or a cry for help.

"Lara, I don't know who you are but…".

"Shut up" Lara says, tightening her grip on his collar once again. "I said you will listen to me and you will".

She lets go of his collar and steps backward.

"It's not just Clyde who annoys me, you do as well. So, I won't just finish above him, I will finish above you too. I will…".

The three of them all wonder what she will say.

"I will be the one who kills Furst Jonas" she shouts into his face.

Clyde is the first to react. "You?".

He's never heard something so ridiculous. "Lara if there is one person this world system favours, it's you. You probably came from a troubled background, but your ruthless attitude, your bloodlust and above all your talent has allowed you to do whatever you want in the pocket worlds. Before now, nobody, not even I, has stopped you from doing what you want, so why kill the man who enabled it all. Your freedom can only be attributed to Furst, so why kill him?".

Sarada nods. She understands that Lara is some kind of insane killer, that she must have had a hard life to drive her to this mindset. Still, she should be a reasonably intelligent woman if she has gotten this far, how could she possibly think killing Furst would help anything?

"I don't have to explain myself to you Clyde. You are my subordinate, you work for me" she snaps, shaking her fist angrily at him. "But I have been forced to look back at my subordinates and realise there is nothing I can do to bring them up. No matter how much they train, Blackburn, Brooks and Elliot will never be able to threaten that crazy guy".

Clyde knows that Lara is telling the truth. The three of them are just too weak.

"I have only one subordinate who can help me to kill him" Lara explains, "That subordinate is you".

"Lara…".

"And not only do you have power that I need, you also have allies more powerful than yourself" she continues. "I'm looking at you two, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sarada, you are the allies of my subordinate".

Sarada suddenly grows very weary of being pulled closer to Lara, even by this tenuous connection. Lara isn't like Clyde, she has shown no remorse for her actions whatsoever. She has shown no decency nor any value for human life. Her goal revolves around killing Furst rather than saving the empire. Even now she is trying to order them around rather than apologising for the suffering and death she caused.

"We ally ourselves with Clyde" Sarada says, "What he is to you is his own business".

"That's why… that's why… you are going to help me get past Carmen" Lara says, albeit with a struggle. "You two are going to help me kill Furst Jonas, so then I can wipe this foul taste from my mouth, got it!".

The Uchiha laughs. "That's the worst way of asking for help I have ever heard!".

Then, the dreaded voice of her master comes from beside her.

"Alright" Naruto says.

Sarada turns towards him in horror. "Naruto!".

He has always been willing to give people a chance, no matter what they have done. He spoke and reconciled with the man who destroyed his entire village. Naruto used the power of speech to talk down the man who started the 4th shinobi war. However, those decisions seemed to have some merit behind them. This decision could surely only be fuelled by a childish idealism.

"I see no harm in giving her a chance" Naruto says with a shrug of his shoulders. "Besides, if we don't then how are we any different from Hashirama and Boruto".

Clyde steps Naruto's direction, pulling his shoulder. "Naruto, you are playing a dangerous game here".

Lara doesn't help herself. "Your friends are right. This doesn't make us friends. This just makes you a stepping stone on my rise to the top".

"See that, we can't trust her!".

"Let's just relax, we could definitely use the assistance of a strong ally" Naruto says, doing his best to laugh the situation off. "None of us know what may happen tomorrow or the day after. If we don't take this chance we may end up regretting it".

Clyde puffs his cheeks. "I will follow your lead Naruto".

"What you say is true" Sarada sighs. "But we may also not get the chance to regret it".

The decision stands. Naruto begins to play Lara's dangerous game.


	126. Chaos in the Camp

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – CHAOS IN THE CAMP**

 **Near the Hidden Leaf Hideout**

The walk is almost silent as the now much larger group journeys back towards the Hidden Leaf. Joined by the thousands of soldiers who call Lara their leader, a feeling of awkwardness has overcome the young blonde shinobi Uzumaki Naruto. He even hides his thoughts from Kurama as he occasionally glances back at them.

To Naruto's immediate left is Sarada, walking the closest to him of anyone. Naturally, they are family to one another, a close part of each other's life for several years now. To his right, about six paces away is Clyde, every bit as cautious as Naruto. Clyde's glances are more frequent, more panicked and perhaps more conscious of the dangers this situation poses. Then, about the same distance further again walks Lara, somehow the calmest and most collected of the four leaders.

Naruto cannot help but wonder if he has made a mistake. "Sarada, you know the villagers and their minds better than I do. Tell me, will it be hard to convince them that this is the right decision?".

Sarada's gaze snaps around from the soldiers at her rear to Naruto instead, stupefied by such a question. "Are you serious?".

For years, soldiers like the ones behind them, captains and colonels have been the bane of Sarada's existence. People in those very uniforms have slaughtered her allies, killed her friends, psychologically assaulted her loved ones. Looking back at them is enough to give her a slight fright, even though she is probably capable of defeating them all at once. For the villagers, most of whom would be powerless against this force, it would surely be ten times worse.

"Lara has been the chief organising force behind the village's suffering for years now. Within the last few weeks, she has been attacking them at their homes" Sarada explains, recalling tales of Georgia's poison net. "Furthermore, unlike Clyde, she has shown no remorse nor has there been any sort of cooldown period. So yeah, convincing them that she is worth trusting may be difficult".

Naruto looks back toward Lara, convinced that despite their distance she must know what they are saying. Her toothy smile, while child-like in its nature, is more terrifying than he could have foreseen. Those teeth are stained in blood and sharpened with bone, both metaphorically and literally.

Clyde approaches from the right, getting closer to his two more-powerful allies. "Your villagers aren't the only ones who may struggle with your forgiving her, Naruto".

"They're not?".

"Even my subordinates will likely struggle to let this go" Clyde says glumly. "After years of serving her, Lara has showed no hesitation in killing them. If her subordinates were ever to question her orders she would immediately kill them without remorse".

Killing people without remorse once they have outlived their usefulness. Naruto remembers when he had to work with such a person. Sasuke had fallen into that deep abyss where his connection with reality had been all but severed. Naruto reached his hand into that abyss and pulled Sasuke back by the scruff of the neck, the two of them went on to become the most revered duo in their world's history. Of course, Lara is not Sasuke, there is no guarantee the same thing can be done with her. However, when everybody gives up on bringing someone back from that abyss, that is when they are truly lost. Nobody ever need be lost to that darkness when Uzumaki Naruto can help them.

"I know that Lara has wronged your people in the past, but don't they realise that she is worth betting on as we move forward?" Naruto asks.

"If we were to look at it logically, it would be hard to make a rational argument for siding with Lara" Clyde says.

Clyde is right, there must be a rational element involved with redemption, reality must be forgiving. Sasuke was forgiven but it wasn't straightforward. Many of the villagers who learnt of his treachery never forgave him. He only avoided the harshest possible sentence because of a small group of people, his team. Naruto and Sakura were both heroes of the village, each of whom had tremendous political sway in the aftermath of the war. Perhaps the only person with more sway was the Hokage, Sasuke's sensei, Kakashi. Kakashi was also willing to forgive Sasuke. It could be argued that coincidence was on his side, that destiny had grouped him with the three people he would need most in his quest for forgiveness. Otherwise, what Naruto is wanting for Lara would have proven impossible for Sasuke.

"I hope my word holds enough sway with the villagers" Naruto says with a sigh.

Sarada snickers, "I'm sure that if yours doesn't then nobody else's will".

Naruto looks past Clyde and shouts to their new accomplice. "Lara, could you at least try to be friendly in front of the villagers".

"Shove it" the top general shouts in reply.

Naruto resists the urge to drop his head into his hands. He has always tried to do the right thing, to live by the high level of ethics and morals he sets himself. However, sometimes people like Lara certainly make that difficult for him.

"Give us a break, Naruto has already shown you more patience than anybody else would" Sarada says, "You could at least help us out a bit".

Two of Lara's generals creep up to her from behind, trying their best to reason with their leader.

"Lara, perhaps it would be best to try and show some restraint here" says the burly General Blackburn.

"There isn't much to gain from fighting" Brooks adds, "We do have plenty to lose though".

"Both of you should be quiet as well!" she shouts at her two subordinates.

Lara is certainly proving to have the short fuse that Sarada had predicted.

"Everyone, let's just calm down" Clyde says loudly and clearly. His leader voice, Sarada notes. "These trust issues that we have developed regarding one another won't be solved easily with words, they must be solved with actions. I say that if we can't be civil with one another, we should just ignore each other for now".

Lara's expression changes to disgust. "Clyde, you are not the man you once were?".

"No?" he asks passively.

"The old Clyde was more… he was a proud warrior, a worthy foe who strove to move forward. He wouldn't ponder obstacles or negotiate with those weaker than himself. He wouldn't have taken this route, he would have made a path with his fists, not his brains. Just what happened to you?".

"All people evolve Lara" he says reflectively, "We change to stop history from leaving us behind. Once you change you can either be forgotten or you can become something greater than before. I wasn't ready to take that gamble in the past, but now I am, that's why I changed".

"You're too philosophical. Just do what you want and don't let anyone stop you" she rebukes.

Nearby Blackburn makes his own observations of Clyde.

' _Yes. Lara is right, Clyde has changed'_ he notes, _'But he may well have changed for the better'_.

Sarada, beginning to recognise the surroundings, activates her rinnegan. The glowing purples eyes dart left and right for a couple of moments before coming to rest on the place she was looking for.

It's the village hideout.

She groans. _'This is going to be interesting'_.

Naruto can tell from Sarada's sudden reaction and the familiarity of the surroundings that they must be approaching the village. Only now does he begin to fully understand just what this must look like. Certainly, he may be walking at the front of the group, but just behind him is Lara and a group that went to war with the village just a short time ago. If you didn't have your wits about you, you could be forgiven for mistaking this as an invasion.

He wonders just what sort of response time there will be. Will the village already be on red alert at this point? Has everyone already started to prepare their weapons. It's likely to only be a few more moments, Sarada was able to see the hideout, it's likely that either the Hyuuga will see them coming or the Inuzuka will smell them. Just what will they do when that happens, how extreme a situation will he have to dissolve?

The villagers do indeed begin to panic, running and shouting so loud that it can be heard even as far away as they are. Hysteria, that's the best way to describe it. The panicked screams of the weak are only drowned out by the orders barked out by the military leaders. Naruto considers that many of his own friends are likely to be the ones shouting.

Chakra begins to flare up all across the hideout, accompanied by barriers of stone, fire and water rising up to defend it. Along with the barriers of chakra comes the mounting divine energy, an entire army's worth. The combined army of General Clyde and the Hidden Leaf Village, together they have enough might to intimidate any group in this world's military, except for one, Lara's group.

Sarada barely prevents herself from panicking. This outpouring of pure energy is likely to aggravate some of the colonels and captains in Lara's group, perhaps even to the point of eliciting a response. The last thing she needs is to have to calm them all down as they try to one-up each other with their divine energy reserves.

"… here we go then…" Clyde whispers to Naruto's concern.

A miraculous piece of luck, Minato appears out of thin air, arriving directly in front of his son Naruto.

"Naruto, what is going on? Why have you brought these people here?" Minato asks.

"Dad, we've called a truce, we're going to be working with Lara's group, at least for now".

Minato glances sideways at Lara. Unlike the trio who went on the excursion, he would not be able to survive a fight with her, he lacks comfort on a completely different level. Examining her face for the instant he dares to do so, he judges that she isn't exactly impressed with the response to her arrival. Then again, judging from the response back in the hideout, the villagers aren't impressed with her arrival either.

"I assume you can see the chaos taking place behind me?" Minato asks, pointing back over his shoulder, "I have to say that my first impression of this idea is that it's pretty bad".

"We need to give this a chance dad, it may be our only way to defeat Carmen. It may even be our only chance to successfully assassinate Furst".

Naruto looks over Minato's shoulder and sees two brilliant illuminations of gold accompanied by a wave of divine energy. He immediately realises that both Sheer and Peterson have powered up in response to the threat. The hideout as a whole is preparing for a full-scale collision.

"Lord 4th, we need to calm the situation now" Sarada says urgently, "Please teleport back and tell everyone that Lara is here peacefully".

Minato shakes his head. "This won't be a popular decision". He then teleports back to the village.

Sarada continues her attempts to diffuse any tensions, futile as it may seem. "OK Lara, your group will have to set up camp next to ours, any sort of distance you can maintain may comfort the villagers".

"This setup…" Lara begins, "This is pathetic… why are they bothering to put up this resistance…".

Lara, in less than a second, teleports away.

' _Not good'_ Naruto shouts in his head.

Lara arrives in the hideout shared by the Hidden Leaf and the Clyde group, standing exactly in the middle of Peterson and Sheer, one arm's length away from each.

The two generals panic immediately upon the arrival of their perceived enemy. Sheer reacts by lowering herself towards the ground and sweeping her leg around toward the rear of Lara's ankles. Peterson, demonstrating some of his years of experience, spins the opposite way to Sheer, volleying a punch toward Lara's face.

Once again, the response to her arrival fails to impress Lara. She teleports to Peterson's rear, pushing him forward and allowing him to be the one that takes Sheer's attack. As Sheer's leg sweeps around, she trips Peterson to the ground.

No time to do anything fancy. Sheer creates a spear of 'wind' and thrusts it twice towards Lara.

The head general dodges each of the thrusts of the 'wind' spear. Minimising her movement partially to conserve energy but mostly to mock the abilities of her inferior opponents. After dodging the spear, the second time, she creates an orb of pure 'light'. She doesn't even need to bother with divine cloaks of any kind, these opponents are too weak to justify such an excessive response.

As Lara is about to use the orb of 'light', Tobirama teleports to her side and kicks the orb of 'light' away. He then quickly grabs hold of Sheer and uses his own teleportation ability to escape as quickly as possible. As Peterson begins to fire 'lightning' towards Lara, Tobirama realises that he has made a mistake, he should have teleported further away.

Lara teleports to Tobirama's new position, grabs the 2nd Hokage and Sheer, then teleports back, using the two of them as a shield to protect against Peterson's 'lightning attack'. She finally uses an attack of blunt 'light' energy to knock the three of them down at once.

In less than ten seconds, Lara defeats three general level fighters.

"This is pathetic" she shouts. "Don't you know what this place is supposed to achieve. We are trying to kill Furst Jonas Here. After that pathetic display, tell me exactly how you are supposed to help us in any way".

"You bastard" Tobirama curses through gritted teeth, "why are you attacking us now?".

"I'm helping you to realise the truth, the truth that you are helpless in front of my superior power" she says, her hand still whirling in divine 'light' energy. "What do you hope to do when confronted by Furst Jonas?".

The frantic looks on the faces of the fallen three warriors intensify as they realise their death may be imminent, such is Lara's temper. They are only calmed by the grasp of a familiar hand.

That familiar hand grabs Lara's wrist from behind.

Lara turns to face the man who grabbed her.

It is Naruto. The speed with which he approached incomprehensible to her.

"I invited you here but don't go thinking that I'm letting you do whatever you like" he says., "You cannot talk about your superior power here, because the superior here is not yours. It is mine".

Lara doesn't say a word, she has seldom been confronted by a situation like this. Naruto is right, she is not the one with the power here. He is the one with the power. She cannot do as she likes without reserve, because he will not allow it.

"Remember what you said to me Lara, this alliance is likely temporary, and it doesn't make us friends".

A sudden warm sensation of safety wraps itself around the onlookers like a blanket. Born from Naruto's intense gaze, the knowledge of their good position is born. While he is here they are untouchable, because as intimidating as Lara is to them, Naruto is ten times worse to her followers.

Naruto throws Lara's hand to the side. The sudden burst of motion brings without a feeling of terror for the powerless. However, in an instant, Naruto takes all of the divine energy that Lara has externalised and crushes it with his own. It is as he says, the superior power is his.

The first big name to run to the scene of the action is the Circle's administrator, Nara Shikadai.

"Lord 7th" he says as he gasps for air.

"Shikadai, everyone, I'm sorry that I let my guard down for a moment" Naruto says, "But Lara's little talk shows why she is here, she isn't here to kill any of us, she is here to kill Furst".

Sheer, Peterson and Tobirama all begin to pull themselves to their feet, still reeling from the heavy blows landed on them during their ten second skirmish. Lara is a monster, but Naruto is something beyond that.

Sarada and Clyde soon arrive too, ready to help should Lara decide to react violently once again.

"You really think that she is an appropriate ally of the village" Shikadai asks, waving a pointed finger at Lara, "Even after what she just did to Lord 2nd and the two generals".

Lara speaks up. "I would remind you that the two generals are under my command, not yours Uzumaki Naruto".

"They may not be under my command, but they are under my protection".

This statement brings great comfort to Peterson and Sheer, both of whom would much rather serve under Naruto than Lara.

"Listen, Lord 7th, this woman will not aid our efforts in any way, in fact she will surely act as a hinderance and will disrupt our unity". Shikadai argues his case with a passion not usually seen from the Nara clansmen who typically only oversees debates.

"Shikadai, in the end I left this decision to Naruto" Sarada admits, "As the Hokage, he had every right to make this decision".

"He should have spoken with the Circle on the matter first".

Tobirama dusts himself down. "What Shikadai says is correct Naruto. Personally speaking, I would have been grateful for some warning prior to the new arrival".

Clyde takes a moment to observe the body language of those around him. Sheer, Peterson and Tobirama are still very much in defensive positions, only natural given that they were just in a fight. Shikadai is unusual, one of the only people present who is showing no fear, perhaps driven by his rage. The most relaxed person is Naruto, seemingly unfazed by the verbal thrashing he is being dealt by his parliament's administrator.

"Everyone, let's just calm down, we don't need to fight this issue right now" Clyde says, "It might be best if the newcomers set up camp and we all had a little rest for a while. I think we could all do with a drink for now, don't you Lara?".

Lara takes a moment to note any potential aggressors before relaxing her shoulders. "Fine by me, I have bigger things to worry about than you people".

Together with Brooks, Elliot and the remainder of her subordinates, Lara heads off to set up camp nearby to the other two groups. She leaves only one person behind, perhaps unknowingly, that person is General Blackburn.

"General Clyde, allow me to praise you for how you handled a dangerous situation" Blackburn says, "We've had a rough start, but I promise I will do my best to maintain strong relations between our three groups".

Sarada agrees. Clyde defused the situation with a few well-placed words rather than by using his fists. He acted as a leader should and managed to calm what had previously been a violent encounter. His actions have indeed been praiseworthy. Had he been born a shinobi instead of a general, he would likely have made a good Hokage.

"Blackburn, if nothing else you have always been an honourable soldier, thanks for your kind words" Clyde replies. He isn't particularly in the mood for pleasantries but must act as he speaks. "Now go, it would be best for us all if you were to be near Lara and offer her a rational voice".

Blackburn salutes. "Of course". He then leaves.

A moment of silence passes while everyone collects themselves and the beating of their hearts slows. As per usual, one of the quickest to transition from alert to calm is the 2nd Hokage Tobirama.

"General Blackburn appears to be the most civil member of Lara's group" the 2nd Hokage declares, "He should probably function as a messenger between the two of us".

"A messenger?" Shikadai's brow creases as he questions the decision. "Have you changed your mind about their remaining here Lord 2nd?".

"I don't know".

"Surely you don't believe…".

"Look, we're all getting a bit too hot about this right now" Sarada says, silencing everyone once more. "I think we should take Clyde's suggestion. Let's all head back home, cool down, have a drink and relax".

Shikadai has none of it. "This isn't the time for that, the enemy is right at our doorstep".

"The enemy is in the imperial palace" Naruto retorts.

The two share an intense glare. The most respected voice within the Circle and the man who administers the debate. The man who thinks profoundly with the soul and the man who thinks profoundly with the mind. It is the latter whom, after a moment's pause, reduces his intensity and gives way in the argument.

"You are right Lord 7th. I am sorry" Shikadai says. "However, as the administrator of the Circle, I have to do the right thing for the village and call an emergency meeting".

"OK" Sarada says, "That's a good idea. Give us an hour to…".

"No, we're having an emergency meeting now" Shikadai insists. "Lord 2nd, please gather the other members of the Circle".

The teleporter accepts the suggestion and agrees with Shikadai. He uses the flying thunder god technique, disappearing to quickly collect the village's remaining decision makers.

"I hope you've got some strong arguments prepared, Lord 7th, Lord 9th. You may struggle to convince the Circle of this decision".


	127. Can Lara Stay

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – CAN LARA STAY**

 **The Circle**

Shikadai looks around the table, the circle has never been quite so frantic as this before. Whether it is the wary look on Tobirama's face, the distance Shinki has put between himself and his neighbour, or Naruto's incessant scratching of his arm, nobody seems to be able to keep themselves calm. All because of these newcomers, they really shouldn't even be here. However, fate has conspired against them to make sure nothing can be easy, what else can they do but fight back? That is all they have ever done is it not?

"It seems like we are all here" Shikadai says as Hiruzen arrives and sits in the one remaining vacant chair. "Good, I'm sure you all realise that the situation is very… unusual".

Unusual is one way of putting it. Terrifying is another. The newcomer is enough to scare most members of the circle, how any of the shinobi or captains are keeping their nerve is beyond Shikadai's understanding. As for the villagers, he imagines it must be their ignorance to Lara's true power that is keeping them going. This decision was made by one 7th Hokage, one of the very few who have no reason to be afraid.

"Unusual is an understatement" Kakashi bluntly summarises, "Couldn't you have warned us about this Naruto?".

"I'm sorry Kakashi sensei, I should have sent a clone ahead to inform you of what was going to happen".

Shikadai directs the conversation. "I'm sure you all know by now that Lara and her subordinates have arrived and are setting up camp next to us".

This fact has not escaped the notice of the Hokage nor Clyde's generals.

"We have a representative of Lara's here" Shikadai continues, "This is General Elliot, some of you may remember him as the man who fought Mirai and…".

"I remember him" comes the disgruntled voice of Tsunade, "… he's the man who killed Dan, isn't he?".

"… yes".

The statement and the silence that follows it is the hardest blow that could have been dealt to Naruto. He remembers that day, remembers Dan dying and refusing to battle with Elliot for the sake of the children behind him. He remembers the suffering he caused by being too slow going in that direction and the suffering he caused by being absent in the other. Half of that suffering was caused by Elliot, and that pain is ten times worse for Tsunade. Now, for once, perhaps he cannot take the moral high ground in such a debate.

Tsunade holds the room's attention and makes best use of it. "Let's just get on with this discussion shall we".

"I am not here to apologise" Elliot says.

He and Tsunade share an intense look at one another. Tsunade hates the way he is. That neatly trimmed hair, the pristine uniform that puts everyone else to shame, the perfect posture which he maintains. This man isn't just in the military because of his circumstances, his manor of being is ideal for it. He was born to be a soldier. He has no emotional connection to any of his actions, he just follows orders. People who follow orders without question, the world has no need for people like that.

"I am not here to show remorse for my actions in the past" Elliot continues. "I am just a piece on the chess board and Lara is the player. With that said, I have no malicious intentions either. I simply want for your mightiest warriors to assist Lara and for the rest of us to keep out of the way".

A pair of heavy hands slam on the table and Peterson jumps to his feet.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Lara's pawn, what a joke?".

"Peterson…" Clyde says, attempting to calm his friend.

"I have worked my entire life, just as so many have, to put on this cape of gold, to earn the title of general. But, even now I cannot compare to you" Peterson says, his shoulders heaving as he shouts at Elliot. "You have status as Lara's second-in-command. You're a revered general known throughout the military, yet when you are asked who you are, you claim to be her pawn! Have some respect for that cape. You are a General of Endou Akashi's army!".

Elliot maintains his cool, crossing his arms to reply. "I know better than you what it means to wear this golden cape Peterson. I also understand, unlike you, that it calls to everyone in different ways".

"Alright!" Sheer, raises her voice to cease the conversation. Placing a hand on Peterson's shoulder, she ushers him back down into his chair. "We're not here to argue about your attitude, we are here to argue about whether you should be here at all".

"Of course, we should, we are a great asset to your military strength. You do wish to take on Furst Jonas, do you not?".

"We do" Naruto answers.

"Then working together is the best solution, isn't it?"

Peterson sits down, closing his eyes as he raises his hands up to straighten his cape. He lost his temper before but promises himself to act a bit more dignified moving forward.

"I disagree with you. Your presence here has already begun to cause cracks in the group. People are uneasy. Tensions are running high" Peterson says. "If it were not for the incredibly strong bond shared by the people around this table, we would already be at one another's throats".

"A strong bond keeps you united? Don't be ridiculous! You are members of the military, not a social club" Elliot sternly says, "You are united by discipline, you function as one through years of drills and practice and you obey Lara. Lara is your commander, not Uzumaki Naruto".

"This ridiculous, everyone is just getting emotional because this issue is personal" Tobirama groans while nursing his injuries from before. "That should be evidence enough to settle this issue, shouldn't it?".

"I agree" Kakashi says. "Cohesion won't be possible here".

Sheer looks to two others in the room. First to Tsunade, then to Sarada. "… Elliot, you and I have caused great hurt to the people of this table. Could you at least try, for Lara, to apologise and improve unity? These Kage, they are not Lara's followers".

Elliot doesn't hesitate for a moment. "Very well, I apologise".

Minato doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. "That was hardly a sincere apology".

"I'm sorry, it can't go on like this, we're getting nowhere".

"Everyone, calm down, we need to…".

Once more the room is silence as two hands slam down onto the circular table at which they sit. Everyone is drawn to the key man in the room, the one who made the decision to bring Lara here. All eyes gravitate towards Naruto.

"If you would like to hear what I want to say" he says, quieting his voice now that the volume in the room has dimmed. "Then I think Lara should stay".

Clyde stops for a moment and enjoys what Naruto is, at least in this room. He hopes that one day, Naruto can have this sort of impact across the world. Naruto has the same effect on people as Endou Akashi did. It's not just his power, otherwise Sarada would have this unknown power too. The power to move people, not just with your words but the conviction behind them. A kindness, a determination, a collection of principles that can't be shaken or rocked. When he speaks people can't help but listen and realise that he is just so right. When Boruto and Hashirama stand opposite Naruto, they must doubt themselves because of this quality, everyone else does.

"Lord 7th, I know that your feelings on this matter are strong and you have good reason for them to be" Shikadai says, "But is the Circle not a place for rational thought? Isn't this where we make logical decisions that benefit the Hidden Leaf Village?".

"No, the Circle is a place where leaders of the3 people outside this tent can speak their mind equally. Everyone here has a turn, everyone must place every argument they can think of out there and whichever everyone agrees with is where the village stands? Isn't that what you said when you created the Circle?".

Elliot takes a passive moment to observe the interaction. He's no master of psychology, but he can detect the new-born tension between these two people driven by opposite instincts. One driven by his brain, the other by his heart. He determines that this is likely the first time they have clashed in this way and that they are currently jockeying for political position. An interesting occurrence to watch, something he can learn from.

"Lord 7th, you may speak" Shikadai says after a moment.

Everyone listens intently to what Naruto has to say.

"Listen, I know that you all hate these people working with Lara for what they have done to us. Frankly, I feel the same, they make me feel sick". Naruto points childishly at Elliot. "I saw this guy do something vile, take a friend right in front of me while I could do nothing to stop him. I had to stay where I was, I had to protect the children of the village from him… I had to protect children! But you can't achieve everything without help, no, to achieve the most difficult things, you need help from as many people as possible".

A central principle of Naruto's successful philosophy. Dozens of people he used to call his enemies, including Clyde, have helped him to get where he is today.

"You would argue that even your enemies can help you?" Tobirama asks incredulously, thinking to his family's battle with Madara and the Uchiha.

"It is because our enemies are so different to us that they can teach us so much" Naruto says passionately. "Opposites may seem incompatible but together they achieve more than they ever could apart".

"Lord 7th, you're speaking with metaphors instead of logic".

"And is there something wrong with that?".

Once more they clash, heart and mind.

Minato sighs as he watches the debate take place. For the moment, he and everyone else has forgotten that Shikadai is not here to debate. He speaks sense, he argues from a point of pure logic. Normally, Minato would side with Naruto in a situation like this, even at risk of his own life. However, trying to convince thousands of scared villagers to stay next door to their worst enemies is difficult. It is hard to persuade terrified people, especially when your rationale is moral, not logical.

"Logic is reality. Lara's strength may be great, but her attitude will harm unit in a way we can never recover from" the Nara clansmen says. "If this goes wrong, if hatred for her rises within one of us, or if she gets frustrated and kills one of us, this is all over. That small, seemingly insignificant moment could well lead to the downfall of this alliance".

"Of course, it could, we're already taking a huge risk with what we're doing. But while we are risking so much, we are achieving so little and there is an opportunity to change something right in front of us".

Sarada raises her hand slightly from the table, politely begging to speak. "If I may say something, I do think we need to change, otherwise we will never defeat Carmen".

"Yes, that's true" Clyde agrees.

Suddenly, a far more logical point supports the idea of Lara staying. Nobody can argue with these three since nobody else can stand up to Carmen. The three of them alone have the power to fight against this protective aristocrat and Lara is the only other person who can help them.

With all the talk of killing Furst, a few people in the room began to overlook Carmen. Carmen is nothing to be overlooked though. A blind warrior who rebalanced her senses and is revered as a genius of five principles. Someone who brought technique into a world ruled almost solely by raw power. Together, Naruto, Sarada and Clyde could not defeat her, perhaps adding a fourth person to that battle would make the difference.

"We risked everything by coming here, we bet on our ability to pull off a miracle and kill a god" Naruto admits, "And if there is one thing I can tell that Lara is good at, that one thing is killing people".

"And how will you take responsibility when she ends up killing us?".

"The same way I will take responsibility if we don't accept her help and fail. Either way, I will die, I will lead the Hidden Leaf Village into its final battle".

"And is that good enough?".

The Kage in the room reflect on that question. They have all felt a dread that Shikadai has never had to feel. They have all had to worry that they may be the one to lead the village to its end. Shinki very nearly did that with his own village, an experience which lead him to a dark alliance with Jashin. Nobody would want to be the last Kage, such a thing would surely make you the worst Kage of all. It would be a great irony if that worst Kage turned out to be Naruto.

The Kage then have to reflect on themselves. They all worry about whether this is the right decision as the village leaders but are failing to look at Naruto himself. He is taking a tremendous risk, gambling on his own judgement and placing his entire life's work on the line. He is the only one who is being proactive in trying to solve this situation. The youngest of them all and he is doing the most. What right do they have to complain?

"Myself, Sarada, Clyde, we are the only ones strong enough to fight Carmen" Naruto says, "But we can't do it alone, and Lara is the only one who can help us. I believe that the best thing we can do is give her a chance. That is what I will always believe".

Shikadai nods, taking a deep breath. "What do the members of the Circle say".

"I'm willing to bet on it". Tobirama surprises Shikadai and he is not alone.

"You're betting on Lara?".

"No, I'm betting on Naruto's belief".

"As am I" Hiruzen says.

"And me" Minato nods.

"Of course" Peterson smiles, "How could I not bet on it?".

"Yes" Sheer adds her voice.

Kakashi is the next to speak. "I believe Naruto will go down as history's greatest Hokage. So yeah, I will bet on him too".

"I agree" Clyde says.

"And me" Sarada adds.

"As the leader of the Hidden Sand, I agree" declares the last Kazekage, Shinki.

Elliot raises his hand, symbolically signalling his agreement which they had already taken for granted.

"Lord 5th?" Shikadai asks.

Tsunade looks at Elliot but her mind lingers on Dan, the man he killed. She has more cause than anyone to hate Lara and her followers. If it weren't for them, she may never have lost her grandmother, her grandfather may never have betrayed them, and Dan would never have died.

She overlooks her hatred though. "I'll bet on Naruto every time, that's what Dan would have done".

Shikadai, seemingly the only opponent of the idea, nods reluctantly. "OK, OK, Lara's group will remain here for now".

"Emergency meeting concluded".

The tension slowly dissipates as the meeting ends and each member of the Circle heads their separate ways.

 **The Uzumaki Tent**

Outside the tent Minato holds his son by the shoulders for a moment and gives him a firm shake.

"It'll be fine Naruto, if anyone can make the right call in a situation like this, it's you".

"Yeah. I hope you're right. You know, I always wanted to be someone who would do what is best for the village. I wanted to be someone who the people would look to when they felt like they were in danger".

Minato smiles. He wasn't there for Naruto's childhood. He and Kushina, because of their time-travelling nature, weren't even there for their son's birth. In spite of that, his chest swells with an incredible pride when he hears what his son has achieved. He strived for so many years to be acknowledged, to become the Hokage, to be different to those who came before him and finally make the world a better place. He had been the one to tackle the cycle of hatred that Jariya had spoken of.

"You've accomplished your dream Naruto. You convinced a room full of Kage and Generals to follow your plan".

"I impressed them with my history and attitude though. Shikadai was right to doubt me, my logic didn't make any sense".

The 4th Hokage laughs playfully, "Naruto, you're not the logical Hokage. You're not the Hokage who thought everything through and made the right choice every time. In all honesty, you may be the most flawed Hokage we've ever had".

"Wow, thanks dad" Naruto snorts.

"That's why people respect you though. Because in the situations where we are confronted by the impossible, where it seems like the world is against us, we turn to you. It's not because of how brilliant you are, nor how powerful you are. It's because we know you had to overcome so many obstacles before and that nobody is better at it than you".

The son smiles, happy to receive a compliment from his father. "Thank you, dad, that means a lot".

The two of them, having shared their kind words, enter the tent. Naruto is immediately confronted by Hinata who approaches him and hugs him tightly. He hasn't seen her since he got back and the second they reunite it feels to him like a year's worth of stress washes away.

"I thought something terrible had happened when Lara came back with you".

"Don't worry, there's no way anything bad will happen while I'm here" Naruto grins.

He and Hinata hug once again before he sits down and pours himself a drink of water.

"Has Sarada come back yet" Naruto asks after looking around.

"No, I don't think she has been here at all today. She got up before me and left to do some work".

Naruto sighs. This morning he got up and immediately met with Clyde and Sarada to head to the academy. It seems now that Sarada was working before he had even woken up.

' _What are you doing Sarada?'_.

 **Lara's Camp**

Sarada looks over the lists she has in front of her. Dozens of lists scattered across tens of papers. She looks through them all one more time, double-checking that she hasn't missed anything.

"OK, so you have adequate supplies of water and food?".

The man she is speaking to is General Elliot, her former adversary.

"Yes, we have enough food and water".

"Do you have any spare if we need it?" she asks.

"We have enough out here to last for weeks. We also have easy ways to stock up on supplies should we need it" Elliot summarises.

Sarada wonders just how they intend to do that. Is this military man also a farmer in his spare time? Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion washes over her and her eyes almost shut before she forces them open. She decides this isn't the time to be wondering about things like that and asks the important questions to keep her mind focused.

"Your camp sticks our more than ours from afar. I will send a group of specialists to assist with camouflaging it".

Elliot raises an eyebrow. "Do you think your techniques are superior to ours?".

"Stealth and hiding are specialties of shinobi. We spend our entire life training like that" she explains. "Is morale high for your troops or do you need provisions to improve it".

"We have ways to keep morale high. You may not believe me, but my subordinates do share a sense of camaraderie, much like Clyde's".

Sarada raises her pen to the paper instinctively, only to realise that isn't on her checklist. Self-consciously, she scribbles something down, so she won't appear a fool. She knows now that her mind is drifting, that she is far too tired to deal with things like this. However, she can't afford to lose focus, not now, she doesn't want to.

"That's good. It looks like we have no problems there" Sarada says, raising a hand to her swaying head. "Patrols and scouts! You can obviously patrol further away than us with your superior speeds but the Hyuuga and Inuzuka clans are superior sensors to your own. We will coordinate the two groups to increase our area of coverage".

"… you're a good soldier" Elliot offers, waking Sarada from her near-automatic routine.

"Sorry?".

"It is a pity that you were born a shinobi. Your determination, comprehension skills and your work ethic would all make you an admirable member of our military".

"I wouldn't want to be a soldier, I'm happy as a shinobi".

"Are you, you seem exhausted?".

Sarada activates her Mangekyo Sharingan. It appears an aggressive stand-offish gesture at first, but Elliot never interprets it that way. It is simply a façade that he sees straight through. The 9th Hokage on the other hand, is grateful for the sting at the back of her eyes for the first time in her life. That pain keeps her awake, putting her just a tiny bit more alert. It staves of unconsciousness for just another moment, helps her to avoid the elephant in the room that is her life.

"I don't need you worrying about me!".

"Is that not what you believe comrades do?" Elliot asks.

"I… the other Kage are under a lot of pressure, especially Naruto" Sarada eventually manages to say, "Anything I can do to relive that pressure will be a boost to our aspirations".

Elliot looks questioningly at Sarada. He does so for just a few seconds, but it feels like a lifetime to the Uchiha clanswomen. Eventually, the general says, "OK, as long as you're telling the truth, you will be fine. As for the others, who knows?".

"Are you done" Sarada growls at Elliot.

"I'm just reminding you that your duties lie with your family as well as your subordinates".

"Everyone in the village is my family… I'm the Hokage".


	128. Fighting Carmen Again

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – FIGHTING CARMEN AGAIN**

 **Approaching Carmen**

The shinobi-soldier alliance once more approaches the rear entrance to the imperial palace, only this time they have Lara with them. Naruto is determined that this time will be different, that she will be the missing piece of the puzzle, that she will give them the help they need to defeat Carmen. At the same time, he laments that he shouldn't need her help. If Boruto and Hashirama had never turned their back on hope, then the villages four mightiest shinobi could have fought together. If such a thing had come to pass, they may well have been able to defeat Carmen.

There are clear groups that have formed as they move towards Carmen once again. One group walks at the front consisting of the villages leading shinobi and of Clyde's most senior soldiers. The group walking immediately behind them consists entirely of shinobi, their faces stoic and their minds focused, they are yet to trust any of their otherworldly allies. The next two groups stand one slightly to the left, one slightly to the right. On the left are a mix of shinobi and Clyde's captains, doing their best to work together despite their many years of fighting. On the right are Lara's group, isolated by their actions and by their lack of regret.

At the head of Lara's group is the woman herself. Her intensity is unwavering, she's not focused but as per usual, she appears ready to snap at a moment's notice. This is the Lara that has put everyone on edge for years, a tap on her shoulder may be enough to set her off.

"Lara, I hope you won't find it impudent if I ask you a question" Elliot asks, his tone as respectful as it always has been.

"Stop messing around and get on with it Elliot" she replies sharply.

"Is it really necessary to ally yourself with these people, quite frankly I am certain we could work without them".

"Oh, what makes you think that?".

"If we were to go rogue and work together, it would only take a few tens of years before collected several strength training manuals" Elliot begins. "We may even find one that can train you to a level three in that regard, that would almost put you on a level with Furst. Why do you resent patience, why not use this method to attempt a solo assassination with a greater chance of success"?

Brooks and Blackburn are each drawn in by Elliot's line of questioning. Certainly, the method would require more patience, but it would also be more effective. Furthermore, with this method Lara wouldn't have to work with Clyde or the pocket worlders. Overall, if they had to choose which option suited Lara's character more, Elliot's method is what they would have picked.

"You really ask some difficult questions don't you" Lara moans loudly.

"I would appreciate it if you would answer me ma'am, at least in recognition of my respect for you".

Lara admires her second-in-command for a split second. Very few of her followers would dare to press her with a question like this.

"Fine, if you want the truth then I am simply being impatient" she admits. "I want to kill Furst, I want to get rid of this feeling as soon as possible. You won't understand the feeling, but I have been on top of the food chain my entire life. I have never felt the sensation of defeat, of failure". Lara spits, "It's revolting, it makes me sick to my stomach and I can't stand it".

"Is rushing yourself to be rid of the feeling really worth the additional risk it entails?".

Lara grins to herself, a happy yet innocent smile seldom seen on her face. "I think there is something else to be gained from this alliance anyway".

"What would that be?".

"I don't know. It's like it's there but you can't see it or hear it. Know what I mean, Elliot?".

"The idea is intangible to you?".

"Call it whatever fancy name you want. I think there is a feeling amongst these people. It's a feeling I don't understand yet. If I understand this thing, this emotion that they share, it may be enough to push me back above Clyde".

Blackburn has never known Lara to be like this. Always impulsive and doing whatever she wants, her desires have been easy to read but never have her motivations been clear. Whatever has pushed Lara into doing what she does he doesn't know, whether it was a traumatic incident in childhood or the effects of being raised as the number one genius, something damaged her. Normally, Lara resents emotions or anything sentimental, even when it is suggested that they could make her stronger. Perhaps whatever this feeling is, it is affecting everyone, even the head general.

"I spoke with Sarada previously" Elliot reveals. "She is perhaps the most naturally gifted fighter I have ever met, maybe even more than yourself".

"Are you trying to annoy me?".

"No ma'am, but I felt it in Naruto too. It's the way people look at him, like he is more than a leader. They look at him like…" Elliot hesitates, searching his vocabulary for the right word. "They look at him like he is an angel".

Lara snorts. "As long as you're impressed with them".

"Didn't you say they impressed you too ma'am"?

"I didn't say it was the two of them I was impressed with".

Elliot stumbles over his own words. Naruto and Sarada are easily the most powerful individuals amongst them. Their power comes in spite of their youth and despite their often-questionable leadership practice people look at them in awe. If it wasn't them that Lara was looking at, who was it?

 **Near the Front**

Clyde's subordinates, namely the colonels and generals, pull him aside to ask him a few questions.

"General, is this really a good idea? We were trying to protect Naruto from Lara a short while ago."

Clyde resists the temptation to laugh at himself. What a ridiculous mistake that had been. "I didn't realise how strong Naruto was before. I was foolish, he doesn't need protecting from Lara, he never has".

"This is really risky though" Grace continues, "I don't think anything has changed from before. We can't just suddenly trust Lara".

"Grace has a point sir" Burns nods, "Lara has repeatedly made things difficult for you in the past. She hasn't given you any reason to trust her now".

Sisto adds his contribution. "I agree, trusting Lara is a bad idea".

"You guys, listen to me" Peterson smiles at the colonels. "I know it's a hard idea to go with, I doubted it too at first, in fact I still do. But if you had seen Naruto argue for her, you may believe in her too. This is a chance worth gambling on, even if the odds aren't in our favour".

"General!" Grace looks to Clyde, desperately hoping he will not continue this line of thought.

"I don't think we have much to lose by attempting this here" Clyde says with a shrug. "If you don't trust Lara then trust Carmen. Carmen has a conscience, something we lost for years. If Lara does betray us, then Carmen won't let her kill us".

"Isn't Carmen our enemy?"

"No. Carmen is protecting us because she sees us allies. She is simply misguided in what is the best way to do that" Clyde explains. "I want her to remain an ally forever. Even as we fight her we must respect her, for the old man".

"For the old man" they repeat, as if toasting Endou Akashi's memory.

If only Endou were still around, things may be so different.

 **The Rear Entrance to the Imperial Palace**

The ensemble of shinobi and soldiers come to a halt a good distance away from the small rear entrance to the imperial palace. From front to back, they all know what this stop means for them. If they have stopped it can only mean one thing, they have arrived, and Carmen is stood before them once again. For the vast majority this is the point where they stop and pray for a miracle. For the four elite warriors of the group, this is the point where they peel away and walk toward their destiny.

Lara teleports to the front, placing herself right next to her closest rival. "Clyde, come on".

"It has been a long time since we fought together Lara, you could at least use a more respectful tone. In front of our teacher, you should remember some manners".

All together, the four of them step forward, marching towards Lara at the same time.

To those behind them they look like four giants, striding towards the greatest obstacle the world can put before them. To the one in front of them, they most likely look like insects. Each step they take though has a great effect on their minds. Each seems to send an imaginary ripple through the floor, each step is a seismic event drawing all eyes towards it. This foursome means business.

As they get close to Carmen, she raises her head revealing her failing eyes. The two brilliant white orbs shine behind a head of dishevelled hair and are surrounded by patches of dead or decaying skin. These injuries are unique and can only obtained in very unique circumstances.

' _She has clearly been in a fight'_ Sarada realises, her rinnegan the polar opposite to Carmen's blind organs. _'It could only have been with them… with Boruto…'_.

"Clyde… you people have come again… why" Carmen croaks out. She has not been beaten down physically but mentally. "Didn't I warn you off… didn't you learn your lesson last time… why… why are you back again?".

Clyde pities his teacher. She has defended this place with her life, certain that it is the right thing to do. She has protected this entrance and at the same time saved the lives of those who would try to use it. It's not a rewarding job that even her greatest students are not grateful for. It's a job that her students refuse to learn from. Boruto and Hashirama likely tried to kill her when they tried to get past, the two of them have no respect for the people of this world. Combining the attitudes of Boruto and Hashirama with the perseverance of Clyde, it is no wonder she is so enraged.

"I am afraid that I didn't not learn the lesson you tried to teach me, Carmen" Clyde shouts to his teacher. "I am going to try to get past you once again".

Carmen's rebalanced senses analyse the three people that Clyde has arrived with. "You have brought some unexpected company with you this time. Must you all insist on doing this again, you know that I… I'm stronger and I will try and stop you again".

Carmen's words are clearly meant to intimidate them, but it doesn't work. Lara the brutal, too spoilt and too used to getting her own way, far too irritated to turn back now. Clyde the redeemed, so desperate to make amends for all the suffering he has caused in the name of his once great homeland. Sarada the inspired, too certain in her opinion of the one next to her to doubt herself now. And Uzumaki Naruto, the anomaly, the one whose determination stems from a bottomless well that only destiny could have given him. Whether it is courage or stupidity, these four wouldn't run from god himself.

Naruto steps forward. "I am well aware that you are going to try and stop me, but I cannot afford to be stopped here".

"You can't to be stopped?".

"I don't know if you can sense it, but I have thousands of villagers who are depending on me, tens of thousands. Then there are the people of this world too, there are more of them than I can count" Naruto explains, "I have to keep advancing for those people. I can't afford to stop here, because the cost is greater than my own life, it's more than any of us could ever imagine".

Carmen, even with her reduced sight feels a lot of similarities between two of her recent assailants.

"Your ideology is a lot purer than his was" Carmen mutters.

"His?".

"Another group of pocket-worlders attacked me recently. My sight may be failing me, but I can hear the similarity in your voices" she explains. "You both have the same charisma and the shape of you is similar. He is older than you yet somehow he is also less wise".

Naruto knows exactly who Carmen is talking about.

"Tell me, is he your father?".

"Is Boruto my father? I'm sorry, I don't really have time to explain, it's all a little complicated".

Carmen, hearing this answer, takes her own turn to walk forward. The adrenaline rushes the shinobi and captains got from their representatives' steps is felt one hundred times stronger with each of Carmen's.

"You are different boy, I can tell that much. You radiate an aura not of divine energy or anything similar. You radiate the aura of a truly mighty warrior. You are a warrior who has overcome hardships that other people cannot imagine, that they cannot understand, that they can only hear of in stories. Please, you know that you are different, don't you?".

Clyde knows that Naruto is different. Carmen put it perfectly, reading Naruto's significance like a book. In Clyde's opinion, Naruto is the second coming of their previous emperor, the man destined to end the tyranny of Furst Jonas. Someone who the waters of life cannot erode, the one true anomaly, the only hope left.

"People certainly treat me like I'm something special" Naruto admits, "I don't really care about that though, I'm just going to do what I think is right".

"I'm an outsider to your group and even I can tell that you are special. So please, listen to me boy. You represent a greater hope; your life is far more important than this battle. Please, turn around, become stronger, live your life and then come back and do this later. Don't throw away everything here".

It has been realised in the past why Naruto won't go down this route. If Naruto were the sort of person to take this option, he would have never made it this far in the first place.

"Sorry Carmen, I can't back down. I never give up, that's my ninja way".

Carmen sighs. "Yes, he wouldn't have given up either".

' _Emperor Endou, this boy is just like you. Too much like you for his own good'_.

"Then, will you fight again?" Carmen asks, tensing her muscles as she does so.

"Yes, I will fight".

"Very well. Then know this boy, Clyde, Lara, all of you! You are spitting on the hopes and dreams of the people I care about by fighting here. I am not going to let you off with that lightly".

Carmen immediately begins using her scatter shot. One of the principles she has mastered, a constant barrage of golden 'air' is launched at all four of her opponents.

Clyde activates his golden 'darkness' cloak, creating a shield and using it to protect himself from the incoming balls of condensed 'air'. "Lara, scatter shot".

"I know" Lara says, creating her own golden shield and blocking the incoming attacks. "I was her more successful student you know!".

The scatter shot is a pain to deal with, it makes things very awkward for weaker opponents to approach and attack you. However, it isn't perfect. The scatter shot is a straightforward attack, it cannot curve or change path mid-air without putting a significant mental strain on the user. Therefore, using a defensive item such as a shield or armour, the scatter shot can be easily defended against.

Naruto evades the scatter shot skilfully, flipping through the air in all directions as he does so. _'The two of them are bickering, is this the lack of unity Shikadai spoke of, or is this more like Sasuke and me?'_.

Sarada also opts to dodge the shot instead of blocking. _'Scatter shot is what Clyde called it, it's difficult to deal with alright. It's fast but not faster than Naruto and I can move. With our skills as a shinobi it's a bit less awkward to dodge. However, Clyde and Lara are significantly weaker than us, they cannot even move when being supressed by its constant assault'_

Clyde picks up his shield and, with gritted teeth and tensed muscles, manages to run forward. _'Damn, Naruto and Sarada are coping with this easily but I can barely move'_.

Naruto enters his most powerful state while on the move, combining the power of his divine energy with the six paths sage mode that he remastered since coming to the future.

Right now, their greatest advantage is that they have learnt from the last fight where Carmen hasn't had the chance to do so. She is frustrated, she is underestimating them and that gives rise to the perfect chance to strike.

Naruto coats his truth-seeking balls in 'life' energy, sending a quintet of them at Carmen.

Carmen has endured this attack before, it certainly stings but it isn't fatal. Her prediction turns out to be true as she knocks the first four balls away one after the other. Her hand coated in thick golden 'air', she slices downwards and sideways to knock the attacks away. That is until the 5th ball arrives.

As the 5th ball is about to reach Carmen, it disappears in a puff of smoke. It never emerges from the smoke, instead it is a person who emerges. It is Sarada. Sarada, using the unique powers of her rinnegan, gathers the powers of her world's sun on her fist and hits Carmen in the chest with a powerful solar punch.

Carmen is routed into the ground, a result of the foundation principle she developed, but the punch certainly rocks her on the spot.

Sarada then ducks to the ground, revealing that she has covered Naruto's approach. She skilfully timed her attacks to shroud Naruto's approach in sound, light and vibration so that not even Carmen could sense his coming. The second Naruto arrives, truth-seeking staff in hand, he lands three powerful blows on the disoriented aristocrats neck. He then creates a 'life' enhanced tailed beast bomb.

Carmen knows better than to take the hit if she can avoid it. She thrusts her hand toward Naruto, sharpening the coating of air to give it a knife-like edge. It won't be lethal, but it will certainly be painful for the 7th Hokage. That is, it would if it were to hit him.

Sarada uses her powers of creation, creating a wall of sand between Naruto and Carmen.

The sand was never going to block Carmen's attack, but it wasn't meant to. It gives Naruto a moment to skirt to the side of the incoming blow and avoid the attack.

Sarada creates two giant steel kunai, launching each of the slightly blunt weapons into Carmen's back. A powerful blunt-force blow to rock her forward just a few inches. A few inches that would make all the difference in the world if a force were coming the other way.

Naruto's mind is perfectly in sync with Sarada's as he thrusts the 'life' tailed beast bomb through the sand and into Carmen's stomach.

Excess battle has damaged Carmen enough that even she can't help but groan in pain as she is slammed by the combined might of the two Hokage. For the first time, it feels like they can win, like they are fighting to beat Carmen instead of to survive her.

"Look at them go" Minato says with a clenched fist.

"Don't get too excited sensei. Carmen is starting to fight back".

Kakashi's observation is proven right. Even against two such skilled shinobi, Carmen does have a speed advantage, an advantage which shows she changes her fighting style. She switches from relying on heavy attacks to depending on frequent but less powerful ones. In the space of a few seconds she deflects all the incoming attacks of Naruto and Sarada and instead lands five punches on each of them.

Enough time has passed though. Clyde finally arrives within range of his teacher and carefully throws golden 'darkness' dart into her leg.

Carmen flinches for an instant. That instant is enough.

The flinch allows both Naruto and Sarada to evade incoming attacks from Carmen. The Hokages' then land strong punches on either side of the aristocrat's head. Doubling up attacks like this is hard but it deals much more damage against someone routed in like Carmen. It may also be their only hope of defeating her.

Carmen, clearly rattled by the last attack, panics and throws the golden 'air' coating her hand down into the ground. Spreading in all directions, the 'air' knocks Naruto, Sarada and Clyde from their feet.

Sarada groans internally. _'I thought we had her on the ropes, but it feels like we've done next to nothing with hose attacks'_.

' _I need to hit her with something stronger'_ Naruto tells himself. _'But I don't have anything… I don't have anything stronger'_.

' _I only managed to get in one attack and it made her flinch. All I could do was annoy her'_ Clyde berates himself.

With the other shinobi, Mirai observes the fight. "Gramps, I'm not the only one wondering about her, am I?".

"No, Tsunade seems to have noticed too".

Tsunade nods.

"Yeah, since the start of the fight, Lara hasn't moved from the spot…".

"… just what is she doing?".


	129. Lara's Plan

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – LARA'S PLAN**

 **The Rear Entrance**

Naruto crosses his fingers to execute the juts that has become most closely associated with him, the shadow clone jutsu. Thousands of clones appear, each scattered around Carmen in a slightly different position with a massive ball of blue and white chakra in hand. The wind-release rasen-shuriken is a jutsu Naruto invented, to him it feels like it was a lifetime ago now. While others such as Minato, Boruto and Kakashi have attempted to learn the jutsu, Naruto has remained its true master, the most proficient practitioner that has ever lived.

The wind in the surrounding area howls and shrieks, for the first time the result of Naruto's power rather than Carmen's. Simultaneously, the clones each move slightly to one side or the other, gaining a slightly improved position as they do so. Then, the clones all throw their arms forward at the same time, launching the enlarged devastating wind attacks on the solitary aristocrat.

Carmen simply endures the attacks. She doesn't move a muscle. Without 'life', Naruto cannot touch her.

Naturally, Naruto knew about the futility of this attack in advance of launching it. He had only ever intended this attack as a smokescreen for his true intentions. Once more the attack has been planned carefully around Carmen's sensory abilities and deficiencies. Naruto has noticed that sudden changes in light stun Carmen slightly, perhaps due to her reduced vision. This attack does more than that though, the howling sound flying in every direction, the blinding light, the rumbling as the rasen-shuriken reach their target, they all shadow Naruto as he executes his next move.

The 7th Hokage uses his own rasen-shuriken barrage to disguise himself as he runs around to Carmen's rear, leaps up at her, and grabs her from behind. A grasp around her neck, his upper-arm pressed in exactly the right position, this is the perfect way to attack someone stronger than yourself. Even a monster needs air if it is going to fight.

Joining the original body, the enormous number of Naruto clones run at Carmen, each grabbing her in any way they can, restraining her so that the original body can stay in control of her for just one extra millisecond. These small margins can make all the difference in the world, and Naruto isn't the kind of man who ignores that.

Carmen can feel the desperation seeping through Naruto's skin. It only deepens her fury. If he were just like Boruto this would be easy, she wouldn't have to like him. However, Naruto's similarity to Endou Akashi speaks to his potential. To let him pass here would be such a waste, to stop him would be to praise Naruto. Yet, despite the great compliment that she is paying to him, he continues to ignore what the previous emperor would have wanted.

Carmen manages to pull a single hand free of the clones' restraints. That is enough. She gathers golden 'air' energy on this hand, flicking it by the wrist and generating a tremendous burst of wind as she does so.

Instantly the clones are destroyed, and the original body is sent skyward. His injuries aren't too great, and his trajectory is promising as he falls towards the grouped Clyde and Sarada. _'If only I could get a better position to attack, I might have a chance'_. Naruto lands between Clyde and Sarada, his gaze fixed on Carmen as he does so. _'No, her powers are too strong. I don't know if there is anything I could do to overcome them'_.

"Naruto, if things keep going like this it will end up the same as last time" Sarada says.

"I know" Naruto replies. "But what can we do, nothing I am coming up with is working, she's just too good. She is different to the ones we have fought before, she has clearly fought powerful enemies before".

"We need to keep chipping away at her" Clyde says confidently, "I know it doesn't look like it, but these attacks are adding up. I guarantee that she is feeling pain right now, so don't lose confidence, let's keep pressing forward".

Inspired by Clyde's words, Naruto feels a wave of enthusiasm come over him. It's a nostalgic feel, just like he once felt fighting with Sasuke. The thought of his childhood friend gives him an idea.

"Sarada, when I give the word armour me".

"Got it".

"Clyde, are you ready, we need to keep chipping away".

"Leave it to me".

"Come" Naruto shouts to his student.

Both Naruto and Sarada run straight at Carmen, full of openings and with seemingly little intent to attack, if it weren't for their speed they would appear perfectly harmless. Anyone who has seen them fight before though, would know that to be false. Carmen now finds herself amongst these individuals.

' _These fools, what are they trying now… why don't they understand yet, why don't they realise how disrespectful they are being'_.

"Now!" Naruto shouts at the top of his voice.

With a speed never achieved before, Naruto completes a nine-tails transformation and Sarada fully activates her Susano, cloaking the manifestation of Kurama within its brightly coloured armour. The two of them work in perfect sync, raising the arm of their combined creature into the air and creating a sword of pure chakra within it. Simultaneously, Sarada pumps 'creation' energy through the left arm and Naruto 'life' energy through the right. Together, they swing down the most powerful sword they have ever held, hoping that this will be the thing to breach Carmen's defences.

Their hopes remain unfulfilled, Carmen creates a small but rapidly growing spiral of golden 'air'. The 'air' expands until it has formed a giant shield which Carmen uses to defend herself against the incoming sword. The two objects clash and send a tremendous shockwave of sound and vibration through the surrounding area.

' _Together these two really are strong'_ Carmen notes, _'I almost had to double the strength of my defence…'_.

With the tremendous collision, Carmen took her eye away from what was right before her. A strong punch hits her right in the face, a fist of familiar texture and the smell of a familiar person, it's Clyde.

' _All that was a distraction for Clyde to attack? It certainly may have been clever… but…'_ Carmen grabs Clyde's retreating fist, using it to twist him sideways and leave him open for an attack. _'I can't let you get away with this, I can't let you throw away this incredible potential'_.

Clyde, with all the power in his body, manages to twist himself back to his original position. He throws his own fist forward, forcing it clash with the incoming punch from Carmen. The clap from the collision of their skin is tremendous and while Carmen feels just a small sting, Clyde feels like his arm is breaking.

' _It hurts like nothing else… but it's another attack, I've chipped away just a bit more'_.

As Sarada and Naruto dissipate their combined Kurama-Susano, they fall toward the ground once again.

Sarada, using her enhanced sight, notices a slight chance in Carmen's position. _'That can't be it, surely not. No, it's definitely that… one of her foundation's roots just cracked'_ Sarada realises. A couple of punches from Clyde shattered one of her roots? _'Clyde's power is less than our own, could it be cumulative damage like he suggested? Or are those roots weak to particular stresses'_.

As the Uzumaki-Uchiha duo land, they are immediately greeted by a series of scatter shots from Carmen. Sarada is quick to react, using 'creation' to form a barrier of steel between themselves and the incoming barrage of air.

' _If this is what I think it is, then her foundation can be shattered'_ Sarada concludes. _'We can get her off balance, then we can truly hit her with everything we've got'_.

Clyde, still nursing his nearly broken arm, looks back over his shoulder. _'Dammit, is Lara going to help us at all?'_.

Sarada, while this is going on, continues to observe the roots holding Carmen's feet to the ground. She observes them like her life depends on it. All the while her hands remain occupied as she is forced to constantly reconstruct the steel barrier in front of her. A constant drain on her divine energy but she has no choice.

"Sarada… Clyde, we're going to attack again".

"But Sarada's… without her or Lara".

"We only need to get a weak hit in" Naruto shouts back at Clyde's doubts, "It all builds up remember".

The general steadies himself, shaking his arm to try and remove the pain from his thought process. "Of course, let's hit her again then".

Lara watches on from afar as her three allies suffer a terrible beating at the hands of the woman she once called her teacher. _'Right now, their methods of attacking are creative, inventive but futile. Even when they land their strongest attacks id does nothing, yet this is the only method they have. However, that girl, I wonder what she is looking at, has she become paralysed by fear, or has she found some sort of weakness?'_.

Naruto creates a trio of clones. Once again, the clones each create a rasen-shuriken, but this time Naruto has thought things through. The clones remain in close proximity to the original body as they approach Carmen, this allows Naruto's original body to enhance each of the spinning projectiles with the power of 'life', greatly increasing their power.

The clones mix with one another, waiting until they are right in Carmen's face before splitting apart, forming a triangle formation around her.

Carmen watches the clones carefully. _'Where this time, which one will attack first?'_.

As it turns out, none of them will be the ones to attack first. The three of them simultaneously dissipate, making room for the approaching original body. Naruto kicks the ground before him, sending dust and dirt up into Carmen's face, the sort of trick a childish shinobi might come up with to fight their teacher.

"He's trying to blind her; will that really work?" Mirai asks.

Hiruzen shakes his head, "No, he's doing more than that".

Lara has observed Naruto do this several times throughout the fight. She doesn't like it but is forced to admit that she admires the way in which Naruto fights. If his power were on pars with Carmen, he may actually be able to defeat her single-handedly. _'He's clever. By hitting the ground so hard and moving so much dirt, he fools her senses of sight, touch and sound. How will he capitalise?'._

The sensory shroud is not yet complete. Clyde smothers Carmen's head in golden 'darkness'. The odd wispy strand of gold does nothing to brighten the blanket that forms around Carmen's head though, it is as dark as the darkest night she has ever seen. Clyde doesn't let up, continuously adding more and more energy to the shroud around her head, not to hurt her but to blind her.

As the darkness, the dirt and the dust intermingle, the effect of Clyde's energy changes slightly, in a way that is barely noticeable. However, without thinking, Carmen begins to panic.

' _She's lost her sensory rebalance'_ Clyde notices.

Lara notices something even more stunning. One of the principles, regulation, suddenly falters. _'The flow of her energy has changed… has she…'_.

Naruto doesn't have time to observe these things, this is the best chance he has had since the fight started.

Snapping from his stupor, Clyde realises it to. He shouts as loud as he can to let Naruto know. "Go now!".

Naruto coats his fist in a dense layer of 'life' divine energy and focuses all of his bodily energy into the twisting of his hips and the swinging of his arm. He punches Carmen in the side of the face as hard as he possibly can, a solid blow which she does nothing to soften in any way. He can tell from the moment it hits, this is the best shot they have got in.

As 'life' scatters the golden 'darkness' away, Carmen's head is driven through the black shroud.

Her face spells hope though, a trickle of blood drops from the corner of her mouth.

Carmen bleeds!

A thousand voices from behind Naruto's back cry out for him to do it again, he is already well ahead of them.

Switching the 'life' energy from his right hand to his left, Naruto hits Carmen again.

' _They don't listen'_ Carmen rants in her head. _'They don't listen. Why do they do it? Why do they fight me?'_.

He hits her again.

' _Why don't they get it? This isn't what Endou would have wanted'_.

Naruto strikes again.

' _Why don't they get it?'_.

Naruto throws yet another punch.

Carmen catches it.

The look of pure rage on her face momentarily terrifies Naruto. Few have made the Hokage feel such fear.

"Are you too stupid to understand boy" she bellows into his face. "How badly do I have to beat you before you get it? You aren't going to win!".

Carmen throws two wild punches. Far less controlled than before, Naruto knows he isn't fighting a warrior anymore, he is fighting against a savage. The wild punches are easy for him to evade and he does so, but Carmen's pure speed advantage is overwhelming. The third attack she sends towards him is a powerful stomp down towards his foot. The second it lands, Naruto can tell that Carmen has broken something in his foot.

Not satisfied with breaking Naruto's foot, Carmen continues to scream at him. "You won't defeat me here! You aren't capable of defeating me here! That's why, you shouldn't even try, you're wasting your time!".

Carmen lands a series of three blows without answer from Naruto. First, she strikes him with a punch to the liver, then an elbow to the chest and lastly with a headbutt to his cranium. Each blow rattles Naruto, previously Carmen would have held back from using such violent and brutal attacks but clearly something has snapped inside her head.

Naruto falls flat onto his back, practically paralysed.

"Yet you have made me fight!" Carmen continues, grabbing Naruto by the head and slamming him down into the floor. "You make me fight on and on and on, because you are too stupid!".

Clyde runs at Carmen, desperate to end her assault. It doesn't matter if they fail here, it is far more important that Naruto survives.

Carmen uses her masterful control of 'air' to create a vacuum, pulling Clyde first towards her and then changing his path downward. As Clyde's head hurtles towards the floor, she raises her knee, delivering a powerful strike to his skull.

Clyde falls to the ground alongside Naruto.

Sarada is the only one left. She is about to move to rescue her two allies when suddenly the power of the scatter shot firing in her direction increases. That wall of steel she maintained using 'creation' is now destroyed quicker than she can recreate it.

Carmen creates another vacuum, this time to pull Sarada towards her.

Naturally, Sarada cannot resist this and flies through the air towards Carmen.

Carmen, still fighting with a newfound barbaric nature, unearths her roots from the ground and leaps towards Sarada, moving from her original spot for the first time in the fight.

The roots Sarada has been fixating on as Carmen's greatest strength are gone. No matter how chaotic things may seem in this moment, she has to believe that this is one last chance, bestowed upon them by some higher power, or perhaps by destiny itself.

Naruto, using all the power left in his body, forces himself to his feet and prepares to attack once more, recognising just like Sarada that this is another rare chance.

Naruto prepares a 'life' tailed beast bomb.  
Sarada prepares a 'creation' solar punch.

Realising the attacks are coming from both sides, Carmen is snapped back to reality.  
 _'I've made a mistake!'_.

Naruto uses the last of his energy reserves to fire the 'life' enhanced tailed beast bomb at Carmen. It connects, pushing the aristocrat forward into the full force of Sarada's 'creation' enhanced solar punch.

The clap is deafening as Carmen is engulfed by an explosion.

Sarada gasps for air, praying, due to her lack of energy, that their combined attack was enough.

It didn't work.

Carmen claps her hands together, sending golden 'air' energy thundering at Sarada, slamming her down into the ground.

Sarada lays immobile next to Clyde and Naruto, wondering what just happened to her. "No way…".

Sarada was certain that was the most powerful blow they had landed in this fight. It was at the most opportune moment where Carmen was the most susceptible to attack. She had been distracted by her own rage and that should have been the perfect moment to strike. Even if Carmen had regained her senses, she should have had no way to use the foundation principle.

Then Clyde sees it. Another of the principles. Carmen's concentrated defence.

Carmen momentarily wears a concentrated armour of golden 'air'. This is her ultimate defence. A barrier impenetrable for the likes of them.

"I hope you understand now" Carmen says as she puts the armour away. "Your attacks are futile".

The fight is over.

Carmen takes a deep breath, filling her lungs with fresh air. "Sorry Clyde, you two, I shouldn't have done that. I lost myself to rage. But, I should have proven my point now, this is useless. You have good luck repeatedly, but you are still unable to defeat me".

A voice then calls out.

"I don't recall the fight being over" Lara says.

The head-general drops her shield for the first time since the fight began and walks slowly and calmly towards Carmen.

"Lara, do you want to fight me to then? I was hoping that you had been the wisest of your group" Carmen admits, almost sarcastically, "I had hoped you had decided not to fight".

"You know me teacher. Not wanting to fight? Ha, give me a break!" Lara openly laughs in Carmen's face. "I am not only here to fight, I am here to defeat you".

Clyde manages to growl out a few words of advice. "Lara… don't be… stupid… you can't… win".

"Ha! Like I would listen to you" Lara shouts at her would-be subordinate. "You lay there on the ground, almost crippled. I'm going to follow my plan and I'm going to win this battle".

Naruto, Sarada and Clyde hardly know what to make of Lara's boasts. At first, they make the reasonable assumption that she is delusional. However, Lara has never lacked for power and lying is hardly her style. If there is a one in a million chance that whatever she is planning will work, they hope beyond hope that it comes to pass. Whatever it takes to move on and assassinate Furst Jonas, that is what they need to do.

Carmen is pessimistic. "Lara, you never had the chance to learn some valuable lessons, you were always too strong, but now your pears all have power that surpasses your own. No matter what you do from here, you will not be able to defeat me because you don't have the power to do so".

"Is that right?" Lara asks, sporting her usual bloodthirsty grin.

Lara places both hands out in front of her. She pools energy into a single spot in front of her hands, initially in the same way anyone would to build up a powerful attack but then something changes.

Lara begins to take the leakage energy and refunnel it back into the same spot. She increases the density periodically, constructing an attack far greater than any she has shown them before.

The power is incredible!

' _What is that?'_ Naruto asks himself as he watches on.

"You're calling me arrogant?" Lara shouts at her teacher. "You need to look in the mirror. Your foundation is gone, your concentration is gone, you're exhausted. If you think you can take this, then go ahead and prove it".

' _She's right'_ Sarada admits. _'This is an even better position than we had before. This is the perfect moment to unleash a powerful attack… and that divine energy build-up is the biggest attack we've had yet'_.

"I'm surprised Lara" Carmen declares.

The aristocrat once again activates her concentrated defence, forming an armour of golden 'air' energy around her entire body.

"This attack, the method you are using to apply it, the precision. Likely your technique is superior to my own" Carmen admits. "However, you can't overcome the gulf in our powers with technique alone, your attack won't work".

"Give me a few seconds and we'll test that theory!".

The attack's power continues to ramp up.

"Here I come, teacher!".

Many shinobi behind Lara find themselves inadvertently calling out in support of her. They beg her to unleash this attack, for it is their last chance of victory.

Lara unleashes the attack.

Golden 'light' and golden 'air' clash in a bang of pure energy.

Everyone looks on, eager to see what is going to happen.

As the light clears, Elliot is the first to comment on the result.  
"It… it did nothing…".

He is right. Carmen emerges unscathed.

"Lara, you are a fool. If that attack truly had breached my defences, the explosion would likely have killed your allies" Carmen notes.

Lara remains deathly silent as she stands powerless in the aftermath of her attack. She never imagined for one second that she proves to be so worthless. She felt like she was second best after Clyde defeated her but now she feels a thousand times worse. She isn't second best anymore, now she is a nobody.

"You have learnt the concentrated attack. You've done it well" Carmen praises her student. "But that is all you have managed. Your lack of consideration for your allies, your contempt for the efforts of others, your inability to work with them, they all hold you back. In these areas, Clyde is vastly superior to you".

Yet another reminder of Clyde's superiority.

Lara, abnormally calm, shuts her eyes. "Teacher, if you have nothing else to say then please shut up!".

"Very well, it seems you will only learn your lesson through defeat. You, just like everyone else here, have refused to learn anything".

With Carmen's words of wisdom spoken, she launches her own concentrated attack at Lara.

Carmen's concentrated attack is different to Lara's. It's quicker in its build and much more powerful. Indeed, Carmen's technique may be worse, but the enormous gap in their divine energy is clearly demonstrated in the aristocrat's superiority.

As the concentrated attack hits Lara, she falls the ground, motionless, defeated.

Carmen uses the 'air' to project her voice to the shinobi and soldiers who watch from afar.

"Take your leaders away. If you have learnt anything at all from coming here, then speak with them. Tell them not to come here again…".

"… because they are not ready".

Carmen has spoken.

It is their loss!


	130. Complete Defeat

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – TOTAL DEFEAT**

 **Returning to the Hideout**

The attitude returning to the hideout is very much different to what it was on the approach to the imperial palace. People had doubts about Lara, they doubted that she would be a team player, they doubted that she would make a difference, they doubted correctly. There are no boasts though, no 'I told you so's', just a universal sadness and a feeling of helplessness. They have lost again.

"So, what exactly are we supposed to do now?" Mirai asks the Nara family members around her. "It looks like we did even worse last time than we did without Lara".

"It doesn't seem like there is much of a choice" Shinki admits, "Frankly, your prediction was right Shikadai, she held us back".

It leaves a sour taste in Shinki's mouth to say this. The Circle agreed unanimously to give Lara a chance to help them, to give forgiveness a go just as Naruto had wished. The Circle made a mistake by forgiving Lara. Shikadai had spoken above his station, he had passionately argued against Naruto despite his role being that of an administrator. A bit of passionate rebellion can be forgiven, it is to be expected in times of great stress. What isn't expected though, is for the Circle's administrator to be a better decision maker than the Kage within the Circle. That makes Shinki feel remarkably worthless.

"I'm not so happy to be right this time. You know, he's always been a hero of mine, Lord 7th that is. I've never shouted his name from the rooftops like others, but I've always admired him". Shikadai thinks back to his childhood. "He is now the Lord 7th from my youth. He is the hero we would all look at and trust, the hero of the Hidden Leaf. It pains me to see him proven wrong like this".

Shikadai's mind works logically, almost algorithmically, scoring events like this on their potential significance. Another loss is a terrible blow, both physically and psychologically. It could have a huge impact on whether they are able to assassinate Furst. Others can keep themselves going on the premise that there is still hope. That isn't how Shikadai thinks. He admits that there is still hope, but there is a lot less of it than before.

In the middle of the group, soldiers and shinobi alike have distanced themselves from the debate between Clyde and Lara. Even their most loyal servants work to keep a distance of at least ten meters from the military's two leading generals.

"Why did you do that?" Clyde asks angrily. "It was selfish, it was stupid, and it has completely ruined our chances of winning".

Lara snorts dejectedly, "Not so calm now are you?".

"No, I'm not calm!" the 'darkness' user fumes. He's not been this angry in a while. "Even if we were to try again and you behaved yourself, the psychological impact of this stunt may hold us back. We may never win now".

"Then how are you so quick to blame me?" Lara snaps. "I may not have helped but you didn't exactly achieve anything either. You almost held the other two back".

If this conversation had been explained to the Naruto who had been brought to the future, he may have understood why they were doing what they were doing. The military have been forced into fighting for this terrible regime, always too terrified to fight back. He may have thought it cowardice to start with, but this situation shows exactly why that isn't true. Even working together, the two strongest warriors in this world's military can do nothing in the face of an aristocrat's overwhelming power.

Towards the front of the group, Naruto and the Uzumaki family walk together. He is largely detached from their attempts to cheer him up, knowing that their failure to defeat Carmen could mean the rest of their lives is spent suffering tyranny.

Naruto sighs and looks at his open palm. "Can I really beat someone at a higher level? Or is that something I could only achieve when working with him?".

The question confuses others but Hinata immediately understands who Naruto is talking about.

"I don't know but Sarada is Sasuke's daughter" she says, "I feel like your fighting styles should be highly compatible if nothing else".

"You'll find a way, dad" Himawari adds cheerfully, "I'll always believe in you".

Naruto thinks back to how the two of them used to fight together. He thought at the time that it was because of their years of experience but that may not have been true. Working with Sarada, Naruto can fight at incredibly high level, but it still cannot compare to what he achieved with Sasuke. What he and Sasuke had was chemistry, pure synchronicity on the battlefield, something that cannot be taught or learnt. When they fought together, they understood each other's minds, they knew the decision the other would make and made it at the same time. Not even the delay it took to read the other's body language existed. They were purely running on instinct, on a divine autopilot. That is something that cannot be replicated, no matter how much Naruto wishes it could.

"We haven't got time to wait around with this" Naruto says, "I need to do something now, I need to generate more power".

"I could teach you my rasen-bomb" Minato offers, "Combined with 'life' it would pack quite the punch".

"No, it needs to be…".

"Bigger?" Kushina asks.

"No, not bigger" Naruto shakes his head. "It's always been bigger and faster and stronger and… no, what needs to change now is… it needs to be… calmer".

"It needs to be calmer, what do you mean dad?".

"It's the way I feel this attack should be" Naruto explains to Himawari. "It shouldn't be loud, it should be quiet. When everyone sees it, they should just be able to relax and know that everything will be fine. When this attack is there, it should mean everything to those behind it".

Minato nods, such an attack would be ideal. "To put it bluntly Naruto, you are the only one who will be able to create an attack like that. Only you could create an attack strong enough to put Carmen down".

"We knew that from the start didn't we?" Hinata asks. "If we didn't know it with our heads then we did with our hearts. This sensation you want the attack to give off, that's the way that we all feel when we see you arrive. We feel like everything will be OK".

"I'm not sure I believe that anymore…".

"… Naruto…".

Naruto looks to his open palm once again. It has never been easy being the hero of the village. He hasn't just become the Hokage, he has become the one that everyone turns to. That's fine, he's living his dream. While it is difficult, he got used to the responsibility a long time ago. He just hates not being able to live up to those expectations. He hates the feeling that this power is no longer within him. He wonders if that brilliance he once had is now hidden from him, somewhere deep beneath his skin.

"There has to be a way to win. There's a combination of brilliance that only the four of us can pull off" he says. "I don't know how the others will do it, or how I am going to do it for that matter, but I will need to be even faster, faster than Carmen".

"Being faster than Carmen won't be possible for a while will it?" Kushina asks. "Surely it would take you a long time to train to that level".

"I know, but there must be a way. Dad?".

"Yes Naruto".

"You and Lord 2nd, if you really challenged your reaction time, how quickly could you teleport?".

"… as fast as you need me to".

Kushina smiles. She had always thought that this is how Minato would be as a father. Always there for his family, just as he claimed he would be. If they had continued toward their original future unobscured, that opportunity would have been taken from him. He would have had only a few minutes to help Naruto on his path. Of course, she takes an equal amount of pride in what she and Minato managed in those few minutes. In such a short period of time, Naruto's parents had set him on the path to be the greatest Hokage of them all.

Suddenly, screams and shouts come from the rear of the advancing group. Panic seems to spread from back to front leading Kushina to wander what is going on. Of course, Naruto's sigh is a sign that he already knows.

"Hinata what is going on?" Kushina asks.

"It's Boruto" Hinata says, "He's here with Hashirama and that other guy".

Naruto turns around, walking in the opposite direction to the others. He projects his voice as loud as he can make it and shouts instructions to those who treat him as their leader.

"Everyone, go! Sarada! Clyde! Come with me!".

Naruto and Sarada are quick to get from the front of the group to the middle. Together with Clyde, the three of them run toward the back. Once again they must encounter the 'death' using trio, the eternal thorn in their sides.

As their subordinates flee around them, Lara and Elliot remain largely unworried and unafraid. Elliot can only wonder how his leader will react in this situation. She has been different to usual lately, not the same person she used to be.

"Lara, what do we do?".

"… take the others and go ahead, stick with Clyde's group. I'm going to stay here and see how this plays out".

Elliot doubts the wisdom of the decision but would never go against Lara. He nods and orders his subordinates to follow Clyde's and the shinobi. Not that any orders are required, the terror they experienced seeing Hashirama once again was already enough to set them retreating.

The foursome of Naruto, Sarada, Clyde and Lara are quickly left alone. The arena which was previously populated by thousands is now occupied by only seven mighty individuals.

Hashirama is the first to speak, raising his voice angrily. "Naruto, I doubted your decision before but now it looks like you have gone insane".

"What are you talking about Hashirama?".

"I was just fighting Carmen" Hashirama explains. "She told me something very interesting just before she broke the last of my bones. She told me how different she thought our groups were. How one of us accepted everyone and how the other rejected everyone".

Lara lowers her head slightly. It seems that she is now just a stray dog to be picked up by whoever is willing to have her.

"It turns out Carmen was right" Hashirama says, pointing a solitary finger at Lara, "Do you know who that woman is Naruto? Do you know!".

"Are we going to argue about this again? I told you that I wouldn't be swayed by your words".

Not only is Naruto's voice weak as he counters Hashirama's criticisms, but his slumped shoulders and his slightly averted eyes speak volumes to Boruto. Something is wrong with his father. It's not just his strange moral standpoint as usual, there is something more fundamentally incorrect behind those eyes. While he disagreed with his father before, Boruto recognised that Naruto was a shining beacon of hope. Boruto had thought that his beacon-like father blinded everyone. Like this he is blinding nobody.

"Naruto, the man who ordered my wife's death, that woman protected him. Uncaring about his dishonourable actions, blinded by her own desire to slaughter us" Hashirama recalls. "How could you side with someone like that? At least Clyde pretended to be remorseful, but she couldn't care less about us".

Lara glares at Hashirama. She doesn't know her own mind at this point. Does she want to reprimand him? No, that wouldn't make any sense, that would mean saying that she does care about them. Does she want to attack him? That would mean admitting that the last words did affect her, why should she care about those words. Or perhaps, what stings is that he is right and that it is her fault that they lost. Everyone else here is strong but there is still something weak about her.

"I did what I did to improve our chances of winning" Naruto answers.

"To improve your odds of winning? Is this all a damn game to you?".

"Dad, I'm really disappointed. I thought you were better than that, while I disagreed with you I begrudgingly respected you" Boruto admits. "This isn't a decision that warrants any respect though".

"You should shut the hell up" Sarada shouts.

"Sarada…".

"Did you come back to save the village from Lara's slaughter? Did you come as quickly as you possibly could for your friends" she asks. "No, you didn't. You waited for the best opportunity to bring us around to your way of thinking. A lot of people could have lived if you hadn't made the stupid decision to prove your point".

"They could have also lived if dad had killed Clyde at the end of the captained-six contest" Boruto retorts. "There is more blood on his hands than mine".

"That's nonsense! Clyde saved us from Lara, not you" Sarada screams. The shouting match escalates with each sentence. "Even if Clyde hadn't saved us, the death would be on Lara's hands, not Naruto's who could do nothing to stop her. You are entirely different, you just watched and did nothing".

Hashirama walks toward Naruto. "This is just the tip of the iceberg though, isn't it Naruto? This dissent cost you in your fight against Carmen didn't it. This decision you made cost you! It also cost the Hidden Leaf Village and it has even made the Circle nervous".

Naruto's mind should be racing with a thousand morale contradictions in this moment. Normally he would weigh up his own argument against Hashirama's and assure himself that he has indeed been right. He has always been so certain of himself, so right, never looking back to doubt himself except in the darkest moments. Even in moments such as that, he has ended up saying what he has always said.

However, in this moment Naruto's mind races with a different set of questions. One of them is how Hashirama found them. The other he speaks aloud.

"How did you know that decision made the Circle nervous?".

Interrupting Naruto's question, Hashirama punches his fellow Hokage across the face, starting yet another battle between the 1st and 7th Hokages.

Naruto stumbles back two paces, raising his head again just in time to see another incoming punch. Hashirama is strong but thankfully the 7th Hokage has a good reaction time, trained through years of battling speed specialists.

Naruto dodges the incoming second punch from Hashirama and counters with his own left fisted strike, hitting the 1st Hokage across the face just as had been done in reverse an instant before.

Hashirama's strength is his greatest asset, he won't be battled so easily. He drops to one knee, stepping forward and driving his elbow into the rear of Naruto's knee. He gets up as Naruto goes down, himself still perfectly mobile while his opponent loses one of his legs to stand on.

Hashirama throws a knee toward the side of Naruto's head but it is caught. Pulling his leg back, he takes a single step back and runs at Naruto. He throws the right knee at him again, this time harder. As Naruto catches it once more, it becomes clear that the right knee was not Hashirama's intended attack this time, it was just a smokescreen. Hashirama uses the forward momentum he built up to thrust his left knee into Naruto's head, rattling his brain as he drops to the ground.

Naruto manages to shake off the blow in time to refocus his mind before the next attack. He sees Hashirama's knees dropping towards him from above. He rolls out of the way and judging from the dent in the ground the attack made, he evaded just in time.

Facing Hashirama, who is now down to his knees, Naruto throws two punches while stuck on his back. After the second punch connects, Naruto spins on his back and kicks Hashirama in the chest, creating a small but appreciable distance between the two.

Naruto uses the separation between them to climb back onto his feet. In the time he uses to get up, Hashirama drags a kunai from his pocket and launches it at Naruto. The younger blonde shinobi only just draws his own weapon quickly enough but does manage to knock the kunai from the air with his own.

The collision of kunai functions as a distraction for Hashirama, he steps into Naruto's body and delivers a strong punch to the shoulder of his adversary. Naruto lets go of the kunai and now both warriors find themselves unarmed. Hashirama still claims the advantage he took by throwing the first punch.

Naruto throws a left footed kick toward Hashirama's head, but it is caught. This is just as he planned. He uses the grip Hashirama has on his left foot to swing his right foot in a different arc to the norm. His right foot catches the falling kunai he just dropped and sends it straight towards the first Hokage's head.

Hashirama is fortunate enough that the kunai strikes his head protector, stunning him rather than injuring him. A stun does not last long against such an opponent. Hashirama decides to use this moment to activate sage mode.

Naruto responds in kind, activating sage mode as well.

The two sages have mirroring thoughts, each landing a solid punch into the chest of the other.

Boruto decides to close his eyes and turn away from the fight. He can't stand watching the two of them fight like this. This isn't a fight of any great purpose nor is it one for any great cause. This is just the Hidden Leaf's two proudest children trying to hurt one another.

Sarada watches, reflecting on what the fight means. _'And nobody moves to stop them, not even me. This is not a battle of two causes… it's a battle of frustration'_.

Naruto lands another punch but Hashirama's counterpunch finds his liver. The two hard hitters exchange shots in a battle of wills and it is Naruto who ends up dropping to his knees. Hashirama doesn't let this advantage go, wobbling Naruto with a hard kick to his chest. This is where the fight truly ends. Hashirama continues from this point to punch Naruto in the head.

Again, and again, and again… Hashirama keeps on punching.

Eventually a hand catches Hashirama's arm, stopping him. Another hand rests calmingly on Naruto's shoulder. The hands of Boruto and Sarada respectively.

The fight is stopped.

Lara watches Naruto awkwardly.

' _On his knees, he loses again to the man who betrayed him. Uzumaki Naruto, why does everyone think so much of you'_.

Taking Boruto's wordless point, Hashirama stops using sage mode and returns to shouting at Naruto.

"You were a fool to ally yourself with that woman. The leaf will tear itself apart and it will be your fault, Uzumaki Naruto!".

With his point made, Hashirama turns and leaves, taking Boruto and Tao Ma with him.

"Naruto" Sarada says, shaking the beaten Hokage's shoulder, "Naruto!".

"Are you OK Naruto?" Clyde asks.

Lara was right.

Naruto turns tearfully over his shoulder and looks at Sarada.

"It happened again didn't it…".

"… I lost to him…".


	131. Suffering Together or Alone

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – SUFFERING TOGETHER OR ALONE**

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

The silence only adds to Naruto's depression as he takes the final few steps back towards the hideout that they have established. He has grown to be familiar with this feeling, too familiar. He has felt it all throughout his life, since he was a child, every time when he compared himself to Sasuke. The dark path that Sasuke had taken, it could so easily have been him. The same is true with Hashirama's path, and if it were not for Sarada's bringing him forward in time, he would have eventually wielded the power of 'death'.

Naruto has lost to Hashirama. Twice. What stings isn't the defeat, that can be explained each time by circumstances favourable to his opponent. What stings, is that every time Naruto fights it is a battle of wills, a battle of heart. Hashirama's heart has overcome his twice now, Hashirama has shown himself to be right.

The second Naruto steps into the Hidden Leaf hideout, a pair of people immediately teleport to his side with a flash of gold. Naturally, it is his father and his mother, two sources of eternal support.

"Are you OK?" Kushina asks, being careful not to touch any of her son's bruises. "What happened to you Naruto, you look terrible?".

Naruto sighs, "Sorry, I haven't taken care of the injuries yet".

Naruto exhales, sending 'life' energy through his body as he does so. It's as easy as breathing for him now, fixing his own wounds like these. A trifling matter for the man who has gained control of 'life' itself. It does make Kushina worry though, she knows that he must be seriously depressed if he couldn't even focus his mind to heal himself.

"Are you OK?" Minato asks, repeating his wife's question.

"… I'll be OK, I always am after all. I can't afford to get too depressed" Naruto says, ignorant to the irony in his statement. "Everyone is watching me right now, I can't go showing them any signs of weakness".

As large groups of captains, shinobi and citizens arrive to welcome their four leaders back, Naruto forces an empty smile onto his face, determined that it shall be as infectious and comforting as always. It isn't, everyone in the village knows him well enough to tell that something is wrong. However, they also know him well enough to know that he is trying, so each of them does the politest thing they can and smiles back at him.

Making his way through the crowd to General Clyde come new Generals Peterson and Sheer.

"General, you look disheartened, is everything alright?".

Clyde doesn't even look at Peterson, simply casting his eyes to Naruto. He wonders if he will now be eternally entranced by his actions.

"I watched them fight again you know, and it's not like they were going all out, it was just a battle of frustration. But each hit they landed was powerful, not physically but mentally. It made me realise just how pathetic I am right now" Clyde says painfully. "I didn't move, and if I had, I know should they go all out that I would be too weak to stop them".

"You need to stop expecting so much from yourself, that is Naruto after all" Sheer says, patting her boss on the back. "It is what we are all hoping for, we are all hoping that he will become so strong that he will leave us behind and become untouchable".

Clyde doesn't know how he feels about it now that he considers it. It's a dream, Naruto could be the one to kill the false god. However, if that dream were to come true then it would make Naruto something more, something even further beyond the gods of this world. There is nobody more suitable for such a role than Naruto, yet he is also the last person Clyde wants to see journey off towards the horizon.

"You're right Sheer, but I haven't felt this powerless in a long time" Clyde admits, "I'll have to calm down before the next fight comes, otherwise the same thing will happen again".

He says this optimistically, but he knows that what Naruto has said is true. If they fight again, the same thing may well happen again. There must be a change, not just quantitively but in terms of cohesion. Unless a miracle descends upon them though, that cohesion may never come to pass.

Hinata finally arrives, walking straight over to Naruto and questioning him about everything that happened.

"Why do you look so beaten up, did Boruto do it? Was it my son?".

"Hashirama" Naruto answers with a groan.

"Did you fight again?".

"Yes, but it wasn't like before. We weren't trying to kill each other. It's more like… we were exhausting ourselves on purpose" Naruto explains, his head lolloping slightly onto his shoulders. "We were emptying ourselves of all the bad things that have happened to us. There was no happiness in that fight, no hope for either of our causes, only our misery".

Taking on such misery and hatred, absorbing such strong negative emotions from another and destroying them within yourself, perhaps Naruto and Hashirama are the only living people who can do that for one another. Perhaps only they have souls strong enough to level with each other.

"What happened?".

"He won" Naruto says, glumly adding "again".

"I know I shouldn't look into it too much, but I can't help it, not when everyone is looking at me the way they do" he continues, "I need to be strong for everyone, because it is me they have put their faith in. Yet it is also me who has let them down".

Himawari, who followed her mother to her father, hugs her father gently. "It's like you said though, you shouldn't look too much into it dad" she lets go and smiles genuinely at him. "Lord 6th lost a fight recently when he went chasing after Boruto, but that was only due to frustration. When he and that Blackburn guy fought again, Lord 6th won, the result changed".

"I don't know if the same thing will happen if I fight Hashirama" Naruto replies.

"It is psychological" Kushina declares, "Is something in your mind stopping you from beating him?".

"I don't know…".

" _Naruto, try not to get too depressed about this. You have climbed mountains like this time after time"_ says Kurama in his rarely used 'comforting' voice. _"Right now, defeating Hashirama may seem difficult but you have to believe that you will find a way tomorrow"._

Of course, he does. That's what makes him Naruto. _"Yes, you're right, Kurama"._

After having a few brief discussions, Sarada sighs and begins to walk away through the crowd.

"Sarada!" Himawari shouts, chasing after her friend.

"Are you OK, Himawari?".

"I'm worried about you, you hardly ever come home" Himawari says, leaning forward to look into Sarada's eyes. "You must be stressed and exhausted, why don't you come back with us now".

"I'll be fine" Sarada says dismissively, "I have a lot of work to do and it can't wait I'm afraid".

Himawari is about to reply when the 3rd Hokage approaches and interrupts their conversation. "I know that you may be tired Sarada but I'm afraid there is no time for rest. Shikadai has called an emergency meeting following our defeat".

Sarada rolls her eyes, _'another emergency meeting'_.

Still, she at least has an excuse now, there is no way that she could miss this just to go home and play happy families. She straightens up, dusts herself off and continues with the non-stop duty of being the 9th Hokage.

"OK Lord 3rd, I will come immediately".

 **The Emergency Meeting**

Shikadai's stance at the centre of the Circle is a picture that tells a thousand words. Now he stands there, merely the administrator whose role is to direct conversation. He is but a servant, a subject of the many mighty leaders around him. He is also the only one who made the correct decision during their previous meeting. Lara held them back in the fight against Carmen, she only wanted a selfish victory, Shikadai had been right.

There is a slight arrogance about his stance but nothing deliberate, he still tries to remain respectful of the judgements made. He is still respectful, after all, years' worth of admiration and respect for a group of people is hard to strip away in a single moment.

"Thank you for coming to this emergency meeting everyone. I know it's short notice but I'm sure we all appreciate that this meeting is necessary" he opens with. "Naruto, Sarada, Clyde, several of us have been talking in the time we have been waiting for you. I appreciate this is a lot to take on board, but several members of the Circle have suggested that Lara should be excluded from future attempts to defeat Carmen".

Sarada and Clyde have been suspecting as much. It's still quite depressing to hear it from Shikadai's mouth though. If the Circle has decided that then there can be no reversing the decision. This is a democratic process after all.

"No" Naruto adamantly declares, "She definitely should keep working with us. Making her stay behind would be the wrong decision".

Most of the room's occupants look sympathetically at Naruto, understanding his philosophy but struggling to sympathise with him. His obsession with working with Lara is beyond belief. At least logical arguments could be made for forgiveness in the past, but this is entirely different, they have already tried and failed. Amongst the chamber of the wise and powerful, Naruto is unfortunate to find that only one person agrees with him.

"I know this should be obvious, but I agree with Uzumaki Naruto" Elliot says.

"That's Lord 7th to you" Tsunade snaps at her lover's killer.

The tension is still palpable between the two of them. One an emotionless killer who simply operates on the cold logic of a soldier. The other an enraged Hokage, still grieving for the loss of the one closest to her. Coexistence has always been a tall order for this group, but it will likely never be possible between Elliot and Tsunade.

"Let's not argue about what to call each other in this state of emergency" Shikadai groans, it's like dealing with children. "Let's concern ourselves with the situation at hand. Lord 7th, there was no sensible logic behind your suggestion last time and this time the situation is even more against you".

"I believe in never giving up! We should try again".

Politics is a game best played by intellectuals, Shikadai is quick to be rid of Naruto's arguments and does so with a simple but correct gesture.

"I am not qualified to argue with a member of the circle, but we should vote on the subject" Shikadai says, quite correctly. "By a show of hands, who thinks Lara should join us when we next fight Carmen?".

Naruto raises his hand and looks around the circle.

Only Elliot has raised a hand alongside Naruto.

No support from the other Hokage, nor from Clyde's group. Even his family doesn't support him.

"Dad?".

"Sorry Naruto, I have to make a judgement as the 4th Hokage".

Naruto gets to his feet, failing to believe what is going on around him. Do the rest of them not see what he sees? Do the rest of them not feel the sadness in their chest about what they are saying he should do? He knows that they are trying to reform a world and knows no other way to do that than with good intentions. He previously fought a war, not against shinobi or soldiers, weapons or techniques, but against hatred. A war on hatred cannot be won with simple tactics or stratagems, a war like that can only be won by good hearted people who don't know when to give up.

"Don't the rest of you understand, don't you realise that this is what separates us from Hashirama's group" Naruto asks, "This is what makes us who we are, it makes us good people! We have to give her a chance, she has to help contribute to our power, otherwise we can't win! Sometimes people may take a while to change but they will never change if we give up on them".

Sarada lowers her head, wondering if that is true for Boruto.

The room quietens, as if beckoning to someone who can best counter Naruto's argument. Such a person takes his turn to speak, that person being the 6th Hokage, Hatake Kakashi.

"Naruto, I understand what you are saying, and I understand your nature, probably better than anyone here" he begins. "Frankly, I agree with you, especially after hearing your story of the 4th great shinobi war. Obito would never have been redeemed if your persistence hadn't prevailed over my attempts to kill him".

Sarada looks at Kakashi, always interested to hear anything of her nearly deceased clan.

"But we have given Lara a chance to change, and while Clyde took his, Lara threw it back in our faces" Kakashi declares. "We have to make the sensible decision now, we can't prioritise being good people over protecting the villagers".

Naruto doesn't know whether he is furious or sad as he speaks back to his teacher, trembling as he does so.

"This is about more than being good people, Kakashi sensei, don't you see it? We're not just battling Furst, we are battling Hashirama and Boruto".  
"They said this would happen, these events are playing right into their hands, and while I'm sure many people agree more with them, those people decided to back me!".  
"So we have to keep doing what I would do, we have to keep acting in this irrational way, we have to keep doing the right thing?".

"Why?" Kakashi asks earnestly, "Just because they were right about this one thing doesn't mean the people were wrong to choose you".

"I know".

"Then why must you insist we follow your suggestion" Shikadai asks.

"BECAUSE…" Naruto shouts.  
"Because… if we don't win this way, then I will have lost to Hashirama completely".

The room falls silent for moments while nobody can bear to look at Naruto. His reasoning is pathetic almost childish yet at the same time so right. They agree, there is something important there in the relationship between Naruto and Hashirama. The fate of everyone may well be decided by which of them is right. Naruto being right may seem like a stupid thing to fight for, but it is something that the village desperately needs at the same time.

Despite his aching heart, not even Minato knows how to answer his son. He is faced with the terrible choice of balancing his duty as the Hokage and as a father.

Eventually, it is Sarada who gets to her feet, stepping over to Naruto and placing a calming hand on his trembling shoulder.

"Master… Naruto… I understand exactly how you feel" she says gently. "I want you to be right more than anything. No, I think you are right, in a crazy way you can see things that the rest of us cannot, because you have been chosen by destiny. But this one time, you cannot fight against the tide, you have to go along with the Circle".

Sarada looks to Shikadai and nods. "The Circle has voted to exclude Lara, that is what will happen".

Shikamaru, at Shikadai's behest, begins to note this down officially.

"I understand" Naruto says, his voice croaky and cracking, "Forgive me everyone, but I am going to leave for a moment. I need to calm down".

"The emergency meeting is complete" Shikadai concedes, "You may leave whenever you wish, Lord 7th".

When Naruto leaves the room in a rush, Shikadai had expected the bad mood would leave with him. The village making a decision based upon logic should be something to celebrate but this doesn't feel like a celebration. It feels like part of the village died when Naruto made his plea and that he helped to kill it. He is left to wonder if his facts and figures, his logic and his intelligence was the correct decision-making tool to use. Regardless, their course is set now, and it is exactly as he intended.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

Naruto walks home, enjoying the silence. That's at least what he hoped to do, enjoying the silence is putting it rather strongly. His own words still echo in his head. That was the first time he realised what he truly needed. Deep in his core, there is a part of him that needs to be right, that needs to defeat Hashirama. All through his life, he has seen darkness brightened by single moments of hope, that has lead him down the path of 'life'. Hashirama too was born into a dark world but created a better place to escape from the darkness, however, being plunged back into the dark once more drove him down the path of 'death'. The leaf of today is built on Naruto's past, if all those beliefs he accumulated through the years were wrong, what was the point of it all?

" _Hey, I know you probably don't want to hear from me right now"_ Kurama calls out.

" _Yeah, I want to be quiet for now"_ Naruto responds.

" _I just want you to know"_ Kurama begins, _"I would have voted with you"._

Kurama would have voted with him. Naruto begins to imagine it, not as another friendly face in the Circle raising their hand on his behalf, but as a giant nine-tailed fox squeezing into that tiny room. Slowly, he begins to chuckle, then begins to howl with laughter. Kurama would look completely out of place around that table, how big of a chair would he need, it would be ridiculous.

" _What are you laughing at?"_ Kurama bellow from within his host.

Naruto stops, simply smiling as he walks along. _"Thanks, Kurama, I wish everyone else thought like you"._

" _Of course"_ the prideful tailed beast answers.

Naruto walks slowly through the encampment, doing his best to avoid heavy traffic. The last thing he wants to do now is have to justify his sadness to some wondering shinobi or civilian. Right now all he wants to do is curl up into a ball and go to sleep.

When Naruto eventually does get home, he enters into the gamily tent and sees his father sitting alone at the table.

"Hello dad".

"Hello" Minato replies awkwardly. "Listen Naruto, about what happened back there. I'm sorry that I didn't vote with you, you know, that right?".

"Don't worry, it's like you said, you have to do the right thing as the Hokage".

Naruto sits down opposite his father, taking the weight off his feet and much of a heavy weight of his shoulders. In this setting Minato is not the Hokage but is his father, two very different jobs. He feels much more at ease knowing that the Namikaze clansmen will always trust his word on important matters.

"Do you think you will be able to win without Lara?".

"No" Naruto replies bluntly, "I think we will do even worse without Lara's help".

"Do you believe that she will change? Do you think that she would have started to work with the rest of you as a team of four?".

Naruto recalls a situation from his childhood, something he wanted to speak with his father about at the time but is only having the chance to do so now.

"Sasuke betrayed our team you know. He left Team 7, abandoned Sakura and I for years" he begins. "But when he overcame his reluctance, once he had his reasons sorted out he fought with us again, it was like he never left. I know that Lara has never fought with us, but she is a prodigy and she has watched Clyde throughout her life. If Lara worked with us, she would be an incredible ally to have".

Minato cannot deny that. With Naruto and Sarada away, the entire village shared a universal terror about the threat that was Lara. It looked certain that she would kill the lot of them, that the entire world would come to an end at her hands, such is her power. Only the truly powerful such as Naruto and Sarada could talk about her this way casually.

"I agree with you Naruto, but do you think you could ever convince Lara to work with you? Do you know how to change her like that?".

"I don't know" Naruto admits. "Other people have changed around me though. Nagato changed. Obito changed. Sasuke changed. I believe that if we don't give up Lara will change too, perhaps not because of me, but because of Clyde, or Elliot, or somebody. Do you get what I mean?".

Minato smiles and shakes his head. "I'm not sure I believe that. But I am sure that you believe it and that's good enough for me".

Naruto nods, looking to the two far ends of their living quarters. "Is Sarada in?".

"No, she's dealing with logistics again".

Naruto leans back in his chair, throwing his head back and lamenting Sarada's absence with a dreadful moan. "You know dad, I've noticed the way she looks at me, that others are starting to look at me, it's started to change you know".

"It hasn't changed Naruto".

"You haven't changed, you're my dad after all" Naruto explains, gesturing thankfully to his father. "Others have though, they look disappointed, as if they expect more but don't know what to say. It's not like when I was a kid, it's like I'm an old man and they know I'm about to die".

"Don't worry, I don't think you are going to die of old age just yet" Minato says, adopting a cheery tone in hopes of inspiring his son. "This is the curse of those who can see what others cannot. You can see hope, the value of working with Lara. Nobody else can see that hope, they think what you are saying is crazy, but unlike the rest of us, you are something more than a Hokage".

"Something more than a Hokage?".

"You are their hero" the 4th Hokage declares. "It's not because of you that their looks have changed. It's because their conclusions are different to yours. They are not doubting you, they are doubting themselves".

Naruto mulls it over. Is it possible to have such faith in another person, does he even have that much faith in another person? He's revered countless people throughout his life, Lord 3rd, Jariya, Lady Tsunade, his parents, Kakashi sensei and others. At times though, they all gave him advice he refused to take, particularly relating to Sasuke. Unlike them, his was the path of never giving up, that was the philosophy in which he trusted, his own philosophy. He has never lived by another person's code, according to the judgement of somebody else. Perhaps his code is now so well engrained in the minds of the people, that it is hard to accept any other way of life.

"I think I get it" he says.

"It' something most of us never experience, those doubtful looks, but I know that one other Hokage did. That was Lord 1st" Minato says. "The Senju clan looked at him that way once, back when he told them he had a friend named Uchiha Madara. After a while, they didn't doubt Hashirama, they doubted themselves. He then went on to prove that he was right and helped to create the Hidden Leaf Village".

Minato grabs Naruto's arms comfortingly and smiles. "You will prove those doubts correct Naruto, just like he did, I believe in you".

"Sarada may understand those looks too" Naruto ponders. "I thought she would be here so that we could support each other when times were hard. I thought the two of us were suffering through the pain together, but it looks like May have been wrong".

"Naruto…".

Naruto yawns, slowing getting to his feet and stretching his arms, he declares. "I think I'm going to go to sleep now. I will see you in the morning dad".

"… yeah, see you in the morning".

As Naruto disappears for the night, Minato asks himself if he should be worried. Perhaps he should be worried, but there is an illogical part of his mind too.

Minato has his own code.  
Always believe in Naruto.


	132. Sarada's Turmoil

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – SARADA'S TURMOIL**

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

Sarada is on the verge of collapse, even an idiot could see that. The cumulation of injuries, fatigue and her lack of sleep have hurt her in a way that few individuals can do. Yet Elliot is forced to watch her go in with amazement. There is little point driving yourself forward like this, especially considering all the pain that Sarada must have been feeling at late. He concludes that she must be one of those exceptional rare people you meet in life. She is one of those people who is just born with something that cannot be learnt or taught, born with another gear, something bestowed by the heavens. She is just like Lara, Clyde and Naruto.

"Your scouts are finding our shinobi cooperative?" Sarada asks, jotting down some notes on the paper before her. The notes, meaningless and nonsensical, serve no purpose other than keeping her awake.

"Oh yes, very much so" Elliot praises the shinobi scouts. "It's surprising really, I hadn't expected them to be so willing to work with us".

Sarada would smile if she weren't so tired but she registers the happiness in the back of her mind. The shinobi who have no control over divine energy have almost all become powerless in the face of this threat with only the best such as Tsunade and Mitsuki having any chance to fight back. It would be easy for them to complain and make demands, but they don't, they just keep their heads down and work.

"They are the best" Sarada says, "They always have been the best, they wouldn't play mind games at a time like this".

"There is clearly someone they trust at the top".

"He has the ability to inspire people" explains the 9th Hokage, clearly in reference to Naruto. "I wish I had the same ab…".

"He's not the only one they look up to" Elliot comments, surprising Sarada again with his helpfulness. "They have good reason to admire their leaders. Don't underrate the skills you have in that Circle, you are all worthy of being followed".

Sarada nods to Elliot and then walks away.

Elliot's comment latches onto the truth about the difference between their worlds. This world is a purely talent-based society, where even the hardest working people would struggle. A society of lions. The pocket world was a place where the hard-working can surpass the talented, where you can scrap for power, where it's always worth it to keep going for one more second. A society of hyena.

As Sarada walks past a tent, she is caught by her favourite homeworlder, General Sheer.

"Hey Sarada" Sheer says, slightly cautious of her friend's condition. "Are you alright?".

"I've had better days Sheer, worse ones too".

"Right, I probably had a hand in those" Sheer admits, awkwardly handing a flask of liquid to the last Uchiha.

Sarada carelessly wastes some of her sparse energy using her Sharingan to examine the content of the flask. It didn't feel warm. As one of the leaders of the village, she's hardly had time for relaxing beverages lately.

"It's not much and you probably shouldn't be drinking anyway" Sheer says, "But it might help take the edge off, help you relax a bit".

Sarada hesitates. "You don't owe me anything, you know that don't you?".

"Don't be ridiculous. Look around here and tell me again that I don't owe you anything" the General chuckles. A camp full of the mightiest military force from both their worlds. "I've only come this far because you've dragged me alongside you".

Sheer's gratitude is justified. She should chiefly assume responsibility for the death of Sarada's mother and the trauma of her father's attack on the village. Despite everything though, Sarada has not sought vengeance and has instead started to make just a few of Sheer's dreams come to pass.

Sarada grabs Sheer by the shoulder, gesturing aside with her head, "Come on, let's sit down".

Together, they head into a vacant communal tent set up by Clyde's soldiers and sit down either side of the flimsy wooden table. Sarada initially feels relieved to take the weight off her feet but is also immensely conscious of the impending slumber she may fall into. She continues to distract herself, this time with conversation.

"I guess you're feeling rather overwhelmed now" Sarada asks. "You've come back to your homeworld, you're rebelling against the top authority, what do you think of it?".

"What do I think about it? It's amazing, it's what we all dream of doing but never dare to voice our desires" Sheer replies, "To be here and do this is powerful by itself. If we win though… wow… that's a seismic event that would shake all of reality".

"Do you think we can win? We don't seem to be doing too well against Carmen, and Lara is hardly helping".

"I don't know. I've never really been against the odds like this. I have been against you though, I'm sure you remember it" Sheer begins. "It was one of the final matches in the captained-six contest and you had to win. You had to beat me, one of the strongest colonels under Clyde's command. And you did the impossible, you won, and you taught me a valuable lesson in the process".

Sheer concludes her statement, "If it's impossible then do it anyway".

"I'm trying" Sarada says, "I'm trying so hard to live by that philosophy but…".

"Then perhaps you are trying too hard and that is the problem. You are working yourself to death and even the brilliant glow of your purple eyes cannot hide those bags" Sheer says, pointing dramatically with her index finger. "You should go home every once in a while, go home and get some sleep".

That's just the problem for Sarada, she can't go home. "You know, I'm living with the Uzumaki family, with Naruto, Himawari, Lord 4th and the others. They're all great people, the best people I have ever known. Heck, Lord 7th is my childhood hero".

"I sense a but coming…".

"Boruto and I were going to get married" Sarada explains, "Now that he isn't here, I can't help but feel responsible".

"You are not responsible for his actions Sarada, not even as his partner".

"I know, but if there was anyone in that house who should have stopped him, if there is anyone who should have known how he was feeling, it was me" she explains solemnly, "The fact is that I did nothing to prevent him becoming what he is now. That makes me sick".

Sheer looks back over her shoulder, checking the platoon number of the tent just behind her. It's grim being in command, she knows each death that they suffer, each life lost. She knows every single setback they have, some of them far more unpleasant than the victories are pleasant. It also has advantages though.

"I know this isn't the most enticing offer, but a couple of our platoons have lost a soldier or two in our battles" the new General explains, "There are always one or two spare spaces in these tents if you would like to sleep here".

She wouldn't have believed it a few years ago, but Sarada finds herself taking Sheer up on the unusual offer.

"I would be really grateful for that".

 **Elsewhere in the Biome**

This area is inhabited, much like the Hidden Leaf hideout. Though this one is made up entirely of pocket-worlders, led by the man who has become Naruto's opposite. This is Hashirama's group.

Unlike the Hidden Leaf hideout, the group are not sheltered by temporary tarpaulin structures but by small buildings made immaculately from a master of wood. Each temporary home appears as if crafted by a fine architect, though they have all been created by one incredibly skilled man. Near the centre of this establishment, Hashirama sits on a slightly reclined chair, meditating while nursing his injuries from his battles with Carmen.

A knock comes on the door and Boruto subtly slips into the room.

"Master".

"Boruto" Hashirama says, sitting in his chair slightly straighter than before, "It's good that you are here, I could tell when we returned that something was bothering you".

"I think it's best that we don't avoid the elephant in the room" Boruto says, watching as Hashirama creates a second chair in a few seconds. He sits in the chair when it is completed. "Your fight with my father, it was different to the previous time".

"Different? I won, didn't I? Isn't that all that matters, isn't the Leaf just a tiny bit safer".

Boruto shakes his head. "Safer? No. That fight achieved nothing, that is why Sarada and I did nothing to stop you. That wasn't a battle of principles, it was unnecessary, a battle born of frustration, an itching childish temper that we seem to have developed".

"Childish? Are you forgetting the larger picture Boruto?" Hashirama sighs as he asks. "Did you not see who was skulking behind him? He brought Lara into the village's inner circle, risking the lives of each and every villager".

"He's an idiot, I grant you" Boruto bluntly declares, "But tell me what makes you better. Did you have some kind of plan? Some way to defeat Lara or Clyde?".

"A plan?".

"It was never going to happen there, was it?" the shadow Hokage criticises. He rests his head in his hand, the stress having got to him. "You were just fighting my father because you were angry that he doesn't agree with us. Do you doubt what you have said in the past because he said we should?"

"Of course not. Look… look, I know you're right. I lost myself in a moment of anger, just as we all do from time to time" Hashirama admits. "You are just reading too much into it. There is nothing wrong with me".

Boruto wonders about that. Hashirama initially appeared to take the death of his wife well, but training in isolation changed the man who was the 1st Hokage. He came back a much darker man, someone who understood the cruelty of this world and the importance of controlling it. Since coming to the future, it's like his and his brother's reputations have reversed. Every day, Hashirama has spiralled further and further down a dark path, different to his original self. Boruto is certain that together they have done the right thing, though while he is sure of himself, he is not sure his master has done it for the right reasons.

"I don't know that you can read too much into our actions anymore. Otherwise I myself would fail to understand my own motivations".

"In that case tell me, Boruto, what do you not understand. I will make it clear for you" Hashirama declares, his tone is patronising and sarcastic, out of character for Hashirama, Boruto realises.

"You assaulted my father after he made a foolish decision, and I agree with you, he is a fool, but I need to you to answer me this" Boruto begins.  
"Do you still think my father is a good man?".

That is not the question Hashirama expected to answer. Naruto has become his antithesis, the greatest opposing force against his goal to ensure the safety of the Hidden Leaf Village. It has been a long time now since he looked at Naruto in a favourable light, but Boruto's question forces a re-evaluation of the man that is Uzumaki Naruto. Hashirama looks once again at the traits that made Naruto the man he admired the most.

"Yes, I do think your father is a good man. He is more than good. He's naïve and pure, and while that causes him to make stupid decisions, it is also beautiful. I'm fighting to save the entire Hidden Leaf Village, but if there is one person that I truly want to save it is Uzumaki Naruto".

Boruto nods, it is good that this is still their sentiment. "Our two groups have only been split for a short while but it's already taking a toll on me. Don't worry, I've endured worse than leaving my family for a few months, but I do feel a bit like a child. Sometimes, I just want to fall back and know that my father will be there to catch me".

For his son, living without Naruto has become like living without air.

"I know how you feel Boruto. Fighting against the villagers is not rewarding. It means that even my family hate me" the 1st Hokage laments, thinking to his brother and granddaughter. "I can only imagine how this miserable affair has made Tsunade feel and that is my responsibility".

They have both left a lot behind.

"I often think of Sarada" her Shadow Hokage admits with a shrug, "I wonder if she blames herself for my leaving the village".

"Blames herself? It was your decision".

"I know that, but she is always looking for something she could have done differently" Boruto explains. "She spends a lot of time reflecting on the mistakes of her past. Just like you do and just like I do. It's our past that shapes our future, isn't it?".

"I agree".

"I wish there a way, just some way we could all come together again" Boruto says, "I wish that my father could be made to see the truth".

"Don't worry Boruto, there are ways to help him…".

"… so many ways".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

Sarada wakes to the sound of soldiers running back and forward, their heavy boots muddying the ground. She wakes up to pure chaos.

"Get those weapons ready!".

"Don't do anything stupid, we just need to stick together for now".

Through the haze of her own half-consciousness some of those words got to her. Weapons, stick together, don't do anything stupid. That two hours sleep is the most she has slept in ages and bizarrely enough as she comes to she feels more alert than she has in days. All the people outside are panicking, shouting and screaming at the tops of their voices. Something important must be happening, but if it was wouldn't someone tell her.

She gets up, climbing out from under the thin sheets she has been given to sleep under. She hastily walks over to the tent's entrance and peels back the canvas separating her from the outside world. It's dark outside, but 'fire' made from divine energy lights the paths, sticking harmlessly to the end of torches. Despite seeing one of their former adversaries clambering out of the tent, not one of the soldiers so much as looks at her.

Sarada grabs a passing soldier's arm.

"Hey, what's going on here, why is everyone so panicked?".

"Sorry ma'am, I can't stop now" the soldier declares as he pulls his arm free and continues running on his previous course.

"Hey, hey you, stop!" Sarada shouts, "Someone, stop, tell me what is going on?".

None of the soldiers stop.

' _Are they all ignoring me?'_ Sarada wonders. _'It makes no sense, if there was an emergency surely I would be one of the first people they would have told'_. Of course, she wonders what could possibly be so urgent that they need ignore her and all focus on their own duties.

If they are getting weapons, what are they defending against. She cannot sense any threats in the immediate area.

Deciding it best to find someone more likely to speak with her, Sarada spots the nearest group of Hidden Leaf shinobi and runs towards them. _'Thank goodness'_ she thinks to herself, _'a familiar face'_. The familiar face that she has spotted is that of her childhood friend, Akimichi ChouChou.

"Get those kunai and hand them to anyone who can use one" ChouChou shouts to her subordinates. "Get the civilians as close to the centre of our area as you can, I don't want anyone missed. Any sensors come to the outskirts, we can't afford to miss any of the sick or injured".

"ChouChou" Sarada calls as she approaches, "What is going on?".

ChouChou just walks past her Hokage, "Sorry Sarada, can't stop now".

Sarada is once again baffled. What is going on? They can't be under attack if they aren't begging her for help, she should be right at the top of the list for that. Then perhaps a medical emergency, but this wouldn't make sense either, there would be no need for weapons in such a scenario.

She soon notices the cautious looks some of the shinobi give her as they pass.

It's as if nobody trusts her anymore.

' _It's just like when Lara first came, only worse. You would think the devil himself had descended'_.

Looking around, Sarada is grateful to spot two of her fellow Hokage, Hiruzen and Kakashi running past her. They don't stop to speak, only rush their way towards something of great interest. Whatever is going on, it is her duty to get to the bottom of it, so she quickly follows them through the familiar paths of the Hidden Leaf portion of the hideout.

Alongside Hiruzen and Kakashi, Sarada arrives at what seems to be the heart of the disturbance.

Here are stood a group of Hokage and a couple of other senior shinobi. Sarada quickly observes that there is not one representative from Clyde's home-world here though.

"Thank heavens your OK" Tobirama says as Sarada arrives.

"Unharmed? What are you saying unharmed?" Sarada asks incredulously, looking down at her stretched arms. "Of course, I'm unharmed, there is nobody here who could hurt me".

Tobirama shakes his head regretfully. "There are people who could hurt you in certain circumstances".

"We don't have time for this" Sarada says, raising her palm impatiently. "Please just tell me what is going on".

Just as Sarada makes this request, Minato emerges from the tent next to them. "It's good that you're here Sarada, we need you right now".

They are all just the same as the shinobi, the captains and the colonels. Even these Hokage have a distressed panic-stricken look on their faces. Something traumatic must have happened to the lot of them. The 9th Hokage is left to join the dots and make the dreaded discovery that not all of the Hokage are here.

"Where is Naruto?" she asks.

The answer comes from the 4th Hokage.

"Tsunade says he is in a critical condition".

An explosion goes off in the back of Sarada's head. A critical condition, Naruto? How could that possibly happen. It would take someone with a power similar to Carmen's to injure Naruto in such a way and she has no reason to do so. What's more, there is no way that such a powerful individual could make their way inside the camp undetected, past all the scouts she and Elliot set up. Even if they could sneak into the camp, even if the gods themselves had decided to do so, why would such a powerful individual decide to attack stealthily, there would be no need to do so.

"This isn't possible" Sarada says with certainty, "Is it a medical problem? Some sort of health issue? There is nobody here who could do that to Naruto, not even me".

"They could in the right conditions" Minato says, "Perhaps if he were sleeping and couldn't defend himself".

"So, you're telling me someone tried to kill him?".

"Yes, that much is certain" Shinki says, speaking for the first time since Sarada's arrival. "Someone tried to kill him and this time I can assure you I had no role in it".

Sarada denies the possibility again. "No, Naruto uses 'life', any assassin must have known it would be almost impossible to kill him, even in his sleep".

Kakashi plays the detective. "The assassin would have to be one of a very small group of us then. It would have to be someone strong enough to kill Naruto".

"Is there any evidence this was an attack. It seems incredibly unlikely" Sarada says, doing her best to come up with any alternate solution. "Why don't we ask Clyde over here to help us investigate. He's a military leader, he must have some experts in this kind of thing".

Minato is left to tell Sarada of a devastating reality.

"There were traces of divine energy on some of Naruto's wounds Sarada. It was divine energy of a very specific nature. It is because of that divine energy's nature that we don't want to invite Clyde over here".

The penny drops. That's why everyone is preparing weapons. That is why everyone is preparing for a fight, but nobody is fighting. That is why the civilians are being collectively brought to a safe location and the sensors have all been recalled from their patrols. The least likely assailant of all seems to have struck.

"You can't really mean…".

"Naruto was attacked by someone using 'darkness' Sarada. That means our top suspect…".

"… is General Clyde…".


	133. The Village Splits

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – THE VILLAGE SPLITS**

 **The Circle**

The Circle is the fullest and yet the emptiest it has ever felt all at once. Previously they have called emergency meetings, but this is on another level to any incident they have had to deal with before. Nobody in this entire haphazard alliance can claim to be as strong as Naruto, but there are a whole bunch of them who could wound him in his sleep. That is what one of them has done, and the chief suspect for that is General Clyde himself. If it turns out that he did it and that he has betrayed them, the village will struggle to survive.

All the usual suspects are at this meeting, Shikadai and his father as the administrators, the Kage, except for Naruto, Hashirama and Boruto, Clyde, Peterson, Sheer and Elliot. This meeting is more though, this calls for action across the entire village. With that in mind, Shikadai called a collection of other high-ranking members of each group here.

In attendance is the military leader of the Hidden Leaf Village, Sarutobi Mirai, a powerhouse stronger than many of the Hokage. Also present are the remaining members of both Ino-Shika-Cho generations, along with Hinata, Shino, Kiba and Tenten, together who formed a generation to surpass all others. From Clyde's group, not only have the generals attended the meeting, but also the Colonels that have come to be trusted by the Hidden Leaf villagers. Lastly, from Lara's group, not only is Elliot in attendance, but so are Brooks and Blackburn. Then of course is the one who they thought most likely to be a traitor, General Lara. If only they had known back, then what they know now.

"I'm sure you all realise that more people are here than usual, that is because this is a very important meeting. Perhaps, the most important in our history" Shikadai begins ceremoniously, "The most important individual to this meeting is the one man who can't be here right now. That is Lord 7th, Uzumaki Naruto".

Clyde remains calm, "Shikadai, please tell us what happened".

Minato can feel his hand twitch as Clyde speaks with this ignorant demeanour. In his mind, this is the man who attacked his son, who put him on the verge of death and is now a threat to the entire village. Everything will probably be OK, if you don't kill Naruto his abilities of recovery will bring him back even from the brink of death, but such actions would certainly spell the end of any alliance. In addition to that, such actions may also end all hope this world has for freedom.

"I'm sure this won't come as a surprise given how voices travel around here but Naruto has been attacked, he has been left in a critical condition" Shikadai explains.

Whispers quickly travel back and forward between the closest allies at the table. Mirai looks to her grandfather for confirmation, Kiba moves to reassure Hinata, Burns quickly places a calming hand on Grace's shoulder. All little comforts, disguising the main issue. There are personal grudges in this camp, too many of them to count, but not even Lara should have a grudge against Naruto. This attack, seemingly without incentive, was clearly premeditated by a dangerous adversary. That can only mean that the situation has just become very volatile.

"Not many people could have put Naruto in a critical condition" Peterson is quick to note.

"No, they couldn't" Mirai says, agreeing with the analysis, "That means that there can't be many suspects outside of this room".

The majority of the rooms occupants still aren't aware of the exact circumstances of Naruto's assault, there assumptions quickly go in the obvious direction. As soon Mirai declares that the assailant is likely present, they look to the four most recent aggressors in the room. Namely, they look at Blackburn, Brooks, Elliot and Lara.

Elliot sees this immediately and takes his frustrations out on Mirai. "I would like to clarify what qualifies you to be here making accusations like that?".

"I am here because I am one of the strongest shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. I am stronger than half the Hokage in this room" Mirai correctly boasts, "I also happen to be the leader of the Hidden Leaf military, and I am also the one who defeated you, so don't forget that".

Elliot has done little to reverse the ill-will that has accumulated against him. By killing Dan, the academy's headmaster at the time, he terrified a group of children, traumatised Mirai, enraged Naruto, and took another of Tsunade's loved ones away. Some grudges cannot be forgotten, no matter how much time they have to heal.

"There is no sense in getting heated" Blackburn says, showing his composure amid rising tensions, "We should settle this matter calmly".

"I agree" Shinki says, "We won't get anywhere by letting our tempers get the better of us".

"Why not?" Shikamaru asks, shrugging his shoulders while maintaining an uncharacteristic aggressive tone, "Under these circumstances, I think we all know where this is going".

"Father, let me handle this!".

"I am Naruto's friend. I was assistant to him as the 7th Hokage!" Shikamaru shouts impatiently, losing his cool as happens so rarely. "I've seen many assassination attempts against him, but this is the most blatant and pathetic of the lot".

"Are we certain this was an assassination?" Clyde asks.

"Oh yes we are" Shikamaru laughs sarcastically, "I bet that comes as a great surprise to you, General".

"If there is anything we can do to help Naruto, any medicine we can obtain, I will arrange it straight away".

Clyde's promise appears sincere, and as it is made, Elliot looks over his shoulder. He communicates with Lara using a quick exchange of gestures and nods. He too then offers his help, citing it as a rare opportunity to gain some much-needed trust. In a matter of seconds, the homeworlders show themselves as unlikely assassins. However, that is just what an assassin would want to do.

"It's a bit late to be trying to win our trust now" Hinata comments.

"I seem to remember you from before" Elliot replies, "Oh yes, you're his fiancée if I remember correctly. Are you in an appropriate mental state to be attending a meeting like this?".

"I will be fine" Hinata answers bluntly, "But only if we deal with this in the way Naruto would want".

For many of them it is not something they have seen before. Hinata rarely gets this angry and if she does it's often just for show. This is different though, it can be seen in the focus of her eyes, the intensity of her stance and heard in the tone of her voice. Hinata's brain is working at a thousand-miles-per-hour. If she were to get her hands on the person who attacked Naruto, no good could come of it for either of them.

"Naruto would want us to deal with this calmly" Clyde says.

Tsunade disagrees. "Naruto would want us to deal with this in a way that protects the villagers above all else, wouldn't you agree, General Clyde?".

"Yes, I suppose I do".

"I'm surprised you're not putting up more of an argument" Tsunade continues, "After all, you are the one who attacked Naruto".

"Me?". Clyde is instantly stunned.

Peterson is the first to the defence of his commander. "Don't be ridiculous, there is no way that the General would attack Naruto, that would make no sense".

"That's strange then" Shikamaru nods with a sardonic grin, "Naruto was attacked using divine energy. 'Darkness' divine energy to be precise".

"And you think it was me?".

"Are you suggesting that one of your captains uses 'darkness' and would be capable of hurting Naruto like this?".

Clyde goes silent, surveying the looks from the shinobi in the room. Hostile, on another level than before. It's clear that there is only one suspect in the room, only one person who could have done this. He is the only person who they could turn to with their accusations, the only suspect for the crime. In this lawless situation held together by good intentions and charismatic leaders alone, he must be as good as guilty in the minds of the victim's allies.

Brooks speaks for the first time, standing on her chair to compensate for her child-like frame. "I don't suppose you would miss it if an assassin from outside the camp were walking around Naruto's tent?".

"No" Hinata answers definitively. "I wouldn't miss it".

Elliot sighs. "Then it appears we have reached the point where we must make a decision".

The decision clouds minds across the table. Before they didn't even consider that this could come to pass, but now they are forced to evaluate just how important Naruto was. Tactically, he was a safety net that stopped those from this world from acting up. Together with Sarada, he could put down any rebellion, he could protect them and keep them here for as long as need be. Sarada wouldn't be able to do that by herself, not without him. If the homeworlders rebelled now, there is every chance they would defeat the Hidden Leaf. Each person must ask themselves if that is a chance they are willing to take.

"Above all else, we must prioritise the villagers safety right now" Hiruzen groans, knowing the potential ramifications. "What everyone is saying makes sense. There is no reason for Clyde to attempt an assassination, especially in a tent where Sarada may well be to try and stop him. However, all the evidence points to him being the one who tried to kill Naruto, for now I suggest we escort the villagers somewhere safe".

Sarada feels a pang of guilt in her heart as Hiruzen's conclusion is spoken aloud. That is right, she should have been in that tent with the Uzumaki family, that is the place she claimed to be her home. It is because of her own cowardice that she accepted Sheer's offer of somewhere else to sleep. If she hadn't taken that offer, this wouldn't be happening right now. A tentative conclusion, but the argument can definitely be made, that this was the fault of Uchiha Sarada.

"Escorting the villagers into the unknown, without a guide from this world" Kiba asks incredulously, "Naruto would not approve of that all".

Tenten nods. "Going it alone in this place is very risky. We don't know what may happen to us".

Hinata looks gratefully towards her two old friends. Time may have separated them by many years, but they are still on her side just as they always have been. These guys are Naruto loyalists through and through.

Shikadai counters. "We don't have to go it alone here, there is somewhere we could go, not where Naruto would want us to go but it would definitely be safe".

"I can already tell where this is going" says the 2nd Hokage as he slumps back into his chair.

"We should use our sensors and communicators to take the villagers away from here" the administrator continues, "We should take them to safety, and deliver them to Lord 1st and Boruto".

On the surface this seems like a good idea, immediately it is enticing to the many Hokage. That is a good idea. They may follow a different philosophy but both Hashirama and Boruto staunchly wish to protect the Hidden Leaf Village. They may appear adversaries, but they will be more than happy to protect the villagers against any attack from Clyde or Lara. That is the perfect solution, isn't it?

The solution seems to fit everyone, until Elliot points out a problem.

"If you take the villagers away, you will be telling Hashirama and Boruto that we are weak" Elliot explains, "It's inviting them to attack".

"An attack that would only endanger the people who aren't from the village" Shikadai explains. "Sorry, but we can't concern ourselves with that right now, we have to protect the villagers".

Hinata immediately speaks out against this idea. "Of course, we can concern ourselves with that. That is exactly the sort of thing Naruto would want us to think about. If he was here, he would never allow you to do that".

"But we have to prioritise safety, don't we?".

The two of them clash, the least official debate in the Circle's history. The Nara clansmen who dedicated himself to administration but vowed never to interfere. He argues with the time-travelling wife of a critically-wounded soldier. The two of the butt-heads and argue over the very destiny and soul of the village they both love. Amongst their fundamental ideological clash, all other arguments seem to become noise. That is until, the younger Senju brother makes an interesting claim.

"We are safe here" Tobirama says.

Shikadai shakes his head, "Lord 2nd, you can't seriously be suggesting that…".

"Sarada is stronger than Clyde and Lara, she may be able to defeat them even if they worked together" Tobirama continues, his head lowered as he thinks and talks simultaneously. "Given the circumstances, the changes are that the assassin worked alone. That means that unless Sarada was the assassin, we are not in any danger".

"Tobirama, that is an analytical decision, one perfectly constructed from years of experience in the shinobi world" Kakashi praises. "But, we are not in the shinobi world any more. We need to take the safest potion here, not for us, not for them, but for the village".

Sarada watches as the cracks form in the Circle. Both sides have perfectly valid points, both sides want what is best for the village, they just disagree on what that is. The safety of the civilians at all costs. The sanctity of the village's soul no matter what. Both sides are right, but only one of them can actually have what they want.

"The unity that we are showing here is part of Naruto's spirit" Sarada says, making her choice of side clear. "This unity is the Hidden Leaf Village".

"Then nothing bad will happen" Kakashi retorts, "We will simply hand the villagers over to Lord 1sat and continue on our current path without the civilians holding us back".

"Lord 1st's group haven't actually done any harm to us yet" Shikadai adds. "They have refused to kill both Naruto and Sarada when they likely could have done. I suggest we trust in their good nature, just one more time, couldn't we do that for the founder of our village".

"I agree" Shikamaru says, siding firmly with his son.

"I'm afraid that I also agree" Tsunade raises her hand.

Mirai nods. "Yeah, and me".

This group grows and grows, until a large portion of the room is intent on taking the villagers and leaving. The 'leave' group comes to consist of both generations of Ino-Shika-Cho, of Mirai, Shinki, Hiruzen, Kakashi and Tsunade. That is a firm group with a tremendous collective influence and assortment of political powerhouses. Not only that but in terms of combat ability, this is also a formidable group.

"We have to do our duty" Hiruzen declares, "I have to do my duty as the 3rd Hokage. We're taking the villagers to safety, after that we will come right back here. I hope that until then you won't get in the way".

"Lord 3rd, please reconsider this" Sarada begs, positioning herself between her predecessor and the door. "This isn't what Naruto would want. This isn't what Lord 1st would have wanted in the past".

The pleas of the 9th Hokage fall on death ears. The group leave the room and prepare to take the villagers with them. As they leave the room, the silently but knowingly condemn the homeworlders, potentially sending each and every one of them to their deaths. Each second that passes it becomes clearer and clearer just how important a cornerstone Naruto was to the village. Without him, everything is falling apart.

The people of the homeworld now must make their decisions. How will they react when confronted with this impending doom?

Clyde gets to his feet, walking straight to the centre of the circle and standing in behind Shikadai's podium.

"What are you doing Clyde?" Lara asks.

"I'm going to chair this meeting now. We have to make a decision and we have to make it quickly" he announces, "Some of you from the Hidden Leaf Village have remained here. I swear to you now, I didn't attack Naruto. I am thankful to each of you who have stayed and are willing to give us a chance".

"What's the rush for" Hinata asks, sitting down in one of the now vacant chairs of the Hokage. "If you didn't attack Naruto, and I don't believe you did, then we have nothing to worry about. I don't believe my son would let harm come to the villagers, they will be in good hands, even if those hands aren't ours".

"It's not a problem for you Lady Hinata, this is a problem for our lives" Clyde explains.

"A problem for your lives?".

Sheer speaks. "If they leave and find Hashirama's group quickly enough, then they will tell him exactly what happened here. What do you think will happen then?".

"They will find somewhere safe, they will take the villagers out of harm's way" Kiba suggests.

"This world is so big compared to yours" Sheer explains, leaning forward and looking the Inuzuka clansmen in the eye. "We have hidden ourselves here, in plain sight. They don't need to hide your villagers anywhere, they won't have to do anything. However, they will know that we are weak. They will come here and try to kill these two".

Hinata understands now. Boruto, Hashirama and Sarada can all transcend two levels with their power. Clyde and Lara can only transcend a single level. Boruto has shown that he can fight Sarada before, Hashirama has also fought against the duo of Clyde and Lara. If that happens again, they will be completely obliterated.

"Well then, we will take the fight to them" the bulky General Blackburn suggests.

"Forgive him for being slow, the only muscle adolescence didn't grow was his brain" Brooks declares as she punches Blackburn's upper arm. "If they attack us right now, when Uzumaki Naruto is unconscious, even Sarada will not be able to stop them. We will all be killed, we won't be able to do anything to stop them".

"Oh god" Hinata's head drops into her hands. She wanted to be here as Naruto's voice, she wanted to make sure things would go as he wanted. It seems that things have gone a completely different direction.

Sarada shouts to the room. "I will go and speak with Mirai. Perhaps I can convince her to hold off a little while longer". She leaves the room in a hurry, desperate to buy them just a few more seconds, seconds that may turn out to be vital.

Lara teleports to the centre of the room, standing off with Clyde.

The rest of the room goes virtually silent as the two strongest General's come face-to-face.

"We can't wait for that Clyde, you know what we must do".

"What do you mean, Lara?".

"Don't play dumb" Lara snaps, clenching her fist with anger. "These rebels had several ringleaders with enough brains to have thought this through. They made this decision because they knew it would lead to our death".

"That is a dangerous way to be thinking. Lara, you have no proof of that at all".

Once more two iron wills clash in a debate, only this time the intensity is on a level not seen before. While Clyde is a sensible man who always tries to make decisions based on his moral compass, he is not Naruto, he is not so forgiving of past sins. Lara is even less forgiving, with the rage of this betrayal practically seeping out through her pores. Minato had come into this room angry with Clyde but now, having slightly more confidence in his innocence, is overwhelmed by the sensation of their standoff. This is power.

"I know that you didn't attack Naruto, I can tell" Lara says. "I also know what must be done to deal with a situation like this as quickly as possible".

Lara's conclusion terrifies the 2nd and 4th Hokages.

"We must crush the mutiny. We must kill the rebels".

What terrifies Minato even more is what follows that statement.

Hinata gets to her feet, without any fear, and bursts into the middle of the Circle. She positions herself between Clyde and Lara and stands face-to-face with the lead General of this world. She shows a tenacity and a level of leadership so unlike the Hyuuga heiress. For a few moments, she has an aura of a leader that surpasses the Hokage by leaps and bounds. Even Lara appears slightly intimidated by the mental prowess of Hinata.

"If you take this action, we will never work with you again" Hinata says threateningly, "You need Naruto and I can assure you he will not forgive you killing any more unarmed civilians".

Lara's left foot moves back a pace and she suddenly finds herself experiencing an unfamiliar sensation. Retreat, not born out of tactics or logic, but out of fear. Just who is this person masquerading as Hyuuga Hinata.

Lara concedes, turning around and ignoring Hinata. "I have more immediate concerns than Naruto's principles. Elliot, Brooks, Blackburn, gather the troops, we are going to crush this rebellion".

Elliot and Brooks both follow Lara as she leaves the room, but the burly Blackburn doesn't move, maintaining his stance with a rigid determination. "I'm afraid I cannot go along with this plan of yours Lara. Our whole reason for rebelling is to get away from the life of cold-blooded killers. I would rather die an honourable death than live like that again".

"I see, you disappoint me Blackburn". Lara's expression hardly reflects her words as she expressionlessly turns and leaves the room, taking Brooks and Elliot with her.

With the room's population lower than ever, Clyde speaks to the remaining warriors.

"Alright, all of you who have stayed here, I owe you all my life. I believe that you are truly acting as Uzumaki Naruto would".

"What do you suggest we do now?" Tobirama asks, readying himself for any action necessary. "Lara was right after all, if the villagers leave then you will be killed by my brother".

"We can't let the villagers leave. We can't let Lara slaughter them though" Minato adds. "If Lara gets to them, if she hurts anyone then this alliance will be off. We may never kill Furst".

"Then it's a two-pronged strategy" Clyde explains. "Some of us have to stop the shinobi from leaving the village. The rest of us have to stop Lara from killing anyone".

Blackburn leans forward, resting his chin on his two fists. "To do this without killing anyone will be almost impossible".

"He's right" Peterson says. "To pull this off we will require a miracle".

"Then let's consider ourselves lucky that Sarada will be helping us".

Indeed, Sarada is the strongest member of this alliance with Naruto out of action. With her powers of 'creation', if anyone can prevent fatalities in this mass conflict then it is her. It will require a miracle as Peterson said, but the daughter of Sasuke may just be able to pull that miracle off. So, a strange alliance is formed, an alliance of those loyal to Clyde and Naruto, an alliance to stand in the middle of two fighting factions and prevent them reaching each other.

"… let's just pray that's enough" Minato says.

It is with these words, with this hopeless dream, that a civil war begins.


	134. A Civil War Begins

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – A CIVIL WAR BEGINS**

 **Lara's Portion of the Hideout**

Lara arrives back in her third of the living space. A large gap exists between this space and the spaces of Clyde's group and the Hidden Leaf, a space maintained by the requests of the Hokage. Unity between the shinobi and Lara's subordinates would take a long time to exit from its nascent stage, such is the hatred between the two factions. Fortunately, Lara now finds herself in a position to use that hatred to her advantage, something she is only too comfortable to do.

Lara walks to the front her enormous gathering of soldiers, each of them stood at attention, weapons and powers at the ready for yet another fight. The faction may not have the most powerful warrior, but the others are top heavy. From Lara down to the captains, there is a perfectly distributed range of power, reflecting on the handpicked nature of the army. Lara may be bloodthirsty, and her sociopathic desire for supremacy may have even driven her insane, but she is intelligent and has chosen her followers well.

"Hey! Listen up!" she commands her followers. "We have to act quickly, so I don't want any interruptions, got it?".

"Yes ma'am" they all reply.

"I said I didn't want any interruptions idiots" she shouts, silencing them all with a menacing grin.

"Now, there are some shinobi amongst this group who don't trust us".  
"That's fine by me, they would have to be stupid to trust an old adversary like us".  
"However, those shinobi have decided to move, a decision that threatens our lives".  
"Uzumaki Naruto has been the victim of an assassination attempt, General Clyde is the only suspect".

Despite the order for silence whispers travel back and forward between Lara's various subordinates. While his long-time rivals, they are familiar with Clyde's methods, with his personality as a leader. An assassination attempt is not in Clyde's nature, after all, he even offered to fight the Hokage in a captained-six contest.

Captained-six contests often took place between military groups in the homeworld. It has proven a good way to work out who is the strongest. Of course, every time they have battled, that has proven to be Lara's group. Everyone started to resort to dirty tricks and underhanded tactics in order to defeat them, all to no avail unfortunately. However, only one group never sunk to that level, one group always fought fair and square, even to their own detriment. That group belonged to Clyde, a man whose pride outweighed his own sense.

"Some of the shinobi are planning to take the villagers and leave".  
"If the villagers leave this hideout, the shinobi Hashirama and Boruto will come here to slaughter us".  
"There is only one way we can survive this in one piece".  
"We must kill the rebels".  
"You must kill anyone who tries to take the villagers away from this place, no exceptions".

Lara turns her back and her army lets out mighty battle cry, their bloodlust roused by their leader's speech. Their shouts are deafening, the roar of a lion that is beginning to move, a lion with its prey well within sight.

 **The Shinobi Portion of the Hideout**

The area is relatively quiet. Everyone is acting according to the urgent need to escape from this place, quickly picking up what's left of the supplies and sorting them into bags. Several of the more respected shinobi of the village such as Shikamaru group people together so that they can easily travel. They know that this is going to be a tough journey but also that they cannot stay here for one second longer than they need to.

The quiet atmosphere is ruined though, ruined by the battle cry of Lara's group.

Mirai stops what she is doing and runs to the front of the group.

"Everyone, grab as much as you can, we're leaving right now, come on" she says, clapping her hands urgently. "Shinobi, help the civilians, those of you with enough chakra make some clones to help out".

Nobody dares hesitate and with a soundtrack of crying children and screaming citizens, they begin to grab what supplies they can so that they can leave the village.

As Mirai prepares to lead the group of would-be escapees away, she turns around to find her path blocked by a familiar face. The face of someone she has watched grow from a young girl into one of the most talented shinobi in history.

It's Sarada.

"Mirai, you know what Boruto will do if you take the villagers to him" Sarada says calmly, "Someone is bound to tell him where we are, the people from this world will be slaughtered. You can't let that happen".

Mirai takes the silence of the villagers behind her as a bad sign. It seems that it has come down to a standoff between the Hokage and the military leader. If there is one person in this entire village she wouldn't want to have to face in a situation like this, it is Sarada. She swallows any hesitation that she may be experiencing and sternly stands up to the last Uchiha. If she has to have it out with her here then she will do it, it's for the safety of the village after all.

"Why can't I do that? My conscience?".

Sarada is surprised by Mirai's rebellious tone. Is Mirai's conscience not something that she should cherish and be proud of. Mirai answers her.

"When you have to stand before a group of crying children, watching their teacher die, you tell me then that your morals are more important than the children".

Sarada doesn't say a word in reply. What can she say to that? Mirai has experienced so much pain on this journey. The leader of the military, also a frequent assistant to Boruto in his duties as the shadow Hokage, she has seen more death in a few years than most people see in their entire lives.

"Have you had to endure what I have Sarada?" Mirai asks. "Or are you like Naruto? Are you the type who has too much mental strength? Are you the type who doesn't realise that nobody else is strong enough to live by that moral code you have developed? Because, let me tell you Sarada, living like you is impossible for the weak".

Sarada curls her fist into a ball angrily. "Don't you dare tell me that! For all that time, I was the Hokage, a Hokage fighting against Clyde who lost time and time again. You think I don't know how it feels to be weak?".

The various civilians nearby begin to back away from Mirai, leaving the two powerhouses in their own isolated space right at the edge of the shinobi portion of the hideout.

"Do you know who had to apologise for every loss?" Sarada asks. "Do you know who had to make a choice about which of their friends died next? Do you know who made that decision! I did. Don't think that during that time I was different to Naruto because I was weak. Sticking with those ideals when we are weak is what makes us shinobi".

Both have said their piece, both of them knows how they must act to satisfy their own conscience and unfortunately, those actions are against one another. Mirai must walk away from this place, no matter what. Sarada must keep her bound to this place or suffer catastrophe.

"Sarada, I'm taking the villagers away from here. I won't let you stop me, no matter whose ideals you preach".

"Are those ideals no longer your own then?" Sarada asks. "The Mirai who helped me during my youth was different from what you are now. With how you used to be, why are you acting like this choice is difficult for you?".

"Because it is a difficult choice" Mirai explains angrily, her voice cracking with her own conflict. "We don't know that they won't betray us, if they all turn on us, do you really think you could stop them?".

"I believe that we could stop them, you and me" Sarada concludes. "I don't just believe in myself, I believe in all of us".

"You're delusional Sarada. You can't stop them alone, not even Naruto could. It's only together that you can truly be confident of that" Mirai says defiantly. "Naruto isn't around to protect us right now. We need two people on your level to be safe, so I'm going to take them to Boruto and Lord 1st".

"… I can't let you do that, I will stop you with force if I have to".

Mirai nods, taking a deep breath and looking Sarada dead in the eyes. Her chances of winning are admittedly slim, but her concerns are entirely different. Sarada has never let her down, she has been a friend for many years and that is not something she wants to lose. To go against the Hokage in the face of such overwhelming conviction is truly difficult. At the same time, she feels a slight burst of adrenaline kick in when Sarada threatens her with violence. As a proud warrior, she must react when challenged.

"Get the villagers back!" Mirai shouts.

Shinobi are quick to swoop in, with a slight hesitation, they act right in front of their Hokage and take the villagers back away from the two of them.

"I have to protect them. I hope you understand that".

"Of course I do" Sarada replies. "We each have our own ideals, our own experiences. Right now you don't want to hurt anyone, it's just that the circumstances are forcing it upon you".

Mirai bolts her eyes on Sarada. "I will try and convince them not to come here. We probably still have allies amongst them, people I want to protect".

"That's a kind offer, but I am stronger than you Mirai. You won't be getting past me".

"I'm well aware that I am weaker than you, but I also know that you won't kill me no matter what" Mirai explains. "If I attack you with everything I've got, I may just get past. I may just save the villagers. I hope that you will forgive me".

Mirai raises her right hand, gathering 'wind' energy upon it.

Sarada activates her rinnegan. "I'll forgive you".

Mirai nods. "Then let's do this".

The villagers and warriors in each direction are simultaneously shocked as an enormous 'wind' powered explosion collides with a stone wall created by 'creation'. The first crack has become a tear as Sarada and Mirai begin their battle.

 **The Space Between the Camps**

In the space between the Hidden Leaf and Lara's portions of the camp, the great army of Lara advances. She shudders as she feels the mighty collision of power ahead of her, knowing instantly what her greatest obstacle will be. Sarada won't just let her kill the rebels, defeating her will be almost impossible. However, if she can put herself near enough to the villagers, then her short-range teleport ability will allow her to do what she needs to do.

As their thousand footsteps shake the ground, Lara's group advance and in a rush, a single man stands before them ready to oppose them.

Clyde.

Lara comes to a halt at the head of her army, gazing at the man she still considers her subordinate.

"Clyde, are you really going to block me. You're an idiot. If you let them escape, then you're going to die as well" she says arrogantly. "It won't just be you and I who die, all those beside me, all those beside you, everyone who has ever looked up to you and admired you. All of those people will die too".

Clyde remains determined, walking forward in spite of the great army in front of him. Their silence is almost intimidating, the sound of his own feet lifting and falling is matched only by the thundering of his heart in his ribcage.

"Sarada won't allow the villagers to leave. Call of your attack, we can deal with this peacefully" Clyde declares. "Nobody needs to die here, let's all just nurse Naruto back to health and deal with this with his assistance".

"Who do you think he is!? Why do you all look at him this way!?" Lara asks, stamping her feet in frustration. "Like it or not, Uzumaki Naruto is just one man. He is a human being of flesh and blood. One day he will die, and the situation then will be just like it is now".

Clyde doesn't shift an inch. Often Lara says things that throw him off balance, such is her strange psychological disposition. He is certain of his belief in Naruto though, he will not waver when using that name as his justification.

"He didn't rid the shinobi of this animosity, he held it at bay. One day, when he is not around anymore, the situation will be exactly as it is now" Lara explains, arguably correctly. "We must crush the rebels, pull the weed out at the roots, that is the only way of establishing our ongoing cooperation with this people".

"What a joke" Clyde harrumphs in reply. "Before now you haven't made much of an effort to cooperate, have you? You actually used their two strongest shinobi as a distraction to prepare your own attack. To act like you want us all to get along now is pathetic Lara".

Lara's frustration builds to an even greater level, it's been a while now since she felt like this. In her last battle against Clyde, she felt a rage born out of years of juvenile rivalry with the man. Now the battle is one of principles and she has lost completely. The loss of the moral battle has left her with no solid justification to her logic, it has left her without a leg to stand on in this argument. Her past is smothering her voice moving into the future.

"Whether my motivations are pure or not is irrelevant. My course of action is what is best for this world, and for our ambition of killing Furst Jonas" Lara pleads with her subordinate. "Would you risk all this to do the right thing Clyde. This is not the time to let your heart rule over your head".

"Lara, listen to me, with Sarada on our side we can end this non-lethally. Just give us a chance, just for one moment supress your bloodlust and deal with this like a good leader should?".

"I see, that's what you think is it? You think because of the outcome of our last battle, you think that makes you a good leader" Lara mocks laughter, "How deluded can you get my dear subordinate. Half the warriors who sided with you in that battle are trying to run away now, they're going to leave you to die. You have inspired them with your morals and principles, but look behind me, I still have plenty of people who would follow me without them".

"Your point being?".

"You are mistaking being soft for being a leader, Clyde. A leader has to make hard decisions sometimes. Leaders have to look a problem dead in the face, they cannot reason the problem to death, they must destroy that problem".

"You would be making an even greater problem. If we do what you are suggesting, Naruto will never forgive us".

"And if we let them live, this will happen again on an even greater scale. You have to be a leader and make the right decision".

The two opposites are perhaps destined to spend their life fighting with one another just like this. Carmen saw that this would likely be their fates a long time ago. One of them so enamoured by her own talent that it has blinded her to her own imperfections. The other so desperately clinging to his own moral superiority that it is all others can see, the wise leader whose principles outweigh his ability to preach them.

"Do you know what being a leader means to me, Lara?" Clyde asks rhetorically. "It means inspiring people by always striving to achieve the best solution for all of them. It means never giving up in the pursuit of that best solution".

Lara shakes her head. "If you refuse to listen to reason than I will have to let my fists speak for me. I need you alive, so I won't kill you, but I guess I could hold you back and let my subordinates do what needs to be done".

"I beat you last time, I will do so again if you fight me".

"Let's put that theory to the test!".

Lara teleports to Clyde's front, throwing three quick punches towards his chest. As she expected, he is more than familiar with her movements, even when they are shrouded by her teleportation, she planned for that. She uses the false premise of punches to disguise her true intentions as she grabs Clyde's shoulders, teleporting high up into the air. With the duo airborne, she punches spins and kicks Clyde down toward the ground.

As Clyde is pulled down to the ground, he and Lara both activate their golden divine cloaks. Clyde attacks for the first time, creating a series of golden 'darkness' darts and throwing them at Lara as he continues to fall.

Lara deflects each of the golden 'darkness' darts away as she begins to fall under the power of gravity.

' _Let's see what happens this time shall we? Clyde, I will beat you!'_.

While Clyde and Lara exchanged words, Peterson and Sheer have been successful in gathering their forces and marching them to oppose any remnants of Lara's forces. Together, this group that they have gathered will be responsible for stopping Lara's advance, the others will be responsible for stopping the villagers' retreat.

"So, who do you want to fight Sheer?" Peterson asks as he watches Lara's forces advance around her battle with Clyde.

"There isn't much of a choice in the matter" Sheer replies, "Haven't you assessed just who is amongst this group opposite from us".

"I have" the bulky Blackburn says as he walks to his fellow generals' side. "We're going to have to be very wary of what he does next".

"Of course we are" Peterson says, agreeing with his new ally. "Elliot is among them".

Elliot is a name that terrifies them. While he cannot claim to be on the same level as Clyde and Lara, he is one of the very few transcendent element users within the military of this world. To use a transcendent element, normally that is something only this world's aristocrats can claim to do. Elliot has a terrifying reputation, a military man and a staunch supporter of Lara, he has led many of the quickest and most successful missions into the pocket worlds, having only failed on one occasion previously. That was against Mirai. Mirai is not there to help them at the moment.

Elliot advances on the trio, running until he is within meters of them before slowing to a walk. All three of them tense their muscles and prepare for the fight of their lives.

"I'm sure that you all realise that you would have to work together to defeat me" Elliot muses as he advances towards them, a smug smile on his face. "Even then your chances of victory are poor. Tell me, have you ever defeated anyone on a level higher than your own".

Sheer ignores the taunts. "Blackburn, you deal with close range attacks, I'll deal with medium range and tying him down, Peterson, you can handle long range attacks".

Elliot smiles as Blackburn acknowledges the order. Normally this is the sort of thing he would praise in another general. Quickly, Sheer has assessed their strengths and weaknesses and formulated the best general strategy to fight against him. It probably wouldn't work but it's an admirable try either way, exactly what he would have recommended.

"I'm afraid, you are not the enemy I am interested in fighting" he tells them. "And since you are unable to keep me here by yourselves, there is absolutely no reason for me to bother with you".

Kicking the ground, Elliot sends himself past the general trio at tremendous speed. He is too fast for them to stop and he is heading straight for the traitors, ready to execute any that he can get his hands on.

"Peterson, stop him" Sheer shouts, knowing him to be the speediest of the trio.

"I can't, he's too fast".

Two of the retreating shinobi shout to the target of the first attack. That target is the Circle's administrator, Nara Shikadai.

"Shikadai!".

"Watch out, sir!".

Shikadai calmly turns his head and shifts himself into a fighting position but it looks hopeless. Surely, he would not be able to defend himself against such a mighty adversary. Indeed, he knows that is true, but will hold on until the very last second if he must.

But Elliot doesn't reach Shikadai.

SLAP!

Elliot is launched away from Shikadai and violently strikes the ground some hundred meters away.

Peterson is taken aback. "What the…".

"Who was that" Blackburn asks, "Is there someone amongst the shinobi group as fast as Naruto and Sarada".

Nearby, Minato heads up the group preparing to prevent any shinobi taking the villagers away from the village. He watches as Elliot is smacked away with astonishment. He has seen Elliot fight before, but he has never seen a blow like that struck against him, not even by Mirai. That sort of attack would surely require power equivalent to Naruto and Sarada. He is lost for who it could be.

"There's nobody else in our group as fast as that… unless…".

Himawari, inspired by her grandfather's words, looks to her left and finds that nobody is there.

"Mother!".

The attacker lands just meters away from the fallen Elliot, standing unafraid in the face of his great power. That attacker is of course the one who Himawari identified seconds ago.

The attacker is Hyuuga Hinata.

Hinata stands before Elliot, seemingly unresponsive to the cries and shouts from her daughter, or any other signal from her allies. Her only response seems to be to the movements of Elliot, her only sense her crystal-clear eyesight which has been centred upon him.

"It's the same as before" Himawari says, "She's not there. She can't hear anything. It's like she's gone into a trance".

Minato shakes his head. He warned Naruto about this. "Just what is this, what has happened to you Hinata?". Whatever it is, he is grateful for it now, Hinata most likely just saved Shikadai's life.

Elliot gets to his feet, "You… I remember you from before".

Hinata remains silent, her feet fixed to the spot where she landed as she ignores Elliot's meaningless comment. It's just as he suspected, she appears cut off from the outside world, with one exception, his movements.

Elliot throws himself at Hinata, keeping his body low knowing that it is the best direction to attack from. Against an opponent like this, who is not thrown by any psychological ploys, the best way to fight is with superior technique. He simultaneously throws both fists up towards Hinata's face.

Hinata, taking a single step back, holds out both her palms. She waits for Elliot's fists to come within one inch of her hands and then throws both of them down, violently slapping each of his hands and dealing damage instead of taking it. As Elliot reels from the pain of this attack, she throws a second, delivering a single powerful punch to his head, driving him back along the ground.

Elliot digs his feet into the ground, trying to slow his own backward momentum, but Hinata doesn't let him have his way so easily.

Hinata creates a lasso from 'water' divine energy, throwing it around the backward-moving Elliot and pulling him toward her once more. For the second time in a row, she lands a strong punch to his head, sending him backward. Mercifully, after this second blow, she decides not to attack again.

To call the reprieve in Hinata's attack merciful is to state the opinion of many shinobi but Elliot knows better. He had adjusted his body position slightly, readying himself for the third iteration of such a punch. In this trance-like state, Hinata saw through that intention and averted disaster. Her fighting talents haven't dulled with her mind, they've seemingly been amplified.

"Gramps, you have to stop her" Himawari begs, "This was only temporary last time and when it wears off she will be killed".

"But it isn't wearing off" Minato says hesitantly. "Right now she is the only one who can stand up to Elliot".

"Then are you saying we have to take the chance on her holding out?".

"Yeah" Minato nods, slightly guiltily, "I don't like it, but that's exactly what we need to do".

Meanwhile, Elliot uses his powers of 'cold' to freeze the air itself, condensing several icicles in the air. Once he has assembled his collection of freezing weapons, he propels each of them in Hinata's direction. If he cannot win in a close-range battle he will have to fight this battle at a distance.

Hinata brings a kunai into her hand, coating it in a thin layer of 'water' energy. As the icicles are about to reach her, she flips through the air, using the all-around vision granted by her byakugan to track each of the incoming projectiles. She times her counter-attacks perfectly, using the kunai to slice each and every one of them in half. As she lands, the danger has been completely averted.

Elliot foresaw the possibility of this dodge, opting to follow up his first attack by launching a massive block of ice at Hinata.

Hinata uses her free hand to slap the massive block of ice, shattering it instantly. It is when she does this that Elliot truly gets a scale of what he is up against.

' _This isn't a fluke; this woman's strength is for real'_ he realises. _'With her mental state as it is right now, I don't need to worry about not killing her…'_

'… _I need to worry about her killing me'_.


	135. A Family Torn

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – A FAMILY TORN**

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

As the fires from Mirai and Sarada's fight begin to spread, the villagers cower and cover their eyes with their forearms. They are a good distance away, protected by walls of chakra and divine energy and yet they can still feel the incredible heat from the inferno. There is a fear that the villagers have never experienced before in the face of this fight. Mirai is the one fighting for their right to escape from this hell, but the one she is fighting against is their chosen leader. She is fighting against the 9th Hokage, Uchiha Sarada.

It is a one-sided battle, not in terms of results but in terms of attacks. Sarada remains almost perfectly stationary, using her dynamic abilities of 'creation' to neatly deflect each of Mirai's incoming attacks. This fight is not entirely easy for her though, because her objective is not to win, it's to avoid Mirai getting hurt and to avoid her getting past. This requires incredible skill that, so few possess, but the last Uchiha just may be one of the few.

Kakashi watches the two titans do battle with divine energy and raw chakra that far exceeds his own. His Sharingan darts left and right, following Mirai to each of the new angles she tries to attack from. He can just about keep up with his stellar visual prowess and experience with high-speed battles. He notes that this may make Mirai seem quick, which she is relative to him. For Sarada though, Mirai must appear to be moving in slow motion.

' _No way I can intervene here'_ Kakashi determines, reprimanding himself for spending so much time observing. _'They are both too fast, my eyes can only just track Mirai and Sarada must be faster still'_.

"Everyone!" Kakashi shouts, uncharacteristically loud for the usually subtle shinobi. "Follow me! We'll go around the back of them, hurry!".

Kakashi's on-the-spot thinking is nearly perfect. Given the short time available to make decisions, it would be almost impossible to think of a greater alternative. He is truly a strategical thinker who is capable of keeping up with the best of them. As he begins to lead the villagers around the fight though, he comes to realise that this perfect decision making, is also predictable decision making, at least to another Hokage.

A kunai lands in front of Kakashi, digging less than an inch into the ground as its point penetrates the soft grassy surface. With a flash of gold, a man wearing clothing of red and white appears and lifts the kunai up from the ground. He is here to block their path, a member of the Hidden Leaf Village who believes that the villagers should stay where they are. An Uzumaki Naruto loyalist, Namikaze Minato.

Kakashi stops and assess the blocker.

"… Minato sensei…".

"… Kakashi…".

The two lock eyes momentarily. Kakashi considers attempting a genjutsu, dismissing the idea based on Minato's incredible chakra and divine energy. A genjutsu won't work against someone like him, no, not against a jinchuriki. There is no quick way around this problem, the 4th Hokage, a space-time expert like himself, is ideal for controlling the masses in a situation like this.

"I suppose you are going to insist on stopping me here" Kakashi sighs. "There isn't any chance that I could talk you out of this?".

"There is no chance of that at all" Minato replies. "I actually hoped that I could be the one to convince you to change your mind".

"Sensei, I'm afraid that right now, I am making decisions based on logic and not on emotion. I'm afraid that I have some duties as the Hokage".

"I don't think you truly believe that Kakashi. I know there is still a sentimental element to your decision making, I have heard Naruto speak of it before".

"I see".

As Hokage, the teacher-student pair mirror each other in many ways. Their backgrounds and attitudes towards the village and towards being shinobi often differ. Despite contrasting methods though, their goals have often coincided, largely thanks to Kakashi's faith in his teacher. One thing they share, as the 4th and 6th Hokage, is the greatest achievement of each of their tenures. Each of them, in their own ways, can claim to have sowed the seeds for Naruto to become Hokage. Together, they created the greatest Hokage of them all. Uzumaki Naruto has brought them together, and now he is ironically tearing them apart.

"I am proud of you Kakashi. Those who disobey orders are trash, those who abandon their friends are worse than trash" Minato says, reciting a quote Kakashi had told him long ago. "I'm really glad that you learned from Obito. So please, let me beg you one more time, learn from Obito. He would make a different decision, he wouldn't try to run away here".

Kakashi lowers his head slightly before raising it once again. "Sensei, if you don't mind, I don't want to bring Obito and Rin into this".

"Oh?".

"This is a fight. A rematch from my youth when I was unable to defeat you. I want this to be an honest fight between Hatake Kakashi and Namikaze Minato".

"… fine by me…".

With words exchanged, they revert to the intense stare from before. Both men wait eagerly for some movement from the other, for some opening, for even the slightest change in environment that may make the other flinch. Kakashi uses this moment to quickly weigh up his advantages and disadvantages in this fight. As far as he is aware, Minato has a slight speed advantage, but his own space-time technique is superior. It should be close but if he fights carefully, then he should be able to win.

Just as Kakashi is thinking this, a pair of hands grab hold of his shoulders. Familiar hands. Minato's hands.

The hands belong to a clone of Minato's.

The clone uses the flying thunder god technique, placing itself and Kakashi right in front of Minato's original body. Although less than a fraction of a second has passed, the 4th Hokage has created and started to attack with a 'wind' enhanced rasengan. He pushes the rasengan, powered by divine energy, forward as fast as he can and hits something solid.

Any onlookers with slow vision would swear that the fight ended in an instant as the shockwave spreads from 'wind' on skin. They would be wrong though. Kakashi didn't have time to think, but he did have time to react. He allowed the rasengan to pass through him and hit the clone behind him, leaving just enough time to leap away and take a moment to compose himself.

' _That attack… what incredible speed. It's nothing like Tobirama's, it's in a completely different league'_.

Minato turns to his right, looking at Kakashi in his new position. "You've just had a taste of my full speed Kakashi. Enhanced by the 'wind'. The flying thunder god is not the only thing that makes me fast, in a straight line I am at least twice as fast as anyone else on the same level".

' _It's true, he is a genius after all'_ Kakashi summarises. _'However, he is a genius I know better than anyone'_.

Kakashi focuses his Mangekyo Sharingan on Minato as the 4th Hokage begins to sprint towards his student. After dismissing the idea of intervention in the previous fight, Kakashi had believed this would be slower, he is wrong. Minato is just as fast as Mirai and Sarada. However, he won't back down, watching carefully as Minato takes the marked kunai in hand.

' _Come at me with every trick you have sensei, because since we last fought I have learned so many things. I guarantee you will be surprised'_.

Minato casts his kunai forward, aiming for Kakashi's head with a feeling he tells himself should feel nostalgic. _'Flying thunder god level 2, the attack I supposedly used against Obito'_. As he follows the path of his launched kunai he creates a 'wind' rasengan in his hand. It forms quick, so quick that it is beyond belief. Unfortunately, if this attack were to hit, it would hurt a lot more than the one he used on Obito.

Kakashi, as if to outdo his teacher, creates two balls of divine energy fortified chakra. In one hand, a 'lightning' rasengan, in the other a chidori powered by pure 'lightning' divine energy. What he wants to do with these two mighty weapons at this moment is anyone's guess.

Minato is unperturbed. _'It doesn't matter, you won't hit me'_.

But he is then stunned.

Kakashi lets the kunai stab into his shoulder.

' _He didn't let it pass through him'_.

That instant, in a fight of speed, is all the time in the world. To hesitate for that long, this time it is Minato who makes a mistake. Kakashi, now having reached touching distance from his teacher, slams the rasengan and chidori together right in front of Minato's face. A tremendous amount of electricity is discharged through the 4th Hokage's body, stemming from the top of his head all the way down to his toes.

' _I can't teleport away until I gain control of my nerves again'_ the Namikaze clansmen realises, _'The 'lightning' is delaying my retreat. Smart Kakashi'_.

During this time when Minato is unable to control his body, Kakashi refuses to let him have a moment's rest. He throws his fists as fast as he can, knowing that his divine powers will prevent the electricity from harming him. His fists rain down again and again and again, crunching against the bones of his senior. Finally, Kakashi steps back for the strongest hit in his sequence, lifting his foot and aiming a kick at the rear of Minato's head.

Flash.

Just in time.

Minato teleports back to the spot he started to run from. He is grateful that among his preparations he cleverly hid a kunai under the ground. Not well enough hidden to escape Kakashi's sight but enough to escape his notice as he wasn't looking for it.

"I can tell from the first exchange alone" Minato smiles as he gasps for breath. "You are different from before. I am impressed Kakashi".

Without delay, Minato teleports to Kakashi's rear, throwing a rasen-shuriken at his foe.

Kakashi counters using a Susano to bat the rasen-shuriken away.

"You don't have time to be impressed sensei" he declares, "Because if you don't come up with something better, I am going to be the one who wins this time".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

Forcing the villagers back from this new fight, Tsunade is quick to bark orders. "Alright, everyone follow me! We're going to go the other way".

"No, you won't" a voice replies to her.

She sighs, knowing the challenge that awaits her as she casts her eyes sideways and meets those of her uncle, Tobirama. The two of them, the only family left for one another after a series of betrayals and deaths. Made to oppose one another by contrasting opinions in a desperate few moments.

"Uncle Tobirama" she says sadly.

"I'm quite surprised by your decision Tsunade. Not disappointed but surprised" he confesses honestly. "Are you really ready to trust my brother again after all that he has done to you?".

Tsunade gestures to the villagers to get back, knowing that while Tobirama would never do anything to harm them, her fighting style is less controlled than his and is prone to collateral damage. If he refuses to get out of her way, this will be a personal, violent fight, just like Minato's with Kakashi. It's just their bad fortune, she supposes, that both teleporters have sided with the group who wishes the villagers to remain in the village.

"Trust my grandfather again? If he had acted in the best interest of the village in the past, Dan would probably be alive right now" Tsunade angrily declares. "If he had done what he should have done, I wouldn't need to feel this unbearable pain in my chest. But he did, didn't he, he betrayed us, didn't he!".

"Then why are you taking the villagers to him? Do you think they will be safe there?".

"Of course, they will be safe with him" Tsunade shouts, groaning loudly with how obvious it appears to her. "I disagree with his ideals, but I do not doubt his power, nor his desire to save the village".

"If you disagree with his ideals then why are you doing this?" Tobirama asks, "It isn't what Naruto would want. It isn't the side that you have chosen".

Tsunade was the most conflicted of all when it came to deciding what side she fell on. Since coming to the future, she has perhaps suffered more than any of the others who came with her. She lost so much, she lost what she did in even more painful circumstances than in the past. It built up a hatred inside her, a hatred directed at so many parties. She hates Clyde for what happened to Mito. She hates herself for what happened to Hashirama. She hates Lara for what happened to Dan. She hates Hashirama for the village being torn in two. When the only people who have truly done everything possible to help her are the ones still in the village, when they started to turn on one another, she was left with an impossible choice. A choice beyond what any Hokage should ever have to make.

"I'm doing this to protect our hopeless civilians" Tsunade says, "I don't trust Lara, I think that she is responsible for this".

Tobirama shakes his head and approaches who he considers his last relative. "You know that Lara couldn't possibly be Naruto's assassin, don't you?".

"I don't know anything about the invaders' power. What I can't see with my own eyes I struggle to believe in or understand" Tsunade admits. "I do know that Lara is one of the few capable though. I know that Clyde is the chief suspect. I know that if Naruto isn't safe here, nobody else is either".

Tobirama has confirmed it, she may be conflicted but Tsunade is stubborn if nothing else. She won't change her mind, she won't switch sides, even if he asks her to help prevent disaster. That means that he is going to have to fight her. Unfortunately, such a fight's outcome is inevitable in a way that for once, brings him no pleasure.

"All me to tell you how this fight will go. I am sure you already know but I will confirm your suspicions" Tobirama begins. "Your advantage in this fight is your power, a raw strength that exceeds what my brother ever achieved as a shinobi".

"I am glad you think so highly of me".

"I do. The chances are that if you get a solid hit in on me, I will die. I am well aware of this. But that 'if' is your downfall. Other than Minato, there aren't many people here who can keep up with me".

"No there aren't".

Tsunade is well aware that her Uncle is one of history's faster shinobi. She is the Hokage though, she has battled faster opponents before and won, that shouldn't be enough to hold her back.

"On the contrary, your power comes at the cost of speed. You will never hit me Tsunade, not in a thousand years" the 2nd Hokage proclaims confidently, "Without a support, an assistant to help you attack, you can't win a fight against someone with divine energy. This is a hopeless fight for you. Just give up".

The 5th Hokage laughs. "You speak of ideals Uncle, let me tell you one that I recently picked up. I never give up. I will fight if I have to, no matter how low the odds are".

Tobirama nods. "Very well". It is not the correct decision or one that will ever benefit Tsunade's cause, but he respects her very much for sticking to her guns.

The silver-haired Hokage teleports to his niece's rear and lands four light punches on her back. Each punch, while light, is aimed at critical points for maximum impact, such is the luxury of time that Tobirama is granted by his superior speed.

Tsunade turns and throws a punch towards her clansmen but it hits nothing but air. Tobirama doesn't even have to strain himself to dodge the attack. He knows from the speed at which the air moves that he was right before, the punch would likely have killed him if it had landed, but it didn't. With the attack avoided, he waits until Tsunade's arm has travelled well past his centre of gravity. He grabs her moving arm, using her own momentum to pull her arm around his waist and wrestle her to the ground.

Tsunade has a moment of grogginess as the rear of her head strikes the floor below. A moment of grogginess to her is equal to five kicks for Tobirama. The 2nd Hokage doesn't hold back, doing so would be insulting. He alternates the kicks between her head and her arm, harming both her ability to concentrate and her greatest source of attack.

By the time Tsunade can react, her arm has begun to weaken, so she instead strikes out with her leg, knowing that too could be the winning blow if it lands. It doesn't. Again, she hits nothing but air as Tobirama teleports backward five feet to avoid the kick.

After teleporting away, the 2nd Hokage uses a high-pressure beam of 'water' to push Tsunade down into the ground below. Tsunade is grateful for this, it hurts but it is an attack she can counter with strength alone. Much to her Uncle's surprise, she forces herself up through the powerful beam of 'water', getting onto her feet and walking slowly toward him. A woman possessed by a borrowed mantra to never give up.

Tobirama has calculated this though, it is still futile. Just as Tsunade is about to reach him, he stops the 'water' beam, causing her to lurch forward uncontrollably. Power can be a great help, but it can also be one's undoing. Using her momentum against her once again, Tobirama simply raises his handing, in doing so landing a mighty blow to her forehead.

Tsunade falls to the floor, clutching at her latest wound.

What Tobirama hates most about her struggles, is that he is sure she isn't done yet.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

"Hey this is bad isn't it?" one of the villagers hysterically shouts, "We're going to die, aren't we?".

"Nobody is going to die" Shikadai says, marching into the centre of the group, "We are all here to protect you. Just stick with a shinobi and you will be fine".

"Please get me away from the fighting, I can't stand it any longer" another villager complains.

Hiruzen's mind is largely separated from the calls for help as he processes what is happening. _'Kakashi, Tsunade and Mirai. As long as one of them wins, we will have an escape route. However, whichever one of them wins will have to be the first one to win a fight, otherwise someone else will block that route. I can't join any of the fights, I have to stay here as a rear guard in case…'_.

As if his thoughts have been heard by the heavens, the sound of scraping ice heads in his direction. A familiar sound that has haunted his dreams since he last saw it.

The child-like Brooks skates up to Hiruzen's side with a remarkable swiftness and jumps up to his level. She spins in the air with the elegance of a dancer. She is no dancer though, she is a warrior and her foot is headed straight for the underside of his chin. She knows that a strong blow here could well break something very important.

Of course, Hiruzen is aware of the danger of taking a strike. He leans backward, watching as the spinning foot glances just over the top of his nose.

Brooks isn't done. As soon as she lands, she spins on the spot and aims a punch towards Hiruzen.

The punch never reaches its intended target. _'Earth'_ , commanded by the 3rd Hokage, begins to behave like water as a tremendous wave rises from the ground and knocks the two combatants away from the villagers. Brooks isn't like Sarada, Minato or Tobirama, she will have no qualms about killing a few villagers as collateral damage. Beyond all else, Hiruzen's focus turns to keeping her away from the people he has been designated to protect.

With the two of them separated, both of them get to their feet. Brooks athletically hops to her feet while Hiruzen uses the 'earth' behind him to raise calmly onto his own.

"Attacking yourself at the same time as your opponent? Suicide? No. You were just trying to get us away from the non-combatants".

"Of course. I have a duty to protect them you know" Hiruzen informs his adversary. The two of them have fought before, it is because of that he is very cautious. "The people of this village are my family. I had thought that perhaps you people from this world were starting to become part of that family too. It's a shame what you have done. Now it's a family torn in half".

"We haven't done anything. It obviously couldn't have been anyone from Lara's group and you're a fool if you think it was Clyde" Brooks huffs angrily. This sort of anger appears unnatural from her childish frame.

"I don't know how you did it, but I know it couldn't been anyone from the Hidden Leaf" Hiruzen says. "… no, it could never have been anyone from the Hidden Leaf".

"Believing in rhetoric above logic is a sign of incompetence, when did you lose yourself to such a way of thinking?

"And I suppose you are here based on your own supreme logic" Hiruzen lets out an almost incredulous laugh, "Or are you just following a tyrant's orders once again?".

"I am following the orders of someone I trust" Brooks points to Mirai, "Are you doing anything different".

Hiruzen looks to Mirai. The last thing he had expected when he came into the future where the stories of his own family. The glorious death of his son that planted the seeds for the village's greatness. The story of his grandson, forever dreaming of emerging from grandpa's shadow and eventually becoming Hokage. The story of his granddaughter, who didn't strive for power or authority but was bestowed it because of her abilities. A woman who summoned in a once-in-a-lifetime miracle to combine the elements, a power that put her above her allies.

"I suppose we are doing the same thing then" Hiruzen admits with a shrug of his shoulders, "I just believe that my choice of leader was better than yours".

"The second sign of incompetence, poor decision making".

Brooks slams her hands together, trapping Hiruzen in an igloo-like structure, constructed from 'golden ice'. A freezing cold prison that has trapped many of her foes for the few remaining seconds of their lives.

Hiruzen is no ordinary foe, he is one of the trio that defeated Brooks previously. Summoning Enma in his staff-form, he swings the weapon several times, knocking chunks of 'golden ice' towards Brooks. Forcing a dodge from Lara's general. Next, having escaped the prison, Enma is turned towards Brooks and is slammed downward as hard as the 3rd Hokage has ever swung before.

Brooks tumbles back along the ground. She presses her hand against the ground, pushing herself away from it for a single controlled bounce. During this controlled bounce, she creates a spear of 'golden ice' and casts the weapon in Hiruzen's direction.

A wall of 'earth' is the Hokage's defence of choice, it doesn't stop the spear altogether but slows it down enough so that he has the short time he needs to dodge it. Next, he uses the 'earth' beneath Brooks' feet as a weapon, using it to bring her towards him, raising the floor from horizontal to vertical. With Brooks heading in his direction, he once more swings the staff towards her.

Brooks defends herself with a sheet of 'golden ice', guiding the staff over her head and, thanks to Hiruzen's 'earth', arriving right before the 3rd Hokage. Upon arriving, she grabs his right arm with her own right hand. She pulls this arm, driving her left elbow into his head three times without answer.

To continue with the same attack is her mistake though. As she drives the 4th elbow towards Hiruzen's head, he dodges. He catches hold of her arm and wraps it around her neck, cutting of the flow of blood to her brain at the same time as controlling both of her most deadly limbs.

"You were foolish to think you could outmatch a shinobi in close combat techniques" Hiruzen claims.

Brooks slowly forces Hiruzen's arm back, and her own arm away from her neck. "You may have greater technique, but I make up for the difference with power. And my experience, it far outweighs yours".

As Hiruzen's arm separates from Brooks neck, a spike of 'golden ice' raises from ground and pierces through Hiruzen's shifted arm.

Brooks tries to follow this up with a stomp on the 3rd Hokage but he bravely pulls his arm away from the spike, despite his severe injuries, and rolls away from the incoming attack. As he regathers himself, he considers that his situation has just become rather grim.

' _It's a major wound, but I can fight through it'_ he tells himself. _'I can't defeat her on my own but I can at least stall for time until one of the others can win'_.


	136. Born to Fight

**A NEW WORLD – BORN TO FIGHT**

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

Shinki looks at the destruction surrounding his group. He made the decision to try and leave, to ask Hashirama and Boruto for help. From the beginning he was possessed by a defective divine ability masquerading as a god. When his mind was being controlled he made a decision, a decision he now believes was a mistake to try and kill any invaders of his world. He still feels the pain and the regret of that choice, it still burns his soul to know that he almost killed many good people that day. That's why he decided very early on that he would take this decision out of his hands and what trust his family no matter what. That's why he follows them, his aunt, his cousin, his uncle. Together with them, he will assist with the escape from the village.

The fallout from Shinki's decision has been a conflict of greater scale than he imagined. Ever since he reunited with his fellow shinobi, the village's power has been growing uncontrollably. In addition to that, they have also been gathering allies and their power has been growing. Now that Naruto has gone, the cornerstone of their alliance has disappeared, and all that energy has been unleashed. The flames of Mirai's explosions, the drumming of Tsunade's attacks, the sound of scraping ice from Brooks' battle with Hiruzen, it is all so much more real now. This isn't a minor disagreement, this is a civil war.

' _There is no safe route away from here right now, I have to break one of the deadlocks'_ he concludes. _'I won't be of any help to Mirai, the fight against Sarada is a losing battle. Tsunade would benefit greatly from some help, as would Kakashi, but both are fighting personal battles they won't want me to interfere in. That leaves only one choice, I have to help Lord 3_ _rd_ _'_.

Shinki's analysis is quick and accurate. He announces to Shikadai that the defence of the villagers will be left to him and then the Kazekage sprints away from the gathering of civilians and moves to help Lord 3rd.

A figure drops down, getting in his way. An enormous bulky man, so muscly that it is hard to believe that he is real. Shinki knows him to be real though, this man is undoubtedly one of Lara's generals. This is the general who seems to have some degree of honour, General Blackburn.

"Stop right there, Lord Hokage" Blackburn booms authoritatively.

"It shows that you haven't been here very long. I am the Kazekage actually" Shinki replies, his shoulders slumping as he realises the inevitability of this situation. So, he is going to fall into another battle, just like everyone else.

"I apologise for any disrespect, it was not intentional" Blackburn lifts his hand apologetically. "I am not here to hurt you, I can assure you of that".

"If you don't want to hurt me and you wish to apologise with actions instead of words, then I suggest you step aside" Shinki says.

Blackburn has gained a fair understanding of Shinki's character. He's a good man but he isn't the best in tough situations. The pressure is getting to him and he's on edge because of that. Looking into Shinki's eyes, one could be forgiven for mistaking his expression as one of rage. There is no rage behind those eyes, merely an anxiety born of a bad situation.

Blackburn has no intention of stepping aside though. "I am not here helping Lara, she wants the lot of you executed for your betrayal, but I won't let that happen. If you switch sides, you could help me end this conflict without pointless bloodshed. We could end this peacefully but not without more numbers on our side. The more people that help us, the less people will die".

Mathematics has been cruel to the optimists who wish only for peace. With Sarada and Clyde taking this position, they have a clear power advantage, but the numbers are not with them. Lara has the most numbers and the greatest force overall, with a large number of captains and generals. If only one person were to switch to their side it would make all the difference, several battles could be won in quick succession without hurting anyone. Peace could be held until everything has calmed down. But not with these numbers, not in this situation.

"If you aren't lying to me I admire your good intentions" Shinki says, the venom still present in his eyes, "I hope you understand my perspective though. I have to take them away or they will die. I have attempted to lash out against your people in vengeance one before, it nearly cost the lives of my own people. I cannot risk their lives unnecessarily again, I will protect them at all costs".

"Yeah, I understand that perfectly well. It just means we will have to settle this the traditional way".

"Yes".

Shinki raises his hand, creating 'sand' in the air before him and sending it straight at Blackburn. This is his advantage over his father, not only does he have divine energy on his side, but he also can use it to create 'sand', giving him an unlimited supply of the most valuable weapon in his arsenal.

Blackburn raises a wall of 'golden earth' between himself and Shinki, taking the brunt of the attack. He initially expects a battle of attrition, of solid attack and solid defence against an opponent like this. That doesn't happen though, instead the intensity of the 'sand' barrage increases and cracks in his supposedly impenetrable wall begin to form. He increases the strength of the wall, focusing more and more energy into it. If Shinki wants a battle of raw power, he has surely picked the wrong person.

The Kazekage dashes around the 'golden earth' wall, distracting Blackburn by continuing his 'sand' barrage while he does so.

Blackburn is shocked to see his coming. _'This guy, he never intended to break through the wall, he just wanted to force me to concentrate on it'_.

The analysis is spot on, but also unnecessary and costs Blackburn another precious moment. Shinki leaps up and kicks Blackburn, smacking his foot into the bulky general's ear. Blackburn's head collides with the wall that he created just moments ago and as he rebounds from the collision he gets no reprieve. Shinki lays into him, a series of punches and back-elbows, each one of them harder than the last. When he finally does manage to duck beneath one his choice of dodge is seen through as well. Blackburn's head lowers and Shinki raises his knee, crashing it into the general's skull. Finally, Shinki, feeling slightly jaded from his own series of blows, swings his hand inwards. The 'sand' barrage he started before breaks through the 'golden earth' wall and sends Blackburn tumbling away.

Blackburn, completely dazed, somehow finds his way to his feet. _'On my level I am pretty strong. Kakashi and Tobirama had to work together to beat me. This man is different, he's strong, just like me'_.

Each warrior waves their arm, casting their element at each other in a manner more akin to a magician than a shinobi. For the first time, it appears Blackburn gains the upper hand as the zenith of the two waves clash and the generals rises slightly higher before crashing down towards his adversary. Shinki is forced to evade the incoming wave of 'golden earth' but as he steps to the side there is no ground for him to stand on. He falls to the bottom of a pit that Blackburn just opened.

Blackburn proceeds to send a barrage of boulders down into the pit in an attempt to crush the Kazekage but the latter evades each of them. Raising 'sand' beneath his feet, Shinki raises up through the pit, moving left and right in small increments to avoid the projectiles before emerging from the pit. Upon returning to ground level, he is immediately forced into an exchange of fists. Enhanced with 'sand' and 'golden earth', their fists collide. A collision of chakra and divine energy, both men are left the worse for wear, separating about the origin of the pit.

Both men find their feet and Blackburn once more draw a conclusion of his opponent's strength.

' _It has been a long time since I met someone who can match me with raw power alone'_.

 **The Space Between the Leaf and Lara Hideouts**

The space between is the scene of the battle with the least powerful warriors but also perhaps the most intense battle of all. A consortium of elements hot and cold, fast and powerful. All attacks work together to take the battlefield further away from the home it used to be and closer to the hell it is starting to become.

The main controllers of this battle are the two individuals with the most power, Clyde's two most trusted subordinates, Peterson and Sheer. If they wanted to, they could probably win this battle. If they got lucky, they may even be able to win this battle and keep going, helping their allies in this struggle to keep everyone alive. That is unlikely though, they are battling against superior numbers and are also struggling to maintain a non-lethal strategy. In a melee such as this, that is the closest thing to impossible.

Peterson has a plan though, he fires one final blast of 'golden lightning' before shouting to Sheer that all is ready.

Upon receiving this decree, Sheer unleashes the divine energy that she has spent the last-minute gathering, generating a massive barrier of 'golden wind' that will be impenetrable for all the weaker forces below. Not only does this give Clyde's forces a slight reprieve, it also renders Lara's forces ineffective for the moment.

"Keep them held back!" Peterson shouts, not turning his head from the gale blowing before him. "No matter what! Nobody is dying here today!".

One of Lara's stronger colonels manages to fight his way through the barrier and Peterson immediately goes to confront him. The colonel is strong and his three strikes towards his superior are strong. Peterson's speed proves to be superior though, he cuts through the air to avoid each of the attacks before confusingly firing 'lightning' into the air. While Peterson's allies look at the 'lightning' in confusion, the enemy colonel also raises his head in wonder. That distraction gives Peterson enough time to land a crippling blow on the colonel, sending him helplessly back through the barrier.

"Peterson!" Sheer calls to her comrade. "I can't keep this barrier up forever; the colonels are still going to get through".

"Then drop the barrier. You and I need to work together if we're going to defeat all of their colonels".

"All of them?!".

"Yes, all of them. We don't have any choice".

Sheer looks back over her shoulder at the battle in the other direction. Their shinobi allies are still fighting hard to stop these homeworlders from dying. People like the 2nd Hokage and 4th Hokage are laying down their life for that purpose. The most staggering attacks stem from Mirai though as she continues to blast Sheer's close friend Sarada. Watching Sarada struggle like this for them, Sheer regrets her own powerlessness and swears that she will not let anyone die, no matter how hard that will prove.

In a change of pace, one of Clyde's colonels, Burns forces her way through the barrier. She uses her powers of 'ice' to freeze the captains on the other side before hopping back through. A group incapacitated but not killed, this is a role she is perfectly suited to. It is Burns who forces Sheer to truly consider that there may be hope in this fight, if they keep pushing forward.

"You guys focus on the colonels, call us when you need help" Burns demands, "We will hold back all of the captains".

"There are too many of them for you".

Emerging from a bath of her own flames, Grace shouts at the duo she now considers her mentors. "You two are doing the same thing as we are. So, you better focus on the colonels and entrust the safety of the captains to us".

"Someone is bound to die" Peterson insists, "Grace, if we use your method we will need a miracle".

"We've always needed a miracle to pull this off. Let's just keep fighting and praying for that miracle".

Peterson hears this plea and nods to Sheer.

Sheer drops the barrier and chaos begins.

With a rush, the two generals begin to attack as many colonels as they can get their hands on, relying on intimidation and speed to stun and supress their enemies. Grace is right, this is a miracle they will have to fight for. Their lives are on the line, not just in this fight but in the greater struggle against Furst Jonas. So, they will fight, because their lives depend on it.

 **The Medical Tent**

Biwako comes back from the entrance to the tent, the terror remaining with her as the first few tears drop from her eyes.

' _What if they get in here? Will they kill him? Will they kill her?'_ the medic wonders as she looks down at her patient.

She places a hand onto Naruto's head and is shocked by his temperature. This isn't something that could be caused by illness, he's unnaturally warm, like his heart is on fire.

' _I hope this is because you're fixing yourself'_ Biwako prays as she does her best to cool the 7th Hokage down.

' _Please… please just wake up Naruto… They're all going to die if this keeps up. The villagers are afraid, they're trying to run away but they're not going to make it. The people who tried to run are the ones who are going to be killed. Friends will be torn apart forever, they will be made into enemies'_.

' _So please… I'm begging you…'_.

' _Wake up Naruto!'_.

 **The Space Between the Leaf and Lara Hideouts**

Clyde remains perfectly still as Lara teleports rapidly around him. He's dealt with this technique before, his rival uses it as a smokescreen to mask her true intentions. He had thought this was a thing of the past, that she would understand now that one person knows her better than anyone else, him. Last time this happened, Clyde accurately predicted where she would teleport, as if he had read her mind. Still, he clears his mind, closes his eyes and focuses, he will block this attack again.

' _If it's anything like before, there is only one direction she will come at me from that is… above!'_.

Clyde raises his hand into the air and blasts 'golden darkness' directly above his head, predicting where Lara would teleport. This time though, something has changed, her mind appears to be an open book no longer. His foe appears just a foot or so in front of him.

"Where do you think you're aiming moron!" Lara goads.

The Lead General of the military lands a strong underarm punch to Clyde's gut, bending his entire body with the strength of her attack. With his head lowered, her eyes quickly dart to the location of their next attack, she teleports forward a single pace to put herself in a better position and drives her elbow back into her opponent's head as hard as she can. As Clyde falls flat onto his face, Lara fails to realise in the heat of the moment that this is the first time in a while she has been able to escape his predictive powers.

The 'light' user follows up by aiming stomps at Clyde's head. Her speed fails her though as each of the attempts is evaded. With his final evasion, Clyde is forced to rely not on prediction but what he can see in real-time. He waits for an opening and between attacks he creates a 'golden darkness' dart, his signature attack. He uses his weaker hand to push him off the ground, slightly improving his angle, then he casts the dart forward, straight at Lara's head.

Lara evades the dart but is tripped as Clyde kicks her in her backward shuffling ankles. Both realise that any attacks from this position will be non-lethal. They hit their arms back against the floor, realising that position is king in this situation, they propel themselves upward onto their feet, renewing that very position.

Both turn to face one another and realise that there are no openings to attack. They know each other too well to leave anything that the other may strike at. That leaves Clyde to wonder why his ability to predict Lara's movements is suddenly failing him. Is she getting stronger, is he getting weaker, or is something else happening altogether. Given these parameters, he adjusts his approach to the battle and decides that if he can't foresee what Lara will do, he will force her to do certain things.

Clyde creates a 'golden darkness' blade in his hand. With no intention of using the weapon for close combat, he creates the knife without any sort of grip and raises it back over his shoulder to throw at Lara. She teleports away instinctively, just like he was trying to make her do. Lara arrives behind Clyde, the first place that came into her head. That is not the result of Lara's thinking, this is the result of human habit. So, Clyde releases the blade as he moves it back over his shoulder, using a clever visual trick to the throw the knife backwards instead of forwards.

The knife hits, sticking into Lara's back painfully.

Lara falls to one knee. The changing woman seemingly losing this fight.

Losing the fight? As if!

Clyde turns and notes the exact spot where the life landed and the angle of penetration, good, perfect, it's not going to hit any vital organs. He needs Lara alive but also has to defeat her. He aims a kick towards the blade, potentially sacrificing his foot but knowing that if he can drive it deeper he will immobilise Lara without killing her.

It is now Lara's powers of foresight that are proving influential. She ducks beneath the incoming kick and creates a set of 'golden light' chains which she uses to bind Clyde's legs together. Now she has a total mobility advantage. She pushes Clyde to the floor with her weaker hand and with her stronger she reaches back and pulls the blade from her back. She crushes the blade and quickly moves toward Clyde.

Clyde's brain rushes through as many possibilities as it can as quickly as it can. This position is incredibly unfavourable and if everything goes wrong he may even die. He creates another 'golden darkness' dart and raises it back over his head, seemingly ready to throw at Lara. But wait, if he throws the dart now, won't he kill her. He knows that he cannot do that, so he presses his fingers tightly together, grinding the dart into a powder. Then, he throws the light powdery substance instead, blinding Lara with the fine granules.

As Lara turns to clear the powder from her eyes, Clyde grabs hold of the chains with his hands. He concentrates all the divine energy he can muster on his arms and pulls as hard as he can. His voice raises from a growl into an almighty shout as he pulls harder and harder, eventually snapping the chains from his legs.

The second Clyde is free, Lara is back. Teleporting to his side, she stamps on his chest, driving the air from his lungs. Both warriors create swords from their respective elements and begin to clash as the man underneath tries to find another way out of this predicament. This isn't going how he wanted but as long as he can survive, he can surely keep Lara busy. That is all that he needs to do for now, he just needs to stall for time until Sarada can win.

Clyde drives an elbow into the rear of Lara's leg, forcing her to stumble away from him. He gets back onto his feet as quickly as he can and throws the sword in his other hand at Lara. Keen not only to get in a delaying attack but also to free his hands so that he concentrate on his next move.

Lara knocks the sword from the air with her own and then drops it, leaving them both bare handed and facing one another. Only one logical attack next.

Both warriors focus their energy on their right fists and throw them at one another.

The collision of fists spreads divine energy over the entire battlefield as the two mighty sources of power clash. This is what happens every time they fight, like it is a fixed part of reality. This is the law that fate has decided upon.

' _She must realise it now, mustn't she?'_ Clyde wonders. _'Our contrasting elements, our contrasting attitudes, we are the opposite in every way'._

' _She's trying to aim above me, but we will probably never be able to separate from one another'_.

' _She and I… we were born to fight'_.


	137. Hokage's Agony

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – HOKAGE'S AGONY**

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

Another horrendous explosion rocks the surroundings as the fight between Mirai and Sarada continues. To call it a fight is a great compliment to Mirai and is perhaps undeserved for Sarada. This is not a fight, this is a child lashing out angrily against an adult, fighting the fight despite knowing that it cannot be one. Each attack is yet another shove for the villagers, pushing them further from their comfort zone and closer towards panic. What else can be done, Sarada will not use lethal force against her friend just because it makes the villagers comfortable, nor will Mirai stop fighting and put their lives at risk.

"Mirai, you have to be realistic here, you can't beat me. This fight is pointless, and you know it is".

Mira's head dips out of sadness. She remembers that young girl, several years her junior but shining hundreds of times brighter. Sarada always looked like the village's chosen one, even more so than Boruto. Her background was soaked in blood and terror, yet she emerged from it as pure as any other child. Sarada was an inspiration back then. She was destined to be Hokage and Mirai knew that she had to do anything she could to help her to get there. Now that has happened, it has been done and there is nothing left that she can do. Sarada is no longer a student she can help teach and has instead become a deadly adversary, if only for this one fight.

Sarada looks at Mirai's dipped head, not moving an inch as she allows her old mentor to contemplate for a few moments. There is something about desperation, in Sarada's opinion, that can bring out strange old emotions, thoughts that you haven't had in a long time. That may just be what is happening to Mirai right now.

"… Mirai, shall we end this now?".

"… I know I can't win" Mirai finally speaks. "I know that it's almost impossible for me to beat you, but I still have to try, don't I? If I don't try, I really would be different from the rest of you! I would be going against what our village stands for".

Sarada nods, Mirai's heartbeat is starting to quicken, she notices, her breath is becoming more erratic. The master of explosions is only going to reduce the subtlety of her technique and become more animalistic with her attacks. As the remaining semblances of control slip away from the Leaf's military leader, Sarada resolves that she should at least be allowed to keep her dignity. One thing that will not change in this fight is the respect they have for one another.

"OK. Let's keep going then" Sarada says calmly.

Mirai holds her hands back, creating a couple of explosions to fire herself at Sarada. The latter doesn't flinch despite this burst of flame and wind, not moving until the moment it becomes necessary. Mirai's fists fly as she throws a quartet of punches, only for each one of them to connect with nothing but the air as Sarada dodges. With more and more close-range attacks missed, Sarada waits for just a few more moments before delivering a strong palm strike to Mirai's chest, sending her stumbling back twenty paces.

Space!

Mirai raises her hands and fires another of her huge explosions at Sarada.

Despite the almighty attack, Sarada simply uses her speed advantage to move to the side of the explosion. It was indeed a powerful attack that could do damage, perhaps even to her. However, when your advantage in terms of power is so absolute, why bother to test the waters by taking an attack like that.

Mirai throws herself wildly at Sarada once again, moving to within point-blank range and raising both her hands together in preparation for another attack.

Sarada makes a horrible discovery. Their fight has moved dangerously close to the group who retreated previously. _'If I counter the attack at this short distance, it will reflect back and hurt the villagers'_.

Seemingly unaware, Mirai begins to build up heat on her hands.

"Wait Mirai!".

The protests fall on death ears as the Hidden Leaf's Military leader lets yet another explosion go. This one is different though, unblocked, undefended, this hits Sarada straight in the neck where it hurts most. The Hokage is left reeling as she tumbles backward, barely managing, thanks to her years of experience, to land on her feet. An undefended attack, that did the most damage of any attack she has suffered so far.

' _That hurt…'_ she tells herself simply.

' _Sarada. I wish it didn't have to be like this. But, I can't hold back just because you're my friend, I must protect the villagers'_.

Sarada's mind continues to recover from the previous rattling attack when she sees Mirai running toward her. A fuzzy image, after the previously blast it is taking her mind a while to properly resync with her rinnegan. This fuzzy image will have to do though, she is a shinobi and must make a snap decision.

' _I can't retreat, otherwise I will give the villagers room to flee and harm will come to Clyde's group'_.

An incoming punch.

Sarada ducks to avoid it.

Mirai condenses a series of mini-explosions on her fist and slams it down toward the back of Sarada's head.

Sarada spins acrobatically through the air to avoid the punch, a sign of her slowly returning physical abilities. Unfortunately, her mental abilities return just a fraction of a second later. It immediately becomes apparent to her that such an exuberant evasion was a very bad decision.

' _You can't control yourself when you're in mid-air Sarada'_ Mirai shouts excitedly in her head, _'I will beat you!'_.

Once more, Mirai condenses a small series of explosions around her hand. Ready to detonate a much larger one once her fist decelerates.

' _Think! You can either dodge it or take it Sarada. So, dodge. Dodge!'_ the Hokage tells herself.

Sarada's rinnegan enhanced vision fully returns and along with it the full clarity of her mind. Suddenly all her powers line up again and it feels like all the little details are perfect. There is a way to dodge this, even in mid-air. She instantly uses the powers of her rinnegan, increasing the effective gravity on herself. She manages to pull herself down to the ground with a sharp thud and just about avoids the incoming explosion.

This evasion doesn't help for long, as the ferocity with which Sarada brings herself down only serves to produce yet another opening for Mirai. All this from that single lapse in concentration where they drifted closer to the villagers. Is that Sarada's fault or is it perhaps Mirai's subconscious brilliance. Mirai proceeds to kick the downed Sarada as hard as she can, not daring to hold back because of the rotten nature of her attack.

This constant and relentless assault continues. Mirai assumes that her attack is having great success until a moment's action changes her mind.

Sarada's head moves, and her rinnegan look straight into the eyes of Mirai.

Mirai leaps back, momentarily terrified of the glare.

Something inside Sarada snaps in this moment. Something she would never understand. Maybe because of the savage way which Mirai attacked her. Maybe because the ever-growing stack of emotions she is experiencing. Maybe because she sensed for the first time that defeat is possible. Whatever the reason, she leaps to her feet with a miraculous speed she has yet to exhibit in this fight. Once on her feet, she pulls back her arm and focuses upon it the power of the sun, readying herself for a devastating solar punch.

The faces of two people flash before Sarada's eyes, first Boruto, second Naruto. She is forced in a split second to realise all that is happening around her and make a decision. If she attacks like this now, the villagers may get hurt. She hesitates. A battle of hesitations.

Mirai spots this hesitation and hits Sarada with another point-blank explosion, identical to the one that rattled her previously.

Sarada takes this attack head on but refuses to move, taking even more damage than previously. She stays in that position, resolute. Even Sarada doesn't understand her own determination to take the attack head on. She wonders if it is her own vanity or pride, if maybe she has been inspired by Naruto or Boruto or even Mirai. She only knows that she must stand. She must absorb all the abuse Mirai can throw at her, no matter what.

Sarada creates a Susano ribcage around herself but it instantly destroyed by another of Mirai's deadly explosions. The attacks continue to rain down upon the 9th Hokage.

' _Is that it is like to fight without attacking'_ Sarada asks as the strikes continue. _'Is this how limiting it can be? Is this what it is to be the Hokage?'_.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

Hiruzen observes Brooks for a few seconds to make sure she isn't going to attack again immediately. He is like a wounded animal right now and it is quite likely she would be able to kill him if she attacked now. However, do-or-die scraps are risky for both parties, so Brooks wisely decides to wait.

' _Good'_ Hiruzen tells himself as he turns to his own wound.

He heats his good hand as hot as he possibly can and presses it onto the wound, cauterizing himself. Few shinobi could heat their hand to this temperature and withstand it. Sarutobi Hiruzen, like his granddaughter, is no normal shinobi.

' _He's using fire to seal his own wounds?'_ Brooks watches on inquisitively. It has been a long time since she watched a medical technique so barbaric as this. _'He has a high pain tolerance level, he also has more guts than brains'_.

"This wound is nothing. I beat you before remember" Hiruzen boasts confidently. Somehow, he manages to smile as if the pain is not affecting him. "Everyone else seems keen to remind me that you're a prodigy, but actually, I've reached this level at a younger age than you".

Brooks is incredulous. "Last time we fought you had an experienced general at your side. You also had that woman with the ludicrous strength. You will not be so lucky without any help".

"We shall see".

Brooks likes Hiruzen's boastful attitude. The fool is talking above his station, he is overconfident. She doesn't need any sort of intelligent strategy to use this to her advantage. His own vanity will be his downfall.

Brooks freezes the ground around them. "Let's see you back up that confidence". Creating a sword of 'golden ice' in her hand, she begins to glide over her icy grounding like a professional skater. Once this technique has been executed, the floor becomes hers, a complete advantage against any opponent.

Hiruzen's smile disappears is replaced by a firm look of focus. It's like all his non-critical thoughts evacuate his head at once and all that remains concentrates on a single purpose. He must concentrate on this opponent. He holds out his hand, drawing a kunai and coating it in his element, 'earth'.

' _His focus is good'_ Brooks notes while continuing to glide, _'But even if he concentrates every fibre of his being, his mental prowess is weaker than my own'_.

Suddenly Brooks has a burst of speed as she skates across the ground.

Hiruzen choses this exact moment to throw the 'earth' kunai at Brooks.

Brooks bends her knees, ducking her head just beneath the height of her arms and listening as the kunai goes whistling above her head. Her previous complacency disappears in an instant as she realises the move that Hiruzen just made. He deliberately waited for that increase in speed, knowing that her reaction time would be stretched further by any attack under those circumstances.

Having dodged the kunai, Brooks raises her head back above her arms. Hiruzen didn't stand still after launching the kunai. He ran at her. He is only two steps away from her, two steps he takes so very quickly. He grabs her by the head, his hand gigantic compared to her small child-like frame. He raises Brooks up and slams her down into the ground.

Blood and ice scatter as Brooks hits the ground. She instinctively raises her sword up towards him, desperate to create separation between the two. Hiruzen dodges it though, he steps to the side, grabs Brooks' wrist and shoves the sword away, fully in control of the weapon she wields. His control in this situation is godly, Brooks is quick to realise that. There is no way that someone should be able to control her weapon like this, not with such confidence.

"You may be faster than me in a straight line across this 'ice' but in this position, you're just as limited as I am" Hiruzen confidently declares.

He coats another kunai in earth, stabbing it down towards Brooks' head. She catches his wrist to save her own life and the two of them are brought into a strength-based struggle. For one of the few non-selfish moments in her life, Brooks thinks to her allies, to Lara and Elliot. If she lets herself die here, the two of them will die as well, something she is not willing to let happen yet.

"Given our elements, my raw strength is a great asset. I am stronger than you" the 3rd Hokage says as he continues to push the blade closer and closer towards Brooks.

Brooks pulls one hand away from the blade and lashes out at Hiruzen's one weak point, his injured arm. She allows instinct to take over, not punching or slapping the wound but tearing at it. She pushes her fingers into the wound, like a cat's claws or a dog's teeth and continues to push. She pushes as hard as she can until she feels something give and her adversaries pursuit of her neck end.

Hiruzen lets out a cry of pain, something he tried to prevent himself from doing. His failure to remain quiet is bad. Realising that she has got him, Brooks raises her leg quickly, throwing Hiruzen off her and back across the 'ice'.

Both warriors get to their feet. Once again, it's advantage to Brooks'. She proceeds to slide, one foot after the other, using her entire body to maximise her speed across the slippery surface. She is surprised when she does this. Hiruzen also begins to slide across the 'ice', using a technique all but identical to hers.

' _He's matched me for speed'_.

Hiruzen lets himself fall onto his back, using it as his medium to slide along the ground.

' _Now he's…'_.

Brooks' thoughts are interrupted as Hiruzen sticks his arm out, taking her legs from under her and bringing her down to the ground. He gets to his feet as quickly as he can, turns around and runs at Brooks again. Once more, she forces herself to her feet.

' _Not now. Not with their lives on the line. I won't lose now'_ Brooks tells herself.

For the third time in their skirmish, Hiruzen creates an 'earth' kunai. The weapon of choice for the shinobi of this battlefield.

Brooks thinks as fast as she can, she must find a way to defeat him, otherwise it will be all over for them. She comes up with the best solution she can in this short period of time and summons up her 'ice' diving energy to execute it.

Hiruzen throws his hand over his shoulder in a perfect arching curve. He is certain that he has rattled Brooks, he is certain that this kunai will be the one to put her down. With this victory he can help one of the others, he can turn the tide, he can get the villagers away from here and back to safety.

But the kunai doesn't fly.

It's frozen! Frozen to his hand.

Brooks punches Hiruzen in the head, clearing it of all thoughts but one. _'The fight is over'_. She then executes the quickest lethal combination she can. She pulls her leg backwards and pushes her arm forwards to trip Hiruzen over. She stamps on his wounded arm to distract him and then creates a 'golden ice' sword.

Hiruzen is defenceless.  
Brooks has won.

"You were right. You're learning faster than me and that's frightening" Brooks admits. "However, that all ends here. I have beaten you".

Hiruzen feels the terror of the freezing cold sword looming over him.

"Pull the weed out at the roots. All traitors must die".

' _Am I going to die?'_.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

Each second is more agonising than the last for Tobirama as he continues to battle with Tsunade. In this village, they are the last two survivors of the Senju clan. Each of them is the only family left for the other to turn to. The fight itself isn't what causes the pain though, they could both deal with that. What hurts is Tobirama's absolute supremacy in the battle. No, it is not Tsunade who feels that pain, it is Tobirama himself.

The 2nd Hokage teleports to the mark he once placed on his niece, appear directly before her. He watches as she starts to raise her fist for a punch and makes a calculation about what he can do to counter this. First, he throws two punches into her other arm, weakening it should she decide to use this later. Second, he takes a single long stride back, placing himself just out of the punch's range. Third, he steps back into Tsunade and jumps to kick her in the head. Fourth, he teleports to her rear, takes her legs out from under her and punches her in the throat.

Tsunade, grounded, slams her fist down into the ground, creating a small localised earthquake a substitute for any other attack she may wish to carry out. It is easily dodged by her teleporting uncle, but it does give her some breathing room. She slowly gets to her feet, clutching at her throat as she struggles to breath. She can taste the blood in her mouth, nothing knew, she has dealt with greater injuries than this before and in sage mode she can barely feel the pain.

Upon getting to her feet, Tsunade weaves a quick series of signs, something Tobirama hasn't seen her do in a while. With the final sign woven, she exhales a small ball of fire, a projectile headed straight for the armoured shinobi.

Tobirama surrounds himself in a ball of 'water', easily taking the attack.

"Tsunade, you knew that wouldn't work" he sighs. "Even if your techniques were on the same level as my own, fire wouldn't overcome water".

Tsunade uses the time it takes Tobirama to make this speech to rush him. She punches forward and finally connects with a punch in this fight. She feels a brief euphoria as she continues to push. It's a solid hit, she can feel the shattering of bone, the friction of his flesh wearing against itself. But that euphoria leaves her in an instant with a noise she has heard so many times before.

Poof!

That Tobirama was a clone.

The real Tobirama teleports to Tsunade's rear, gently touching her back. For an instant, he feels like an ally again, not an enemy. Tsunade never realised before just how comforting an ally her uncle was. His reality may not have always been the brightest or most pleasant, he may have never shined like Naruto or Hashirama, but he always fought for what he believed in. Just like he still does.

"I'm afraid I can't hold back any longer" Tobirama whispers gently. "I have something important I am fighting for".

Tobirama cots both his hands in 'water' and punches Tsunade three times in the small of the back. Each blow lands slightly lower down her back until she is sent falling backwards uncontrollably. She looks at him slightly tearfully as she falls onto the back, pain still travelling the length of her spine.

Tsunade somehow finds a small bit of energy and gets back to her feet. She turns and kicks at her uncle but misses. He retorts with open handed strikes, not slaps but vicious slams repeatedly. His strength cannot compare to hers, but that isn't to say that each hit doesn't hurt. Each of them stings on a physical and emotional level, with the pain only getting worse with each hit.

' _Why must I be like this?'_ she asks herself.

Tobirama lands a single stunning punch to the tip of Tsunade's nose before grabbing her left arm and dragging her over the top of his head. He skilfully raises her high into the air and slams her down into the ground at his feet. Regrettably, this is as much mercy as he can offer in a fight like this. Not in a fight against a strong opponent but in a fight against an opponent who won't give up.

He creates a miniscule ball of 'water' in his hand. "I'm afraid this will hurt but against a sage mode user, it is necessary to keep you down".

Tobirama begins to push the ball of 'water' down into Tsunade's leg. He closes his eyes and wishes he could do the same with his ears. Anything to block out the deafening screams he is bringing from his own relative. Tears intermingle with the water for a few seconds as he continues to push down and down until he feels the cries of pain reach a crescendo and feel something in Tsunade's limb break. That's when he stops, unable to continue any further he steps away.

Tsunade miraculously pushes herself up, relying on her one good leg. She throws a punch but it is no good. Tobirama simply catches her incoming fist.

"Tsunade, don't you realise yet? Your punches won't hurt me anymore. You've lost sage mode. This fight is over".

"Dammit… dammit…" Tsunade curses, collapsing to the ground. "Why is it like this? Why am I the one who hasn't mastered their power? Why must I be the weak one amongst us".

"I don't know" Tobirama admits. "Since you have come forward in time, the world has been unfair to you. Perhaps there is some higher power toying with you, seeing how much you can take".

"… it's cruel" Tsunade says as her eyes begin to flutter. Her consciousness is on the verge of fading. Not even she could keep going forever in such pain.

"I know. All we have left is one another and yet we have fought again. I concede that this may be our lowest point, but Tsunade, it will only get better from here" Tobirama insists.

"You promise?".

"I promise. We're family after all".

Tsunade weakly nods her head. No matter the context or the situation, that reminder that she has one family member left may be all that she needs.

"After this is over, we should talk more often, OK?".

"Yes".

With those final words of promise spoken, Tsunade loses consciousness and her head slowly rolls to the side. This fight is over, but the battle continues.

Tobirama raises his head, walking away from Tsunade to assess what must be done next. Anything for an advantage in this battle, they must keep the villagers here. They must also keep them safe. Villagers or escapees. Where will his attention turn first? As it turns out, neither of them. For another incident is more urgent than either.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

Hiruzen watches as Brooks raises the sword over her head. When the executioners blade begins to fall, he closes his eyes and says his final goodbye.

' _Biwako, I'm sorry'._

Whack!

He opens his eyes. "Lord 2nd…".

Tobirama thankfully arrives at the perfect moment, saving Hiruzen from the impending blade.

"As if I would let you do that!" Tobirama groans before throwing Brooks arm back, away from him and his successor. "Even if that man makes bad decisions, that man is still a citizen of the Hidden Leaf Village. I won't let you hurt him".

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi All,

Sorry for posting the wrong chapter previously.  
I don't think I've ever done that before so I don't know what made me slip up this time.

Anyhow, thanks to everyone whose pointed out that the wrong chapter was uploaded.  
Hopefully the right one will be with you now.

Regards,  
Cbehrills


	138. Deadlock

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – DEADLOCK**

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

Minato's continuous teleportation is a great nuisance to any opponent he fights. Previously he was at least limited by his own chakra, but since his discovery of divine energy, his reserves have been virtually unlimited. Continuous, unstoppable and intolerable, the yellow flash has become harder to fight against than ever before. Very few people can fight at such high speed, but his opponent is just such a man, Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi moves slightly to the side and lowers himself, slightly improving his control of his own centre of gravity. He concentrates his senses and waits for any hint of an incoming attack from his teacher. Right now, all these flashes of gold are merely distractions, smokescreens from the inevitable real attack. Fighting against an opponent of superior speed there is one thing he absolutely cannot allow to lapse, that is his mind.

Minato stops teleporting, coming to a halt some twenty paces before Kakashi. He has observed the body language of his pupil from every angle and knows for certain that any weak attack would be intercepted. If he is going to break through Kakashi's defences, there is only one way to do it. He must attack from the front, striking as hard as he can.

Kakashi watches as his teacher begins to place one foot in front of another. Nothing has changed, even without teleportation Minato is incredibly fast. All he has to do is react in time. His hands rise slightly as if flinching and a dozen 'lightning' kunai appear around him. Kakashi has flicked a switch in his brain, activating a technique he prepared just moments previously. With a click of his fingers the electrocuted weapons spread in each direction.

The 4th Hokage watches the kunai head towards him. Surprised that Kakashi was even able to react in such a short period of time, he mentally praises him. The silver-haired Hokage has come a long way since he joined his team all those years ago. Minato takes two steps quick succession, pushing downward with both feet to flip himself neatly over the incoming sheet of 'lightning'. He's airborne now, and therefore has less control. He decides it's time to introduce the element of randomness. He teleports towards Kakashi, picking a random adjacent position to bamboozle his student.

The second Minato arrives at his destination, a cyan coloured skeletal hand slaps him from the air and down into the ground. _'That was a Susano'_ he realises as he hits the ground. Kakashi's mind is his most important asset in this battle and he just understood something that had been shut from Minato's mind. There is no randomness in a battle of this speed, there are only snap-decisions, there is only habit.

Upon hitting the ground, the Namikaze clansmen immediately brings one of his marked kunai into his hand and throws it at Kakashi. He may have habits, some of the predictable, but Kakashi also has habits. Minato knows that he has definitely spent more time analysing the habits of his adversary than vice-versa. Kakashi's way of tackling an attack like this is identical to what Obito's was, and that makes it weak.

Kakashi allows the kunai to pass through his head, just according to plan. Minato teleports to his student's rear and opens his hand to prepare a rasengan. _'What worked on Obito will work on you'_. Chakra and divine energy begin to flow along his arm towards one hand and the other closes around the kunai. Buzz! His hand immediately clamps onto the kunai with a furious tightness. He finds that for a few excruciating moments he can't let go. _'He electrocuted it'_.

Indeed, Kakashi's mind continues to be his most valuable asset. He didn't simply let the kunai pass through him, he used his divine energy to change it.

Minato concentrates. It doesn't matter what sort of tricks Kakashi has up his sleeve if he can hit him with a strong enough attack. He ignores the pain in his kunai hand and focuses on the channelling of energy to the other. He quickly forms an ever expanding rasen-shuriken and pushes it towards Kakashi's back.

The latter was turning from the moment the kunai passed through him, well aware of the decision that Minato would make when he found the kunai to be electrocuted. He still has an action to take, one last precaution against any immediate harm. He turns just far enough so that he can see the glowing blue and white mass and then activates an old technique. _'Kamui'_ he calls in his mind, just quick enough to teleport the rasen-shuriken away.

Minato teleports backward, creating a bit of space between them as he calms down. It doesn't usually go like this in fights. His abilities as a spacetime jutsu user almost always put him at a mental advantage where he can conceive strategies his opponents wouldn't even begin to think of. Kakashi is different though, a genius of combat who sees through all the possibilities the second they arise. He decides that if he is going to win he must get everything he can out of the few advantages he has, so he scatters his array of kunai across the battlefield.

' _I need to quicker'_ the 4th Hokage tells himself.

Kakashi's eyes roam the battlefield, taking in the exact position of each kunai. _'If I can't outmanoeuvre you, I need to outthink you, sensei'_.

Minato reverts to his holding pattern, teleporting between the surrounding kunai as quick as he can. For all but Kakashi it looks as if he is in many places at once, such is his speed of movement. Like a circle of clones, all behaving identically. There is only one clue as to which Minato is the real one, that is that his actions are a fraction of a second quicker than the others.

Kakashi tries to track the location of the real one, his eyes circling while his fingers cross one another so that he can create a clone. The second the clone comes into being, Minato has made his move, arriving directly in front of Kakashi. The 6th Hokage was prepared to react in such an eventuality, having predicted it in advance, but even then, his reaction is too slow. Kakashi throws a series of three punches at Minato but finds that each of them is dodged. For his next trick, he throws an electrified kunai at his teacher but is outperformed in terms of reaction time.

Minato teleports to Kakashi's rear, this time content with the knowledge that Kakashi's reaction was overzealous and that he has been left with an opening for a single powerful strike. Minato's fist drives into the small of Kakashi's back. He pushes it up and up until his student's feet lift from the floor, such is the power of the blow.

Kakashi spins through the air, turning deliberately through every axis. _'All I need to do is find the spot that you will choose. Then I can hit you, sensei'_. With this determination in mind, Kakashi creates his own rasengan in hand, knowing full well that he is dealing with the man who understands the technique best. He prepares for the critical moments of their skirmish.

Minato throws four kunai at the airborne Kakashi, positioning them at four key points around his path.

' _Pick one Kakashi'_ the 6th Hokage tells himself. _'Just pick one. Pick the correct one, which one will he go to?'_. With his decision made, Kakashi pushes his right-arm outwards, and slams the rasengan towards his kunai of choice. _'A subconscious habit that he missed, it's this one'_. He has found a key difference between this one and all the others, an irregular path. This is surely the one Minato chose, right? Wrong!

Minato picks the opposite kunai and teleports to it. He creates an enormous rasen-bomb in hand, the most lethal attack he has ever developed and looks at the back of his student. Attacking from behind is not the way he wanted to win but he will end it any way he can. _'Sorry Kakashi, I win again'_.

That's what he thinks.  
He is wrong.

A rasen-shuriken strikes Minato in his back. He looks over his shoulder to check what just happened. Kakashi's clone couldn't possibly have executed that attack, could he? No, of course not, and there is no clone there. That attack wasn't performed by one of Kakashi's clones, that attack was performed by Minato. _'Of course, the one he sent away with the kamui earlier. He brought it back!'_.

Even behind the black and red of Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan, Minato can identify the raw determination possessed by his student. He must take the villagers away, he is certain of his own cause. Kakashi turns mid-air to face Minato, using the distraction the rasen-shuriken provided, and slams his own 'lightning' rasengan into Minato's chest.

With this Hatake Kakashi finally defeats Namikaze Minato.

Kakashi walks over to his teacher and kneels down at his side, wanting to check that he is alright before moving to help any of his struggling comrades. Minato's face is a state, but he seems all OK, likely just immobile for the next hour or so.

Minato laughs a croaky semi-conscious laugh. "Looks like you finally beat your old sensei, Kakashi".

"Thank you. And I'm sorry, Minato sensei, I just have to do what I think is right".

"I won't hold it against you, you have my word".

Kakashi nods, looking around his various shinobi allies before gesturing to the now open space behind him. "Everyone! Please, come this way to…".

He stops when something catches his eye, just off in the distance. The last person he thought he would helping. Tobirama is struggling in his fight to protect Hiruzen from Brooks. When a fourth consecutive strike lands on the 2nd Hokage, Kakashi's priorities change instantly from the escape of the villagers to the protection of his friend.

"Kakashi, to me!" Minato yells as he stretches his hand out.

Kakashi instantly understands, grabbing Minato's hand and disappearing as his teacher use the flying thunder god technique to send him away.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

Brooks adrenaline is flowing fast, it's a battle of speed but her extensive experience is serving her well. She has fought against fast opponents before in captained-six contests. She has battled users of transcendent elements and while she has always failed, the practice only serves to improve her chances in situations like this. That is why she feels so gleeful as she moves to land a fifth successive blow on Tobirama. Defeating one opponent is a success for her group, defeating two would be truly praiseworthy.

The fifth strike does not land, as she herself is struck first by the magically appearing foot of Hatake Kakashi.

For a moment, separation is created between all three of them.

"Another one!" Brooks curses. "Dammit, I'm not getting any luck today".

"Kakashi, how did you get here?".

"Minato sensei used your spacetime jutsu" the 6th Hokage explains to his friend. "He sent me here when he realised that you were in trouble".

Brooks calms herself and considers all the factors she will need to account for in this battle. These two are a horrible combination to fight against. One has almost complete control over the split between two dimensions and the ability to avoid any attack that isn't very high-speed. The other has the ability to teleport to any marked location, potentially to any location he has touched since the start of the fight or perhaps even before then. This is no longer a battle that can be won with power alone, she must concentrate.

Brooks begins to dash towards the two of them, using the 'ice' floor to her advantage. Hiruzen may have mastered manoeuvring on this surface but these two have not.

"Why did you save me? You know that I have no intention of allowing the villagers to leave" Tobirama reasserts his position.

"I know that" Kakashi responds. "But right now, I also have another desire. I want to make sure that you survive this".

Kakashi uses his kamui, bringing a kunai from the other dimension and placing it right next to Brooks' head. Without keen skills of observation, many, including Brooks miss the most important thing about this kunai, but Tobirama detects it in instantly. This is a marked kunai.

Tobirama teleports to the kunai, placing him in the air just in front of Brooks. He lifts his foot, catching her just beneath the neck and then uses a mixture of his leg muscles and gravity to push her back down into the ground.

Kakashi runs forward while Tobirama attacks and arrives just as the back of Brooks skull smacks against the ground. She is reeling, this is a golden opportunity to attack and put her down permanently. So, Kakashi pulls a blade from his pocket, electrocutes it with his divine 'lightning' energy and stabs it down towards Brooks.

Catch!

Tobirama grabs hold of Kakashi's descending arms. "I'm afraid I cannot let you do that Kakashi".

"Tobirama, why?".

"I cannot let either of you die, otherwise this alliance will be broken off and we will never achieve peace".

The peak chaos of the entire war is achieved by this declaration. This is not the battle where Tobirama and Kakashi team up to fight General Brooks. This is the battle where Tobirama, Kakashi and Brooks all fight one another with different goals in mind. Three people with excessive mobility and talents that make them perfectly suited to this situation, it's a testament to the three of them that they can follow one another at all.

Brooks takes advantage of Tobirama's block and uses both of her feet to kick Kakashi in the chest. Not only does she knock the 6th Hokage backwards, but she also continues the momentum to flip her off of her back and onto her feet.

Tobirama, seeing Brooks back on her feet, throws a marked kunai over her shoulder. The default move in situations such as this is put yourself behind your opponent, make it impossible for them to strike you.

Kakashi waits until the kunai goes over Brooks shoulder before activating his kamui. The air swirls as dimensions tear and the kunai disappears just as Tobirama is about to teleport to it. This is the timing he uses to begin his run, converging on the two of them once again.

Brooks watches Tobirama's confusion for an instant as he tries to teleport but finds himself unable to do so. _'Chance!'_. She throws a volley of punches at Tobirama, each of them connecting with either his torso or his head. Each of these punches will tell, and while Tsunade contributed nothing to wearing Tobirama down, Brooks has already set the process in motion.

Tobirama does have another destination for his teleport. He teleports to Kakashi's rear, remembering that he has marked his fellow Hokage previously. Upon appearing behind Kakashi, he kicks the Hatake clansmen straight between his shoulder blades. This forces Kakashi to lose control of his run and trip forward, straight towards Brooks.

Brooks notices that Kakashi has been stunned. With the speed they are converging being so fast, this is a chance to attack him before he can let his self-defence technique activate. She raises her child-like hand just high enough to catch Kakashi in the chest. She raises him an inch off his feet and then drives him down into the icy plane below. Using the other hand, she recreates the 'golden ice' sword she had previously and stabs it down towards Kakashi.

Kakashi knows he is about to die. Still to stunned to react with his body, he uses his eyes, the only way out he has left. _'Kamui'._ He brings another marked kunai from the other dimension, sending it up towards Brooks' head.

Brooks just has time to stop her attack and dodge the kunai. Even then she cannot completely dodge the kunai as it's cold steel surface catches her and lightly cuts her cheek.

Another flash tells her that is not all she needs to worry about. Tobirama teleports into the path of the marked kunai, catching it and throwing back towards the rear of Brooks' head. _'If it won't hit you from one direction I'll make it hit you from the other'_.

Brooks dodges to the side, getting well away from the projectile. _'As if I would fall for that again'_.

This leaves the kunai heading straight for Kakashi. The 6th Hokage only just manages to avoid his own death in time. He uses Obito's power and lets the kunai he summoned pass through his chest. He then gets up and immediately strikes Tobirama once again.

As the strike connects, Tobirama scuttles backwards along the 'ice'. That's him out of the way for a moment. Kakashi creates a divine energy enhanced chidori and runs at Brooks. He must use every chance he has when Tobirama is out of the way, otherwise killing Brooks will prove to be impossible.

Brooks is of the same mind, brandishing her 'golden ice' sword from before, she charges at Kakashi. Both of them are ready to exchange what they deem should be the fatal blows.

Tobirama is not ready for that. He gets to his feet and uses a high-pressure beam of 'water' to push Kakashi away from Brooks. His attack stops when Brooks reaches the beam though. She touches it, freezing the length of it in an instant. She both stops Tobirama in his tracks and begins to glide along the beam towards Kakashi.

With Brooks darting along the beam towards him, Kakashi sees his chance. _'Kamui'._ He sends the central part of the beam to the other world and with perfect timing sends Brooks crashing down into the ground.

Tobirama teleports to Kakashi's rear, grabs him by the shoulders and kicks his legs out from under him. _'I've got you marked, Kakashi'_ the 2nd Hokage thinks as his friend hits the ground. Now all that he has to do is land that one punch to the head, then, with Kakashi out-cold, he need only focus on keeping him safe from Brooks.

Brooks throws her 'golden ice' sword through the air towards the two Hokage as hard as she can. This forces Kakashi to push Tobirama out of the swords way. The 2nd Hokage fears that Kakashi has sacrificed himself for a moment but is relieved when Obito's power makes the sword pass through Kakashi's head. Safe again, Kakashi uses the distraction to flip Tobirama to the ground. Now it is his turn to try the knockout punch.

Brooks rushes towards the two of them. In the conclusive moment of their fight she may get the chance to win by herself.

Tobirama flicks a marked kunai up in the air and waits as Kakashi's punch descends towards him. He waits for what feels like a year as the punch descends and then he catches Kakashi's wrist.

Tobirama teleports both himself and Kakashi to Minato's side. He then releases his grip on Kakashi and teleports back to Brooks alone.

Tobirama and Brooks both prepare powerful elemental attacks and charge at one another. With Kakashi out of the way, this is the ideal moment to settle things.

Nearby, Minato yells out to Kakashi. The student and teacher quickly repeat their action from before and as their hands connect, Kakashi is teleported back to Tobirama's side.

Kakashi appears at the opportune moment and sees a golden chance. He uses his powers of 'lightning' to enhance Tobirama's attack beyond its current power, determined that he can force Brooks death by doing so.

Tobirama teleports away, back to the kunai he threw last. By the skin of his teeth, he manages to save Brooks life and any hope they may have of an alliance between the two factions.

This is the chaos that this three-way battle brings to the battlefield. With the three of them fighting with their respective styles, with their respective goals, victory is virtually unobtainable.

The mighty general. The teleporter. The man who cannot be hit. The three of them enter into an unbreakable deadlock.

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

Elliot reels from Hinata's attacks. Never, he never feels like this in a fight. Even when he lost to Mirai, he could at least hazard a guess to what was happening. At least there was some logic that meant Mirai could fight on par with him. Hinata is different though, her power isn't natural, no, it's impossible. There is definitely no way that she could have this sort of power with her talent and training.

' _OK Elliot, her element is 'water' and yours is 'cold'. There is no reason to fear this battle'_ he tells himself calmly. _'In terms of power, I should have an advantage. In terms of element, I should have an advantage. So, why? Why do I have this lingering fear in my heart?'_.

Hinata takes a single step, spreading dread instantly through Elliot's mind.

The second step isn't seen by Elliot as her speed increases at an explosive rate beyond what he calculated to be possible. How can he work under these circumstances, he's fighting a warrior whose every movement defies the laws of reality?

' _Here she comes'_ he says, dropping into a fighting pose.

At the half way point between their starting positions, Hinata kicks the earth beneath her feet. By simply kicking the ground, she removes a chunk of the earth beneath her feet and sends it like a boulder towards her opponent.

' _It's coming fast but…'_.

Elliot feels a momentary confidence as he punches the incoming boulder. It looks like it's moving slow. In retrospect he has no idea what he was thinking. His knuckles collide with the stone and he instantly regrets that confidence. He feels the starting of crimson flowing down his hand from his knuckles as the power of the incoming rock becomes very obvious.

Elliot does manage to destroy the rock but only to realise that Hinata was using it as cover. First, she lands a punch into the side of his head. He feels and hears a series of collisions as he could swear his brain crashes into the sides of his skull. Next Hinata lands a strong forward kick to his shin. Elliot is made to be thankful for his own fighting pose, otherwise that kick would have broken his leg.

Stumbling backward, Elliot is given on reprieve. Hinata leaps up above Elliot and uses a powerful beam of 'water' to push him down into the ground. Lara's second-in-command screams win agony as he is pushed deeper and deeper into an ever-widening crater. It is a few year-long seconds before he stops cursing the pain and instead uses his powers of 'cold' to freeze the beam of water, mimicking Brooks move in her fight previously.

Elliot tries to pause for a moment but Hinata, in this state, isn't so reasonable. If she can't send 'water' down, she will send it upwards. She points her hands into the air, using 'water' to propel herself down, directing a knee towards Elliot's head. It forces yet another evasion from Elliot, who quickly scrambles to his feet.

The two of them are stood right next to one another, the worst possible position for Elliot, not that he has fared well in any other. He decides to use Hinata's previous series of attacks against her, first striking her in the side of the head and then kicking her as hard as he can in the shin. Unlike him though, Hinata doesn't even flinch as this pair of strikes connects.

Now it's her turn. Hinata jumps about a foot into the air and then punches Elliot diagonally down across his face. He sways dramatically as a result of this blow, managing incredibly to stay one on knee rather than losing consciousness right then.

Elliot thinks, he thinks as quickly as he can. There is no dignified way left that he can fight here, he will have to result to any dirty tricks that he can. He grabs a hand full of dirt from the floor and throws it into Hinata's eyes. As the Hyuuga begins to use 'water', clearing her eyes in an algorithmic nature, Elliot moves to her rear. If nothing else, a b lind spot attack will work.

Himawari watches on nervously but knows that Elliot has just made a mistake. _'That's not a blind spot for the Hyuuga'_.

Hinata reaches backwards, catching Elliot's now-bloodied hand and crushing it until she feels something crack. His renewed screams prompt her to release her grip and turn around. It is using this chance, that Elliot leaps back as far away from Hinata as he can get.

' _Mom'_ Himawari says in her mind. _'Just where did you get such power?'_.

"That does it" Elliot yells.

This is it, his greatest attack. He gathers all the 'cold' energy he can and super-freezes his surroundings. He drops the temperature down as close to absolute zero as he can reach. He takes it down so that it is colder than anyone present has ever experienced, the very limit of Elliot's powers. The air around Hinata freezes and the Hyuuga is trapped with frozen air itself. This is the attack that killed Dan.

"You are 'water' user" Elliot proclaims boldly. "Let's see you get free from this".

Elliot issued the challenge. He never expected it to be accepted. 'Water' begins to rise from the earth, from the ground itself. What starts of as small groups of 'water' gather into bigger groups. When the groups are large enough, they form into high-pressure jets. The jets of 'water' begin to drive powerfully into the frozen air, carving a shape from it with perfect accuracy.

Elliot takes another step back. "That isn't possible!".

That shape is Hyuuga Hinata.

Hinata begins to walk forward again, emerging from the frozen air.

"That isn't possible!".

Hinata cares very little about what Elliot believes to be possible. With another burst of speed, she arrives before him and delivers a powerful blow into his gut. This time he has lost the will to stand and falls not onto his knees but onto his back. This does not inspire mercy in Hinata. The Leaf shinobi kneels down over Elliot and throws a single mighty punch into his chest.

Elliot once again has blood forced from his body, this time he is forced to spit it onto his own pristine uniform. His golden cloak disappears, and the reality of his situation is made apparent for all to see.

He looks up. Hinata is just stood over him, no longer attacking. It's like she knows he is done for.

"There… I never had a chance, did I?" Elliot asks rhetorically, knowing that Hinata will not respond. "That power, it's too much for me, it's beyond what I could ever match. So, tell me, just what is it? What is your power?".

Elliot looks into the deep white of Hinata's eyes, eager to know, desperate to hear her secret.

But the focus returns to Hinata's eyes.  
The winner of this fight collapses, with the energy from her body totally exhausted.

A group of shinobi surround Elliot and bind him, making sure it is impossible for him to attack Hinata in her weakened state. He knows that he wouldn't be able to though, his injuries are too great.

Everyone still wonders what happened to her though.

What power could defeat a transcendent general so easily?


	139. Winning the War

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – WINNING THE WAR**

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

An army of 'golden darkness' darts rain down from the sky. Originally Clyde had struggled to do this attack, with it draining a significant amount of divine energy. However, with each second of combat his control improves little by little. It's a subtlety that only the strong will notice, the difference between good and great. It improves each time though, he refined it against Naruto, enhanced it against Lara and stabilised it against Carmen. Now, during this fight, he is doing more than he ever has before, he is multiplying his capacity and doing all three processes again.

Lara's improvement is also strong. She teleports to Clyde's side, placing herself slightly further away from him than usual. She knows that before now he has caught her out by predicting what she is going to do. That seemed to be a problem, but it is not truly, because if she stays out of his reach post-teleportation, his powers of prediction do not matter. When she does escape his prediction though, she still reaps the benefits, being just close enough to beat his reaction time.

Two punches from Lara, both dodged by Clyde. Predicted this time but not to Lara's detriment.

Clyde takes a single step backward, watching Lara's face change, watching the anger channel through her at his retreat. She steps in, refusing to allow his retreat, just as he foresaw when he made it. With Lara coming towards him, anger slightly clouding her mind, he strikes a powerful blow to her gut. Instinctually Lara teleports to his rear to escape another blow, but such instinctual retreats are never well thought out. This time Lara is not out of reach, so he turns and strikes her again. By forcing this animalistic fighting pace upon Lara, Clyde manages to get four successive hits before her brain can control the instinct.

Lara teleports away from Clyde, that's when he makes a mistake. He pauses for a moment, assuming his opponent's retreat would signal a brief pause in the fight. There is no pause, the moment after she flees Lara raises her hand and fires an ensemble of 'golden light' pellets towards Clyde.

The incoming pellets are not lethal, Clyde knows this all too well. He dodges though, it's pointless to accumulate damage when it's well within his ability to dodge. He weaves through the incoming stream. He takes note of the relative position of each incoming pellet immediately and after memorising them fixes his attention back on Lara. She is the real threat here.

Clyde catches only a glimpse of Lara as she teleports to his side. Even that glimpse is enough for him to predict where she is going. He leans to the left, knowing that her punch is incoming from the right. Turning his head, he sees that his evasion was wise, Lara was indeed going to punch him. However, he then notices something off about her position, she was too close, she wanted him to predict her movement.

Having foolishly dodged Lara's punch, Clyde walks into the path of the previously fired pellets. He gets hit several times successively, quickly being forced to put up a weak protective barrier around his arm as he raises it to shield himself.

' _A distraction'_. Lara strikes at Clyde, absorbing the pellets heading at herself while she does so. With him unable to counter, it is now her turn to attack uninterrupted. She senses the bending of his flesh each time she volleys another strike at his largely unprotected torso. He is helpless to stop her as the pellets continue to strike towards him.

The pellets are about to run out Lara notices. She has just enough time for one final attack. She channels energy to her right hand and creates a 'golden light' axe. She raises it above her head and slashes it down towards Clyde's neck.

Clyde spins sideways to move out of the way, using convenient timing along with Lara's selective memory to his advantage. He memorised the exact paths of each of the pellets previously, if there is a safe location to dodge to, he can avoid harm. Having avoided the first blow, he waits for the inevitable second blow and when it arrives, coats his hand in 'golden darkness' to catch the axe by its handle. The axe caught, Clyde kicks Lara in the chest, flipping her backwards and converting the axe from 'golden light' to 'golden darkness'.

Lara lands on her feet as she is separated from her weapon. She replaces her offensive tool with a defensive one, opting this time for a 'golden light' shield. The distance between the two of them less than ten paces, Lara charges towards Clyde.

Clyde attempts to throw the axe at Lara, their distance eight steps apart. Lara teleports forward two spaces, catches the axe and converts it back to 'golden light'. Lara takes another step forward, the space between them five steps and then throws the axe back at Clyde. Clyde catches, converts the axe and throws it back again, the space between them three steps. Lara uses her shield to knock the axe away before throwing it at Clyde, the space between them two steps.

Clyde ducks the shields and then the unabated strikes begin. They take it in turns to land strikes on each other, each of them slightly weaker than the last but the energy and determination of the two warriors never wavers. Clyde just catches a familiar look in Lara's eye and then switches to the sole use of his right hand. _'You will go down'_ he yells in his head. He throws one right-hand. Then another. Then another! Finally, one more. The last punch connects so solidly, so satisfyingly, that with the loud slap of knuckle against skull, Lara drops to her knee.

' _Got you'_. Clyde takes a quick step back to improve his position and then swings a kick straight at Lara's lowered head. All the while, he channels 'golden darkness' energy to his right hand in preparation for his follow-up attack.

Lara teleports five meters backwards, just avoiding the kick before she sees it. A 'golden darkness' dart in Clyde's hand. He is using the momentum built up by his kick to keep on spinning. She knows that an attack is incoming and in the spur of the moment does the first thing that comes to her head. She funnels 'golden light' energy to her hand and creates a weapon as well.

BANG!

Two darts of 'light' and 'dark' collide between the two mighty generals.

"A dart Lara?" Clyde asks through deep breaths. "That's not usually your weapon of choice. If I didn't know better, I would say that you were copying me".

"I want you out of my life" Lara replies, "I'm sick of seeing you everywhere I look. That's why I will aim above you, that's why I am aiming at Furst!".

"If you are fed up of me why are you copying my attacks? Why did you come running to me for help? Why did you".

"Shut the hell up!".

Lara teleports back an additional ten meters onto her feet and raises a hand before her. 'Golden light' energy begins funnelling into the space in front of her hand. Some of the energy leaks and gets pulled back into the funnel, enormously increasing the concentration of energy on that one single spot. This is the technique Lara used against Carmen, this is the concentrated attack.

"It's been bugging me for a while now, the way we seem to be connected, unable to separate from one another. So, I am going to show you an attack that's mine alone, and I'll put you down for good with it".

"You're even going to ignore that you need me to defeat Jonas?".

"Yes. Forget all that right now Clyde. This is about you and me again. With this attack, I will do what I couldn't do last time. I'm going to beat you".

There is something different about Lara as she says this, an undivided and uninhibited focus. Clyde has known Lara for a long time, always so powerful yet always so distracted. To satisfy her own bloodlust and act as she believes she must, she has always divided that attention into multiple behavioural patterns. Charging this attack, Lara is different, all her thoughts revolve around one central desire, defeating him.

"This is great. I'm glad that you want something so whole-heartedly, with such determination" Clyde begins. "But I can't let myself be defeated here, my whole world depends on it. You aren't the only one who has gotten stronger Lara, I've gotten stronger too".

"Then you better hurry up and do something, or you will die, Clyde!".

Lara fires her concentrated attack at Clyde, uncaring of the potential damage her beam of 'golden light' energy could do if everything were to go wrong. In her mind nobody else exists right now, it's just her and Clyde.

Clyde focuses his mind to the utmost and creates a thin but dense barrier of 'golden darkness' around his skin.

' _Of Carmen's battle principles, two of them involve concentrated divine energy. One of them is the concentrated attack, the other…'_.

In the midst of his internal monologue, the dense barrier around Clyde's body morphs from a minor protective layer, reshaping to resemble a suit of armour.

' _The other is the concentrated defence!'_.

The concentrated attack and defence clash for a few moments. The blaze of black and white draws the attention of the entire battlefield, distracting even Sarada and Mirai for a moment. They all want to know just what happened, what could Clyde and Lara have done now to cause an even greater explosion than last time.

When the 'light' and 'darkness' are gone, the result of the attack is made clear.

Clyde survived.

"You bastard…" Lara curses.

"It looks like I survived" Clyde laughs. Even he is surprised at his own success.

"Why" Lara asks, angrily pressing her fists against her head. "Why am I unable to kill you?".

"Lara, it seems that destiny is going to tie is together a bit longer. Because this is a fight that neither one of us can win".

 **The Hidden Leaf Hideout**

Sarada takes a few deep breaths as she puts a tiny bit of space between herself and Mirai. Her eyes are taking in every little change in the battle, but observation alone is not a solution to the terrible predicament she finds herself in. Explosions send collections of shrapnel in her direction and she uses the rinnegan to instantly know the perfect position to avoid them all but when Mirai attacks relentlessly, even a god can do little to avoid being hit.

Mirai uses a pair of explosions, one pushing her up and the next pushing her down. The ground shakes as she lands in front of Sarada. Three strong punches are evaded. Next a right-handed explosion is dodged. Mirai isn't suffering from the same impatience as before though, if nothing else she is intelligent fighter and that last punch was merely a distraction. As Sarada dodges away from the punch, Mirai concentrates a myriad of explosions on her left hand and hits Sarada directly in the head with it.

Sarada stumbles back, reeling from the punch. Her daze doesn't go unpunished as Mirai fires an explosion at her, bringing yet more pain. Another explosion. More pain. And another! And more pain still! And an…

Sarada catches Mirai's arm.

"Mirai…".

BOOM!

The Sarutobi clanswomen doesn't wait to hear what the 9th Hokage has to say and instead volleys yet another explosion at her from point-blank range. It doesn't matter whether it's Mirai, Sarada, Clyde or even Naruto, a continuous series of attacks like this will take their toll on anybody.

But it's not enough.

Sarada emerges from the explosion only slightly more bruised and groans. "Mirai, don't you see how pointless this is. I thought I was slowly getting worn down before, but my condition is no longer changing. I don't know if adrenaline has kicked in or my divine energy has started trying to repair my body. I don't know what's happening. All of these attacks of yours hurt, but you're not getting any closer to beating me".

Mirai screams, "As if I would believe that".

Pulling her arm away from Sarada, Mirai pulls two wind blades to her hand and begins to attack with rapid speed. This speed appears incredible to a shinobi, greater than the Kage of the past, the sort of speed that would turn a shinobi into a war-hero. Against Sarada it proves useless. Each time an attack is thrown it is negated by a clever counterstrike to the wrist. Each slice from Mirai misses by just a centimetre but misses nonetheless.

As Mirai tries to increase the rate of her attacks, Sarada constructs a wall of clay between them using 'creation'. When Mirai runs around the wall and throws the two wind blades at Sarada, the Uchiha manifests a Susano ribcage to deflect them. With each action she highlights the hopelessness of the situation more and more to Mirai. The look of exhaustion on Sarada's face was once encouraging, but it is no longer changing. That exhausted Sarada seems to be able to keep going forever.

"Don't you see how pointless this is?" Sarada asks. "You're not going to be able to get past me. It's not even because I'm stronger than you are, though that is helping. It's because deep down you feel just the same way I do. You don't want to hurt me either".

Mirai hears the claim echo in her mind. Is that really true? Does she want it to be true? Sarada is a long-time friend of hers, being unwilling to hurt her would certainly be a good thing. However, a lack of will in these circumstances would surely speak poorly of her standing as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. Can that slightest hesitation in the back of her mind really be causing all of her attacks to fail?

Mirai, in her frustration, blasts the clay wall away with an explosion, then leaps backward to create separation from Sarada.

"Maybe you're right, maybe I don't want to hurt you. But I only need to overcome that feeling for a few seconds in order to defeat you".

Mirai starts to manipulate the 'wind', feeding oxygen into a dense point before her. It seems to the knowing onlookers that she is attempting her own spin on the concentrated attack. The true shock comes when she adds the spark of heat to the dense concentration. The first touch of flame detonates a million simultaneous explosions, and the compact ball of explosive energy sounds a roar that deafens almost the entire battlefield.

Sarada's mauve eyes almost bulge from their sockets as she gasps at the concentration brewing before her.

A nearby Hiruzen forces the back of his head from the floor to look at his granddaughter's actions. _'That's way too strong'_.

Minato does the same. _'Where on earth is she getting all that power from?'_.

' _That can't be'_ Lara tells herself, not for the first time today. _'She has created a concentrated attack even more efficient than my own'_.

Lara boasts a power greater than Mirai's. Her level transcends the Hidden Leaf shinobi just as it does Elliot's. The attack Mirai is trying to execute may not be as powerful as her own, but it is certainly more impressive considering her power. Not only that, but in this moment, with a highly weakened Sarada, it's just possible that this attack may be able to beat the 9th Hokage.

"I get that this is dishonourable but, in this situation, the only way that you can keep everyone safe is if you take this attack yourself. I believe that this attack can take even you down, Sarada!".

Clyde understands and fears the strategy. _'If Sarada takes that blow head on, there is no guarantee that she will be able to withstand it'_.

Mirai has been driven too far by her desperation, everyone understands that, even her allies. This paranoia that the homeworlders will attack has caused her to forfeit everything and gamble on the actions of the Hokage. If Sarada were less noble, then she would evade this attack. If Sarada were loss noble, if this explosive attack were devoid a target, there is no telling which bystanders it may kill. All this due to a lack of trust.

"Sarada, if we both truly believe we are doing the right thing, then you will have no problems taking this attack, is that right?".

"… yeah, that's right".

Mirai inhales a deep breath of fresh air.

"I hope you don't regret this".

Shikadai cries out for action, "Go Mirai, let's take the villagers safely away from here".

With that final call for action, the containment disappears. The explosions stretch from Mirai towards Sarada, increasing in number from millions to billions and billions to trillions. The whole battlefield calls out in once, all praying for different outcomes and then shocked into silence. A call rendered soundless by the all-encompassing howl of the attack.

As the result comes clear, many question what Mirai is doing.

Mirai is winning the war.

Sarada emerges from all the dust and smoke brutally injured. Downed, unable to move, she took the brunt of the attack on herself, saving everyone else from injury.

Silence reigns for what seems like hours until Mirai walks forward. She walks, ignorant of everyone else and looks at what she has done to Sarada. This broken body belongs to the Hokage she swore to work for. This broken body is the price for the hollow victory Mirai has won. She has won the villagers' absolute safety.

"I won" she whispers, "I actually won".

Another deep breath. Stunned as she may be, the priority is still the villagers.

"Alright everyone, follow me, we need to go to safety".

The villagers hurriedly approach Mirai from behind. Nobody can realistically stop her at this point, she is offering a clear route to safety. From behind, she is covered by Shikadai, who ushers the villagers to follow. Truly, they have beaten the odds in winning this war and ensuring the villages safety. Now all that is left is to leave the hideout behind and seek safety in the embrace of the 1st Hokage. Or so they thought.

"That won't be necessary" a voice calls from in front of Mirai.

Mirai looks back from the villagers to Sarada. She questions her own sanity, there is no way that Sarada said that. That wasn't her voice, it wasn't a woman's voice at all. That voice sounded familiar, oh so comfortingly familiar.

Mirai raises her hand and uses the 'wind' to scatter the last of the ashes and smoke.

That smoke concealed a second Hokage.

"Thank god" Minato says as he rests his head back and drifts to sleep.

A villager is the first of many to cry out in joy. He is here.

"… It's Lord 7th!".

Never has a hero done so little yet looked so valiant. Stood there in his ridiculous jumpsuit, looking as healthy he has ever done.

Uzumaki Naruto.

The civil war is finally over.

A single of Lara's colonels breaks through the formation set up by Clyde's. Lara calls after her but her voice doesn't reach amongst all this excitement. That colonel is intent on attacking Naruto, clearly failing to understand the situation. She dashes closer and closer, exciting her powers of 'wind' as she does so.

Naruto waits until she is a meter of him but doesn't do her the courtesy of looking in her direction. He raises his left hand, pressing his index finger into his thumb and waits just a millisecond longer. With the colonel in range, he flicks his finger at her, sending just a tiny bit of 'life' in her direction and blasting her out of sight.

Naruto's eyes are fixed to the floor in front of him".

"Lord 7th" Mirai calls, "I…".

Naruto ignores her, heading straight over to Sarada and kneeling at her side. He places a comforting hand on hers, taking note of her temperature. It's a miracle that the explosions from before didn't cook her alive. He squeezes gently, stimulating his student just enough to open her eyes, waking from her semi-consciousness.

"… did I do well?" Sarada laughs and coughs simultaneously.

"Yeah, you did great Sarada. I am proud of you. You can go to sleep now, I will handle it from here".

Sarada twists slightly but instantly groans in pain. That pain is suddenly but pleasantly expelled from her body as she feels a warm coat of energy envelope her. It's 'life' energy, Naruto's specifically, and in a matter of seconds, all her pain and injuries have left her. She, like Minato, drifts quietly to sleep, completely confident in his abilities to deal with any issues from here onwards.

Naruto now looks to Mirai and the others.

"This fight doesn't need to go on any longer. You don't need to run away. Because it wasn't Clyde who attacked me".

Mirai shakes her head. "Clyde didn't attack you? But it must have been him. Someone strong enough to hurt you? Someone with 'darkness' as their element".

Naruto looks away from Mirai to the destruction that has covered the battlefield. Key people stayed loyal to him and that made all the difference. But those people have suffered. He looks to the emotionally distraught Tobirama and his fallen niece Tsunade. He looks at his teacher Kakashi, and the 'lightning' struck body of his father. He looks at the group of shinobi protecting his fiancée Hinata and working to keep Elliot down. Someone strong enough to hurt him? Anyone who can cause all this pain has done much more than hurt him.

"There is one person. I overlooked it too" Naruto admits. "But there is one person here strong enough to do it. He's questioned me for a while now. He even uses 'darkness' as his element but I had long since forgotten about it. And that person would be you…".

Naruto points just past Mirai and calls the name of his attacker.

"Nara Shikadai… he is the one who attacked me".

Whole groups of shinobi were forced to choose a leader to follow in this civil war. They considered who would best speak for them, who they could trust most, who would make the best decisions and more. With so many people from different times, they had often spoken the intellectual and articulate Nara clansmen. He had become a logical guide for many of them, a man who could absolutely be trusted. In an instant that façade is destroyed, and his status has dropped from a leader to a sinner. It all makes sense, there is no doubt about it. He has questioned Naruto's logic ever since this new alliance. Shikadai is the one who attacked him.

None are more distraught than his parents.

"Shikadai!".

"That's not true, is it Shikadai?" Temari asks her son. "Please tell me you didn't do that".

Many still look to him for an answer. It all makes sense, but they won't believe it until they here a confession from him. They have to know the reason for this, how could he have done this to them

"It's true" he admits.

"I conspired with Inojin and ChouChou. We tried to force the rational decision on the village. We tried to force Naruto and Sarada into an alliance with Hashirama and Boruto".

Shikamaru has seldom been an emotional man in recent years but this really gets to him. A constant companion to Naruto, he is also one of the Uzumaki clansmen's greatest admires. During his life, he has told Shikadai many stories that back up the legend of the 7th Hokage. In the Nara household, that noisy little brat that grew into the world's greatest shinobi was a hero admired above all others. But it seems that all meant nothing.

"How could you ever think like that?" Temari asks, "With all your genius, did you really think that logic would work?".

"It still can…".

As soon as Shikadai starts talking he is cut off.

Within a fraction of a second Naruto is before him, lifting him by the scruff of his neck, his hands practically shaking in anger. Naruto has been forgiving since coming forward in time, but this is a side he has shown less often. His downcast eyes and the recurring animalistic breath that masks his voice, they both speak to the pure rage he is experiencing.

"Forget about your plan. Thank the gods that you are still walking. After the pain you've brought to my student, to my father, to my teacher and my friends. You should be grateful that there is a single unbroken bone in your body".

" _Naruto!"_ the voice of Kurama calls to him.

Hearing the voice, Naruto's anger lightens. He reluctantly releases Shikadai and walks away, positioning himself behind Shikamaru and Temari, offering each of them an apologetic pat on the back.

"The plan almost worked mom. Inojin has been in contact with Hashirama telepathically. He's expecting us right now" Shikadai explains. "If we had gotten away he would have come and killed the people from this world. Naruto and Sarada would have been forced to make an alliance with Hashirama and Boruto. Everything would have been great".

Shikamaru shakes his head. "You three. I can't speak on behalf of Ino and Choji, but for me, you make me feel sick!".

"Father, it was the most rational decision for the safety of the village".

Ino arrives, running up and joining Shikamaru, Choji not far behind her. "I don't think the three of you understand. It wasn't your decision to make".

"Shikadai" this time it is Mirai who speaks. "I thought you were like a brother to me. How could you make me do that to Sarada? What if I had killed her!"

"Do you honestly think you were going to kill her, Mirai?" Shikadai's voice is no longer that of the little brother she once knew. Now it is more the voice of a decision-making machine, an entity devoid of all human empathy. "I considered the possibility and I made the best choice possible, for the village!".

Shinki arrives, approaching Shikadai from behind after ceasing his fight with Blackburn. A fight that he now regrets every second of.

"Cousin, the decisions of the Circle, of Naruto, they may not be rational, but they are made using a combination of brains and heart" Shinki explains. "Even if they are dangerous decisions, they are the will of the village, they are chances we have collectively decided to take. You taught me something in the past, you taught me that those decisions are nor ours alone to make. I wish you had taken your own advice".

"Shinki is right" Choji says, "You three have all let the village down".

"Well then Uncle Choji, what would have us do? Wait for the village to self-destruct because our heart wills it?". The Circle's administrator shouts in the face of the man he once respected, a changed man from years prior. "Would you have me ignore my brains warnings and let us throw ourselves over a cliff all because Naruto says so".

Naruto steps past Shikamaru, approaching Shikadai again, this time more calmly. "Choji doesn't make the decisions around here, the Circle does. And I think the Circle will agree with me on this".

The latest generation of Ino-Shika-Cho have faced the judge and the jury. That leaves only one part of their trial left.

"Hashirama is expecting you. You will go to him" Naruto mercifully decrees. "I won't see you hurt but from this moment on, the three of you are exiled from the Hidden Leaf Village".

Shikadai immediately falls back on the democratic system he established. This is a majority decision which must be agreed upon by the majority of the Circle. He feels confident that they will agree with his logical decision making. He is wrong though, as he looks around the remaining members of the Circle, even his greatest supporters do not throw their voice behind him. The administrator's thoughts are his alone. The thoughts of the Circle say that he and his two teammates are to be exiled.

Shikadai has no other choice. He leaves along with Inojin and ChouChou.

"I hope you find what you are looking for with Boruto" Naruto whispers as he walks away.

Inojin passes his mother. She has endured the majority of this war with only one family member left. Following Sai's death, they only had one another to turn to and now even that connection has been broken. There are no winners in war.

"I did what I thought was best" Inojin tells her.

She manages to remain strong for a few more seconds. "Your father would be ashamed of your decision".

The final words spoken between them. Nara Shikadai, Akimichi ChouChou and Yamanaka Inojin leave the village for good.

As the three of them disappear from sight, a shinobi commander approaches Mirai. "Commander Mirai, what happens now?".

"What happens now? This battle is over. Tend to the wounded, we don't need to fight any more".

"The battle is over is it?" a woman's voice asks incredulously.

Lara teleports, arriving next to Mirai and angrily pointing at Naruto. "Is this supposed to be some kind of joke, Uzumaki! They made false accusations against us and then left us to a horrible death. How can I just overlook that?".

"I'm sorry, the people of my village made a mistake" Naruto gently offers her. "I hope that makes us even now".

"Makes us even? You think I care about being even?" Lara's anger is contagious, almost bringing Naruto's back to the surface. "This conclusion will not satisfy my bloodlust".

A comforting hand lands on Lara's shoulder. Clyde's hand. "Let it go Lara. Just take Naruto's offer and call it all square from here on".

"Clyde, this doesn't satisfy me in the least. You should know that better than anyone".

"But look around. See these people as I do and ask yourself, who is supposed to be satisfied by this? We are all equal because we have suffered from this stupid battle".

Lara analyses it. She has suffered, with Elliot being defeated and Brooks being almost exhausted by three foes. Those who wanted to leave suffered, with Tsunade almost losing her last family member because of this conflict. Those who wanted everyone to stay suffered, with Sarada putting her body on the line to save Lara's life. As Clyde says, war makes all people equal.

"Let it go" Clyde asks again.

Lara gently nods. "Fine".

"This war is over".

With the war finished, Lara teleports away, not in the mood to speak any longer.

The villagers, shinobi and captains all celebrate their own survival. The short but violent civil war is over with no fatalities. A valiant group lead by Sarada and Clyde has managed to save their lives.

There is no celebration for the leaders of these survivors though.

Mirai thought she was winning the war. That was wrong. She didn't win the war.

Everyone lost.


	140. Connecting to Another

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – CONNECTING TO ANOTHER**

 **Lara's Camp**

Most captains and colonels are doing nothing today. They are sat back, relaxing, being as calm as can be. This is an order that came from Elliot himself, recognising that it is important to defuse tensions from yesterday. Lara is their commander, her word goes above all, but in situations like this it is best to listen to Elliot's advice. His tactical brilliance may not quite match up to Lara's, but his calm diplomatic decision-making is superior in peaceful situations.

Spirits are reasonably high among the majority. Though they tried to kill the traitors, and failed, they did not actually lose any of their own warriors. A few of them were injured, chiefly a foolish colonel who insisted on attacking Naruto. That had proven a foolish mistake.

The three chief generals working under Lara, Elliot, Brooks and Blackburn reunite outside her tent. Lara hasn't been seen or heard from since the decision to end the civil war and each of them is worried about her. Brooks did initially criticise Blackburn for his lack of support during the conflict, but Elliot soon made her forget about the issue. The three of them need only concentrate on supporting her and moving forward after this incident. That is easier said than done.

"She still hasn't come out of her tent, Elliot?" Brooks asks.

Elliot shakes his head. "I've never seen her so emotional as she has been lately. She's always been erratic but never this emotional. Something has been changing in her".

"Then should we be saying something to her?" questions the enormous Blackburn, "Should we be offering her some words of encouragement?".

"I doubt Brooks is the best person to offer encouragement and I cannot think of any words that would reach her. Quite frankly you are the only one amongst us who could, but I fear that she would resent anything you say as the words of a traitor".

"I just did what I thought gave us the best chance of success" Blackburn argues. "I did what I thought was right. Isn't that the entire point of fighting Furst"?

Elliot looks away from Blackburn. Is that the point of battling Furst? For Naruto and Sarada, they are battling Furst for their own freedom. For Clyde, he is battling Furst so that he can save his own world from tyranny. Lara is different though, she is battling Furst so that she can get over the pain of her defeat to Clyde. Is that then their reason for fighting? Are they fighting for freedom? Or are they fighting for Lara?

"It's no use worrying about the past" Elliot admits. "I'm certain that Lara will get through this, with or without us. She always has, and she always will".

With his piece said, Elliot simply watches with curiosity as Mirai walks past him. The military leader of the Hidden Leaf, Mirai is the counterpart of Lara in many respects. Seeing her head into the tent, Elliot wonders if he should stop her but soon decides against it. If he cannot think of the words, then perhaps Mirai will be able to do so. It surely wouldn't do any harm to let her try, would it?

 **Inside Lara's Tent**

As the canvas folds back, it makes a soft but abrasive noise. The sound of canvas on canvas signals to Lara that somebody has entered the room and she raises her head in curiosity. Likely none of her own subordinates would dare to enter her personal living quarters without her having told them to, a theory that proves correct. The woman who does enter is around average height, if not slightly taller, with a distinctive engraved head-protector wrapped around her head. A shinobi.

Lara gets up from her chair and walks towards the new entrant to the room. Approaching her, she watches Mirai's facial expressions, searching for any sign of fear. Nothing, no fear, either the woman doesn't know what's good for her, or she's strong. Lara gives her a brief inspection, judging that this confidence likely comes from being hardened in battle. Then another observation helps her to remember everything, a tiny bit of ash on the side of Mirai's neck. Accompanying it a bruise, not fresh but hardly aged. It was obtained in the battle yesterday.

"You're the one who fought Elliot" Lara notes, "The one who fought Sarada yesterday. That's you, isn't it?".

"Yeah, that's me" Mirai responds.

Mirai doesn't know what to make of Lara's uncertainty. Does she not bother to remember the many significant faces that take part in each of these battles? It wasn't too long ago that, as Lara says, Mirai defeated her second-in-command. Beyond that, Mirai defeated Sarada yesterday, though that victory was tainted by circumstances. She knew Lara was strong and arrogant, but aloof was something she didn't expect.

"What do you want?" Lara asks, turning around and walking back to her chair. "I doubt you have come for a social visit".

"You know, some of us might come for social visits if you tried a bit harder to work with us" Mirai says.

The military leader of the Hidden Leaf has so many questions about her counterpart from this world. Beyond her own self-pity, she knows that Lara's job has likely been even harder than hers. Thanks for Lara's attitude, a spitefulness she has sourced for a reason unknown, Lara has been virtually alone for hundreds of years. Solitude and slaughter hardly build character, yet Lara's character is so inconsistent with what Mirai first thought. Gradually, as her emotions have shown more and more, her motivations have made less sense to Mirai. She watches for a reaction to this point but sees nothing, it seems that Lara isn't interested in any sort of social visits, or at least isn't willing to show it.

"I have a question" Mirai continues, "I watched you during the fight with Carmen. Watching that fight everyone else concluded that you were a hinderance but not me, so I have something to ask you. Why did you hold back?".

"Hold back?" Lara snorts. "Are you stupid. Do you think that I would hold back against my former teacher, a member of the aristocracy and hope to win?".

"I don't know what you were hoping for, but I've seen you fight a few different people now. There is only one person I have ever seen you truly give your all against". The Sarutobi clanswomen's observation is correct, exactly what Lara had hoped to avoid. "That person is Clyde, both yesterday and when you attacked us the first time".

Lara only ever gives her all against Clyde?

"And what do you know of the limits of my strength" Lara asks, jumping back out of her chair and yelling into Mirai's face. "How are you so well equipped to judge how powerful I am? Yesterday you were completely consumed with Sarada, before that you were consumed with Elliot. You are always more emotional in your fights than I am".

"I didn't accuse you of being emotional" Mirai points out.

"Just shut up!".

Lara circles the room, seething at the accusation being levelled against her. What makes her truly angry is not the accusation coming from Mirai, it's the ones coming from within her own head. All this talk of emotions, of holding back, it's all too complicated. She is the leader of the military, she should be spoken to about war and battles, not about emotions and feelings.

"Every time you and Clyde clash, I felt it. It was a tremendous power emanating from the point of contact, truly remarkable" Mirai says, doing her best to emphasis her praise with her tone. "Perhaps your previous outburst revealed something about your true nature. Perhaps you are afraid of being emotional when you fight. And perhaps you are only emotional when you fight Clyde".

"I said shut up!".

Mirai doesn't dare to speak any further. She watches as Lara's anger continues to spiral, as the lead general of the army ducks to the floor and scratches at her own bald head. A rage builds within her as her own thoughts attack her like little insects in her head. Each insect attacks her mind, enhanced and made worse by all these idiots like Mirai, Clyde and Naruto.

"I don't know!" Lara admits. "How am I supposed to know? Is there some deeper meaning about me fighting him? Is there something more going through my head?".

"Of course, there is, you already know that, you just need to admit why?".

"Because he's the only person I've ever had any emotional connection with" Lara snaps. "All you other people, you all have such complicated thoughts and desires. You all think such strange weird things and I can't stand it. But with Clyde, I've seen his life, I understand why he wants the things he does, I understand why he is fighting. He is the only person I understand, that's why I can fight him without… without…".

"Without doubting yourself?".

Lara stops, her temper finally calming with her own revelation. Almost everyone in the military considers their own past. Everyone has forgotten where they came from, but they wonder about it, what sort of people they were, what were their family like. Lara has never looked into her past, she has never wanted to know why she has become this way. Going all out is something she has never needed to do except against Clyde, so it has never held her back before. Now it is finally holding her back, all because she doesn't understand people. Perhaps she has always had that problem, perhaps it is the influence of her past that has stopped her from going all out against those she cannot empathise with.

"What do you want?" Lara asks.

"You need to learn to make an emotional connection with other people. That is the only way you can get stronger" Mirai declares. "I know you probably won't listen to me, but I think the reason Clyde can do that better than you is because he leads from the front rather than commanding from the rear".

"Leads from the front? It can be a weakness to lead from the front, a poor tactical choice that reduces your chances of victory".

"It can be" Mirai admits. "But he also does that because all of those eyes behind him, fixed on his back, they inspire him. He knows that each and every one of them depend on him. If nothing else, he can connect with them all through that. More than you can at least".

"Are you saying that doing that makes Clyde better than me?".

"Yes, I am".

"You…".

"Clyde isn't perfect, but he does what he does because he wants to understand the hearts of those around him" Mirai explains. "You should try doing it yourself, then you may be able to connect with someone other than him for once".

 **Outside Lara's Tent**

Mirai exits the tent and immediately takes a deep breath of the fresh air. It's hard to describe, but the air around Lara feels slightly different. It's the same sensation Mirai feels with a whole group of highly charismatic and influential individuals. It's what she feels with Sarada and Boruto. It's how she felt around Lord 7th and Sasuke. It's how she feels around Clyde. Perhaps the true sense that inspires foresight can detect the traces of fate and destiny. Perhaps it is the destiny of these individuals that makes Mirai feel this way.

"Sarutobi Mirai, may I have a word" Elliot asks.

Mirai has never completely forgiven Elliot for the things he did when he first came to the pocket world. She has never forgiven him for the murder of Kato Dan, for the intimidation of the children or for the assault on the Hidden Leaf Village. She reluctantly approaches him, willing to give him a few words.

"What do you want?" she asks.

"You spoke with Lara, what did she say, is she alright?".

Mirai shakes her head. "I told her that she should try to connect with you emotionally. I told her that she may be able to communicate with the rest of us better if she did that. I doubt she took my advice though".

As Mirai walks away, Elliot gently whispers just two words. "Thank you".

Mirai pauses, wondering if she heard him correctly. She nods her head slightly, acknowledging the gratitude before continuing away. Speaking with these vile people is not her responsibility and she has already done more than enough.

 **Clyde's Camp**

Sarada takes her glasses off and cleans them with her sleeve. While others have stopped working and begun to relax, she has continued. It has been relentless, but she is at least grateful for what Naruto gave her previously. Her first comfortable sleep in weeks, all because was broken and beaten by her own friend. 'Life' is a comforting element, one that can bring that sleep to anyone.

"OK" Sarada says in response to one of Clyde's many captains. "If you could ask them if they are still willing to cooperate with us, I would be grateful".

"Of course ma'am".

"On a more general basis, how is morale, captain? Are you still willing to work with us?".

"There are some who are resentful of the rebel's actions" the captain admits, "But most of them just want to forget about it and move on".

"I see, thank you for help".

With his orders in place, the captain returns to his group to carry them out.

Sarada takes a moment to be grateful for Clyde and his subordinates. For years the two groups were at war. Clyde's group sustained very few casualties, but they were hated by the pocket worlders. That hatred led to violence, an extreme violence that should never be seen on any battlefield. The transition to this new working relationship has been helped enormously by Clyde's subordinates though. Each of them has worked hard to forgive any past transgressions. If they had not done this, perhaps yesterday could not have been so successful.

A pair of feet hit the floor next to Sarada as Lara teleports to her side, presumably straight from the latter's quarters.

"Hey, I want a word with you".

Sarada sighs at Lara's blunt demeanour. "If we must speak then we can. I won't forget about yesterday though, you wanted to kill many people I consider to be my friends".

"I want to know something" Lara begins, ignoring Sarada's complaint. "It's about the way people look at you all. They all look at you Hokage with admiration but with Uzumaki Naruto, something is different. Why do people look at him that way, even you do it?".

Lara noticed a long time ago that people looked at Naruto in a certain way, like he was divine rather than human. Initially she dismissed her suspicions, she had only ever encountered him at the 'right time'. He had been a hero, saving people from certain death at the last moment, that was probably why they looked at him that way. It was all biology and chemistry back then, at least in her mind. Yet as she saw Naruto beaten by Hashirama for the second time, the looks didn't disappear. He had an invulnerable mystique, one that she couldn't understand.

"Why do we look at him that way?" Sarada repeats the question. "I guess we don't even realise we're doing it. We look at him the way we do because he is a hero".

"But you must have tales told of your heroism" Lara says. "So must the others, Boruto and Hashirama, are you all not heroes too".

"Sure we are. All the Hokage have stories about when we've been heroes, but we've all had obstacles we couldn't overcome before" Sarada explains. "The greatest obstacle was once described as the cycle of hatred, you can think of it as eternally escalating retribution. We've all tried to take revenge before, even myself and Boruto, that's because the alternative is so incredibly difficult".

"And what is the alternative to revenge?".

"To just forgive al the sins against you and accept the remaining hatred onto yourself. You take all that hatred and you destroy it".

"I don't get what you mean at all".

Sarada understands Lara's problem with this concept. This world is very different from the pocket world. In the pocket world, while difficult, the weak could rise up and destroy the strong. People could attack each other in underhanded ways. It was a dark world where conflict was often hidden in the shadows. In this world, everything is defined by your strength. There has never been an escalating retribution against Furst Jonas, because he is too strong. There has never been an escalating retribution against Clyde or Lara, because they are too strong. The worlds are different yet in many ways are similar.

"Our village has two great clans, mine, the Uchiha and Lord Hashirama's, the Senju. They have warred for longer than we can remember" Sarada explains. "My ancestor and Lord 1st found the Hidden Leaf together, but my ancestor couldn't let years of animosity and hatred go, so the two of them fought. Lord 1st defeated my ancestor, forcing him front the village was his only option".

"Are you saying that was wrong?".

"No, it's what anyone would do. Except Naruto changed everything. He battled my father under similar hate-fuelled circumstances. But through persistence and years of hard work alone, he managed to change the outcome. He brought my father back to the village and our two clans haven't fought since".

"So he broke the Cycle?" Lara concludes.

"The cycle keeps getting reborn. Evil people will always give birth to it again" Sarada admits. "But Naruto showed us that there is always another choice. He proved that the cycle could be beaten".

"But why do people look at him that way? Surely they cannot admire him so much because of that alone?".

"They really do. He truly never gives up and we all admire him for it" Sarada explains. "I am to surpass him as the Hokage, but I always want him to be around, because his presence alone is so comforting. Knowing that he is such a constant, such a consistent force makes him relax to be around, at least for me".

Sarada receives no reply from Lara.

"Don't you have anyone like that?" she asks.

Lara ponders, her mind instantly moving to Clyde. _'Idiot, he's nothing like that'_.

"Lara?".

"I didn't think I had anyone like that" she answers. "But who knows anymore".

Lara decides to walk back to her tent rather than teleporting. She ignores the many looks of terror she receives. Equally, she ignores each and every call or salute that comes her way. Her mind is entirely fixed on what she has learnt today. She needs to connect with someone. She needs to understand the emotions of others. Everyone looks at Clyde the way they do because they trust him. Everyone looks at Naruto that way because he is a constant in their lives. Does she even have such a thing in her life?

As she walks into her portion of the camp, she continues to contemplate these questions.

' _Do I really find Clyde comforting to be around? Is he the constant in my life?'._

' _Is that why I connect with Clyde? Is that why I understand his emotions? Is that why he is the only one I can fight against with my full power?'_.

' _Am I really even thinking about this? Don't I want Clyde out of my life, don't I want to prove that I am better than him?'_.

' _Or am I like her? Do I only want to surpass him because I admire him so much?'_.

Lara arrives back at her tent, pulls back the canvas that forms her door, and enters.

She is stunned by what she sees.

To her right, perched atop a small table next to her bed, a small creature with feathers and little tiny legs.

' _An owl?'_.

To her left, someone is going through her draws. A girl with shining white hair, with brilliant purple eyes. Dressed casually in a faint-green hoody and with worn black trousers. The young woman turns around to look at Lara, a small drop of blood dribbling down from the corner of her mouth.

' _This woman is strong… too strong'_ the owl realises.

The owl flies over to the young woman, gripping her by the head and then turns and flies at the tent. Using his sharp beak, he tears through the canvas and flees the camp with his associate in tow. That young woman looks at Lara in surprise as the two of them are separated by the majestic bird, wondering just who this woman is that she is escaping from.

Lara pauses for a moment. _'She was stealing my stuff… I've never known anyone else drink that blood before…'_.

Lara makes the decision to go after her. Activating her 'golden light' cloak, Lara begins to chase after the owl and the girl on foot. On a day where nothing else has felt normal, it feels good to be doing something she is talented at once again.

"She's coming after us" the young woman yells.

"You are not powerless mademoiselle, fend her off" the owl replies in a male, strongly accented voice.

The young woman slowly condenses a ball of 'light' divine energy and throws it at Lara.

Lara blocks the ball of energy with her forearm and is surprised once again by the sensation she experiences when it contacts her. She was initially taken by the coincidence that both of them were 'light' users but is much more surprised by the power of the attack.

' _It's weak'_ Lara realises.

The young woman continues to attack. Time and again she throws ball of 'light' after ball of 'light with Lara. Each attack is more frantic than the last as Lara dodges them effortlessly. It was instantly apparent to Lara that she was the stronger of the two, and more slowly, it is becoming apparent to the young woman as well. Her panic escalates even further when she realises that Lara is beginning to charge an attack of 'golden light', something which she cannot do.

"It's not working, fly faster".

"I'm flying as fast as I can mademoiselle" the owl replies, "Stop distracting me".

The young woman desperately creates a spear of 'light' in her hand.

' _Is this really all the power she has?'_ Lara wonders, _'How did she find our camp?'._

The young woman casts the spear towards Lara, but the lead general easily sidesteps it.

' _Anyway, I have to kill her'_ Lara concludes, _'It all ends here for her'_.

Lara finishes charging her 'golden light' attack and then reveals her trump card in the fight. She teleports up into the air, positioning herself just a few meters behind the girl and the owl. She smiles, it is a glorious feeling for her, to be in the hunt once again. Right now, she doesn't have to worry about any feelings, any diplomacy, about Naruto, about Clyde. She only needs to focus on the here and now, she only needs to focus on the kill.

Then the young woman's eyes meet Lara's.

Lara sees the tear in young woman's eye.

Lara does something she never thought she would. She allows the attack to dissipate in her hand. She lands gently on the ground and stops chasing after the girl and owl.

Lara lets the two of them escape.

' _That look… she was so desperate...'_.

' _Why though… why did I let her go…'_.


	141. A Team of Four

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – A TEAM OF FOUR**

 **The Hideout**

Just over an hour since her pursuit failed, Lara ambles back into the camp, replaying recent events in her head. Something is different, she knows it is. The problem is that she resents the change that is happening to her, whatever that change may be. Life has always been so easy. Nobody has ever been able to stop her from doing what she wants. She has only ever wanted simple things that she has been able to achieve. Now she is not only being stopped by an aristocrat, but she is also unsure of what her true objective is. To surpass Clyde, to kill Furst Jonas, who knows?

' _How did that girl get into our camp'_.

A youngster. A teenager it looked like. Lara has long since been able to look past someone's appearance and tell their true age. Whether it is Peterson, whose true age is in the hundreds. Naruto, whose true age is much less than one hundred. Clyde, whose age, like her own, is around the one-thousand mark. That girl is different though, her looks are deceiving. Lara has never met someone before who looks like a teenager yet gives off the sensation of being far younger.

Who was she anyway? How did she find the camp? That shouldn't be possible. The world is too large to find anything like that by accident. There had to either be some sort of direction, or some sort of instinct that brought her to them. Lara didn't believe in destiny yesterday, but now she is not so sure. It could well be that fate itself brought that girl to her.

' _Just why did I let her go. There was no reason for it was there? She was weak. It was like hunting a wild animal'._

As Lara walks amongst the tents that have become a near-permanent residence for her and her subordinates, she analyses the difference in their respective strengths. She is a mighty general with a divine ability and a transcendent element. That girl had the same transcendent element but only to the captain level of control. Even to give her that much is flattering, her control was sloppy, like she had just broken through. How could someone so weak be blessed by such destiny and such luck?

"So, what do you think about what Shikadai did?".

Lara barely pays any attention to the question. It isn't directed at her is it? She tilts her head to the side slightly. It was just a shinobi, gossiping to his two friends about recent events. Do they not even recognise her presence anymore? Is that intimidating presence she once possessed now gone completely? Is her aura shattered?

"He may have gone about it the wrong way, but he is right?" another shinobi answers. "We would be stronger if we had Lord 1st's help rather than Clyde's".

Lara would have done something about this in the past. This shinobi is completely overlooking her great power.

"Are you crazy? Lord 1st may be strong, but I couldn't bring myself to work with him again, not how he is now".

"It's true, this Boruto we're seeing now isn't the same as he was in the past".

"I suppose not".

Lara feels an unusual emotion as this conversation concludes. Relief? Since when could she feel relief based on the conversation of such pathetic individuals. They are nothing to her, aren't they? Less than nothing.

' _What are you doing now, Lara, eavesdropping on the mortals'_ she rebukes herself. _'Why should I care about their opinion, they're nobodies, I have already outlived twenty generations of that family'_.

She progresses towards her own camp, walking past a group of her own captains on the way. The last conversation has made her slightly curious. She decides that there may be something that she can learn from all these people. She keeps her head lowered and continues to walk forward. She will bathe in the views of the weak.

"Are we really going to overlook the fact they left us for dead".

"If Lara's letting it go, we should let it go too. Besides, it's not like we have a choice. If we lashed out against Naruto, Sarada and Clyde there is no way we could win".

"That's true. And to be honest, I understand why they did what they did. They were only trying to protect the weakest amongst them".

"Protecting the weak? That's something we all gave up a long time ago".

"Maybe but isn't it something you hope to experience again soon?".

Lara considers the novelty of that. Protecting the weak. What function does it serve? It is counterintuitive, it prevents humanity from evolving. It isn't the weak that saved the pocket world, it was Naruto, Boruto and Hashirama. If the weak were to prosper rather than the strong, where would she be now, wouldn't she be completely alone? These people must all know this, she is certain that they do, so why don't they care about that?

Next, she passes a group of Clyde's captains, wondering what these people will have to say.

"Lara has gone insane" the first says, clearly not noticing her proximity. "She would never have allowed the general to get away with all this in the past".

"It's not like she could do anything anymore. The general has come into his own. He's equal to her now, no, he's her superior".

"You really think he's stronger than Lara?".

"About equal in terms of power. In terms of his ability to lead and inspire, he is far superior to her; there is more to being a general than strength alone".

"And what do you think about Uzumaki Naruto then?".

"He gives me some hope for the future" the captain smiles cheerfully. "It wasn't long ago that he became our saviour, but I'm starting to look at him as something more. He's reliable, do you know what I mean?".

"I know what you mean. In the short time he has helped us, I have come to feel I can depend on him. Just like the General".

"Yeah, just like the general".

Lara continues past this group, now having heard a generalised opinion of all three groups. She understands that this change has not been without catalysts. Naruto's obsessive determination to be a Hokage. Hashirama's betrayal of what he used to stand for. Clyde's regret of his own sins. Lara's survival in the face of her greatest defeat. All these circumstances have come together to create a situation that could never have happened without them. Could that be what is bothering her?

Then, something else bothers her. What is she doing?

' _They are all talking about me!'_ she realises. _'It's as if they have no fear anymore. Is this because they have changed. Is it because of Uzumaki Naruto? Is it because Clyde has changed or… or is it because I have changed?'_.

The look of terror in that girl's eyes flashes in Lara's mind and she feels what she never used to feel. Sympathy. Surely, after a thousand years, one cannot learn to feel that sort of emotion again.

' _It's true that in the past, I would have just killed them for talking behind my back'_ she concludes. _'It would be easy, like killing a child, but for some reason, I'm not doing it anymore'_.

Her tent is finally in sight, but she doesn't raise her head. Continuing forward on autopilot.

' _If I have changed, why have I changed, what was the cause, is it the effect these shinobi are having on me?'_ she wonders. _'Or have they given Clyde that tiny bit of courage he needed? Did they give him the courage to stand up to me, the courage to change me?'_.

Her own questioning voice reverberates painfully in her skull as she peels back the door to her tent. _'I don't get this at all, what is happening to me?'_.

 **Lara's Tent**

Lara enters once again to find that her tent is occupied. Routing around through all the mess is the person at the centre of her recent soul-searching. Clyde.

The inside of the tent looks like a bomb has hit it. Containers designed to store all manner of items, maps, weapons, plans, have all had their content tipped onto the floor. The sheets which marked the spot where she once slept have been thrown across the room and the lights have been moved down from the tops of cabinets onto the floor. This is of course because of that young woman and the owl.

"Clyde…".

Clyde largely ignores her questioning tone as he looks at one chest that has been discarded onto to the floor. He has seen this chest in his nightmares. This is the chest used to hold a collection of blood and glasses to drink them from. This chest is a symbol of Lara's barbaric history, a collection of her enemy's blood and the destination that was once promised to him.

"Oh Lara…" he sighs.

"What do you think you are doing in here? How dare you look through my stuff" Lara snaps. "Do you need me to explain it again idiot! I am your commander and you are my subordinate, so get out!".

That sort of claim would have frightened Clyde in the past, but not anymore. It has been a long time since they have been commander and subordinate.

"You've been drinking blood again, haven't you" Clyde asks, the disappointment clear in his voice. "I mean, you've always done it haven't you, as if tricking yourself into being something you're not".

"There is no trickery, this is who I am!".

Lara realises her mistake the second she makes it. She would never have felt the need to defend herself against Clyde's accusations in the past. They are only the ravings of an angry man with a conscience, hoping to find one person who can truly sympathise with him. More to the point, what she said would have been true in the past, it would be pointless to reaffirm it. Now she has just gone on the defensive, rejecting Clyde's probing questions because she doesn't know the answers and instead knows a far more terrifying truth. She didn't drink that blood.

"Lara, don't think that I am blind to what everyone can see about you. You are acting differently, you're on the edge of changing" Clyde says hopefully, rising to his feet and backing away from the chest. "But looking at this blood, I would say that you're exactly the same person you used to be".

"Shut up about the blood, and about me" Lara angrily demands. "I don't get why you think you know me better than I do. Any changes that I have made, any unusual behaviour, it is because I've made it my goal to surpass you! So, trust me Clyde, before long I will be stronger than you once again".

Clyde looks at Lara. She's flustered, and he doesn't quite know how to handle it. He's not an expert in this kind of situation, he can move the hearts of an army, but one really determined individual foxes him. Naruto is the expert in speaking to people in this way, not him. But at the same time, this is probably a role that only he can play. If Lara is going to change, he may be the only one that can truly bring about that change. So, he presses on, not daring to hesitate or look back.

"What happened to you Lara? You're weaker than you were in the past, mentally weaker. Other than when fighting me, you've been holding something back, like you're unsure of yourself, like you're doubting your own actions. You've done your best to act like your old bloodthirsty self but there's a reluctance. There's a hesitance about you".

"What hesitance" Lara asks.

"Like when you used the concentrated attack against Carmen, you sacrificed us in that fight, but I know first-hand that concentrated attack wasn't your strongest".  
"Like when you watched Naruto and Hashirama fight and refused to use the opportunity to kill one of your most dangerous adversaries".  
"Like yesterday when you ended the battle without any more bloodshed, something you would never have agreed to a month ago".

Lara is sickened by her inability to refute these probing claims. He is right. Mirai was right. Each time she held back and it's starting to become clear just why she did that. The world is changing around her. She has lived a life of incredible stability yet as everything else moves only one thing has stayed the same.

"What is it that made you doubt yourself?" Clyde asks.

"YOU DID!".

Clyde goes silent.

"This agony I'm feeling" Lara continues, "This doubt I have whenever I do anything. The screaming voice in my head. They are all YOUR FAULT!".

"My fault?".

"Defeating you is the only thing I lived for. That was the only thing I strived for, I was going to kill you" Lara shouts. "But then you won! I started to question where I had gone wrong, when all throughout our lives I have been the stronger one, suddenly you had surpassed me".

Clyde watches as Lara starts to do something he has never seen before. She confesses.

"Now I realise how stupid I have been. I'm stupid… I ADMIT IT!" she barks at him. "I had no idea what I was going to do when I killed you! I have no idea what my life becomes after you are gone. I don't know what I am going to do after I surpass you either".

"Lara…".

"That's why… I am going to kill Furst Jonas, do you hear me? I'm going to do it as your commander" Lara says. "You are my subordinate and when I rise to the greatest height I can in this world, I am going to bring you up with me, you hear?".

Clyde's heart is racing. He is in a situation that he never pictured himself in. For the first time in his life, Lara is truly on his side. Rational thoughts are getting harder to grasp, the whole situation makes no sense to him. Is Lara being on his side even possible, he thought it was something that the heavens had forbade? But no, it still doesn't make sense, surely it can't.

"If you want to raise your subordinates up, why are you drinking blood" Clyde asks. "Why are you embracing that old habit".

"I didn't even drink the blood you idiot" Lara growls in frustration. She runs over and kicks the chest out of her tent. "Just shut up about the blood already".

Clyde doesn't understand. Has somebody else acquired the taste for blood? That seems incredibly unlikely. Lara has always been deemed a demonic freak for it in the first place. But it's promising, good. If nothing else, she is at least trying to pretend not to have drunk it.

"Clyde… can I find satisfaction in helping those weaker than myself?".

Clyde resists the instinct to gasp. Has Lara's vision of the world become so bleak? Has her desperation reached such a point that she is being forced to change? It makes sense to him now. Lara and he have been raised together, the only constants in one another's lives. Unlike him though, Lara has been unable to form connections with other people. Now that she has been forced to look at a life after him, she has realised her own lack of purpose or desire. Destiny has conspired against her past-self. When she was forced to look for a new purpose, she looked to those around her. A thousand people all changed at once, all inspired by the same person, Uzumaki Naruto. There is only one way she could change.

"If I can't find satisfaction helping the weak… what is there after you are gone?" she asks.

"I… I don't know if you can find satisfaction in helping the weak, Lara. It depends on the person" Clyde reluctantly admits. "I know it works for me, for Naruto and Sarada, but if it can work for you, that will depend on you alone".

"Dammit" she curses, holding her head in her hands. "Why does this world have to be like this? Why is the only constant in my life you? Why dammit?".

In frustration, Lara coats her fist in 'light', throwing a weak punch at Clyde.

Clyde retaliates in kind, coating his fist in 'darkness' and hitting Lara's fist with his own.

The 'light' and 'darkness' revolve around each other. A spiral of white and black forms in the space between them. It blinds and shocks all at the same time, creating a stunning effect that causes even the two of them to cover their eyes and hesitate. It is because of this stunning effect that Lara calms slightly, realising how much her frustration has caused her to confess.

But then she realises something entirely different.

"… Clyde…".

"Lara?".

"… I know how we can fight Carmen!".

 **The Hidden Leaf Camp**

Sarada nods absentmindedly at the medic as she listens to his speech about the medicine he is giving to the civilians. Sarada knows that she should be listening, that she asked for these extra duties, but she can't help it. Her focus has long since expired. The jargon she is being bombarded with means little to her anyway. All meaningless words that would be better spoken to Tsunade or Biwako.

Finally, the medic says his final words and asks Sarada if everything is OK by her.

"Yeah, that's OK. Thanks for your hard work" Sarada says as she walks past the medic and towards the next stop on her itinerary.

"Sarada" a voice calls to her.

Sarada looks over her shoulder and stops when sees that Himawari is the one calling to her. "Ah, Himawari, it's good to see you. You'll have to forgive me, but I don't have long to talk so…".

"I want to ask you something" Himawari interrupts her. "Why are you never home? Why are you always out here working?".

"There's just a lot of work to do" Sarada smiles. "I am the Hokage and even Shikamaru can only do so much".

Then Sarada is hit with the question she had hoped to avoid.

"Are you afraid of being around us?".

That is it! She had hoped to avoid this conversation at all costs because not only is the accusation true, the place it leads to is more painful still. It has been a while since she has looked at Himawari as her old friend. Now she can only look at Himawari and see her as Boruto's little sister. Boruto's little sister, failed by the 9th Hokage. That is all any member of that family is to her now, another person she failed.

"I see, so you've noticed that I'm avoiding you. I guess there isn't much point in denying it" Sarada sighs. "Listen, your brother is special to me. Because of what happened to Boruto, staying with his family feels wrong".

"My father is suffering because of what Boruto and Hashirama did, you know" Himawari explains nervously. "He's only putting on a brave face for the villagers, but he needs his family to be there for him".

"Then it's not my place to interfere" Sarada says. "After all, without Boruto here, I am not part of his family, am I".

Himawari starts to understand Sarada's hesitation. The Uchiha has been truly unlucky. Her father died. Her mother died. Her teacher died. Her closest friend betrayed her. Her fiancée betrayed her. Now how can she look her master in the eye? Sarada, like her father before her, has spent the majority of her life struggling to understand what it is really like to have a family. That is exactly what Naruto has always tried to prevent.

"Do you feel sorry for my father?" Himawari asks.

"Of course I do".

"Then, isn't that all that matters" the Uzumaki clanswomen grins. "Come on, you're part of the family. You'll bring back Boruto one day. You haven't given up on that have you?".

Sarada understands perfectly well what Himawari is trying to do. By asking if Sarada will give up, she has forced her to say that she will not give up. That is the only way she can continue on the path to surpassing her master. Sarada can't help but flash a wry smile. She has been played, but it feels quite nice this once. She heads back towards the Uzumaki family together with Himawari. She heads back towards her own family.

 **The Uzumaki Tent**

Himawari enters in an especially cheerful mood. "I've brought back our missing family member".

Sarada nervously enters beside Himawari. "Hell, everyone".

"Hey Sarada" Minato waves to her.

"Thanks for coming home" Kushina says with a smile.

Sarada greets the two of them and then looks to the table at the centre of the room. Naruto is sat at the table with Hinata. One look is enough to tell how depressed he has gotten about this whole situation. Clearly victory in the civil war was not enough to cheer him up following the last volatile meeting he attended in the circle. Her presence alone may not alleviate the pressure he is feeling, but she can at least be there to help him through a tough time.

Sarada approaches the table and holds her hand out. She uses her powers of 'creation' to make another chair and sit herself opposite Naruto.

"How are you feeling" she asks.

"… I still feel that everything I said in the Circle was true. I know it's illogical, but I feel like I have to win with Lara's help" Naruto explains. "If I can't do that then, I feel like I will have lost to Hashirama completely".

"You know, to be honest I agree with you" Sarada admits quietly. "Since they left, I felt like it has been you and I against the two of them. A battle for the fate of the village. Quite frankly, I can't stand that we have to live by their philosophy right now, but if we take Lara with us, she will make us weaker".

"Do you really think Lara would hold us back" Naruto asks.

"Unless something changes, yes, I do. I hate to admit it, but right now she's a liability. However, I'm sure that one day, Lara will change, she will prove us right and we can show Boruto just how wrong he was".

Naruto nods, a renewed fire in his eyes. "Together, we'll bring back Boruto".

Naruto extends his fist.

Sarada does the same, touching her knuckles gently against Naruto's.

"Together, we will bring him back, Naruto".

Hinata smiles but doesn't say anything. She feels like a leaf blowing in the wind, unable to make any great difference to the fate of this world, but this sight brings her hope. Together, there may be nothing that can stop Naruto and Sarada. With a passionate belief that you should never give up, the two of them can only be bested by someone with truly superior skill. In hear heart, Hinata believes that such a person does not exist.

The door to the tent opens and pair of generals walk inside.

It's Clyde and Lara.

"I'm sorry to intrude into your private space but Lara has changed her mind on something" Clyde tells them.

"She has?".

"Yes".

Sarada waits for a moment before pressing for more detail. "Is Lara going to tell us what she has changed her mind about?".

"Lar…".

"Shut up, idiot!" Lara rudely silences Clyde. "I'm only going to say this once, so listen up and let it count for something".

Naruto hopes beyond hope that Lara is going to say what he wants her to say. If Sarada was right, if Lara can change, then there is hope that they may get past this impossible situation and move closer to their objective.

"I'm willing to cooperate with you" Lara explains. "Let's fight Carmen together, one more time!".

"That's great!" Naruto says.

"Are you serious?" Minato incredulously asks.

"Dad?".

"Sorry, but the rest of the Circle has a voice too. You will need to convince us to approve this decision" Minato declares. "Can you offer any proof that you are sincere? That you actually are going to cooperate?".

"I cannot offer any proof, but I can offer a plan" Lara says. "I have a plan to defeat Carmen as a team of four!".


	142. A United Assault

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – A UNITED ASSAULT**

 **The Hideout**

Having heard Lara's plan and Naruto's subsequent plea, the Circle made the decision to trust her once more. To the delight of the destined assailants, they will attack Carmen once more as a team of four. This is the team of four who Naruto believed in from the beginning, the perfect group of skilled warriors to take down Carmen and make an attempt on Furst Jonas' life.

As before, the various shinobi and captains rush about and make the final preparations to leave. They leave a skeleton team of their comrades behind to look after the villagers should the worst happen and ready most of the military personnel to move. Nobody should be able to find them here in this grassy plain, not in a world of such titanic size and open space, but it is always best to take precautions.

Having prepared her own stuff for the journey, Hinata stands atop a small mound in the plains. She is unsure what she can do to influence the bigger picture, and when she looks at the team of four and the other Hokage and Generals, it only reinforces her feelings. She isn't the type to give up though, she will keep pressing forward with an unwavering determination. She will never stop looking to bring her son back to the village.

Hinata begins to smile as she gazes into the distance.

"Hinata, are you alright up here?" Naruto asks as he walks up the small mound to join his fiancée.

Hinata nods. "I've never really thought about it with everything that happened, but I really like it here, don't you?".

Naruto thinks back to recent events. Hinata is right, they have been difficult to deal with. The politics has been impossible to negotiate at times. Treachery of a trusted friend has led to civil war. Battles have taken place, both physical and emotional that has made everyone question who is an ally and who is an enemy. While he avoided the war, Naruto has suffered more than most in that battle. The echo of deceit and the pain it has brought him may never leave him.

But then he looks to the surroundings and he sees nothing. Just the grass, the wind and the sunshine. This place, despite having seen so much horror, is idyllic. One could lie down here, watch the hours pass with the clouds and truly relax. If it weren't for the scarring of the environment, one wouldn't know that this world was the source of such great turmoil.

Naruto kneels and summons some divine energy to his fingertip. Using that energy, he clumsily draws a little symbol atop the mound. A leaf.

"When this is all over, we can come back here one day, can't we?" he smiles.

"I would like that" Hinata smiles. "I hope this is the last time we have to make this journey. I hope that this is the time we finally defeat her".

"We will, you can trust me on that much, right?".

"Of course I can".

Nearby Minato stands shoulder to shoulder with Tobirama. The two of them shut their eyes and try to shut out the world around them, focusing only on each other's voices. They have been given a strict set of instructions. It is not anyone's place to give orders to the Hokage, not even Uzumaki Naruto's. When the 7th Hokage asked them to help though, they were not able to refuse.

"Must have left the ground…".

"Must wait for the signal, must move before you…".

Kakashi approaches the two muttering Hokage, watching them for a second and observing their exchange. These two have fantastic battle instincts. Teleporters like them are rewarded for fast thinking but they, particularly Minato, usually excel beyond the norm. For them to be memorising actions means that they are likely to be acting on instruction, robotically rather than instinctively.

"Hey, you two are acting a bit strangely" Kakashi says, "Is everything alright?".

"Everything is fine Kakashi" his teacher replies. "The two of us just have to act in very particular circumstances. We're memorising them".

"It doesn't bear to forget these conditions" Tobirama says, "If we mess this up we may never get another chance".

Kakashi nods. "I have to ask, you two aren't angry with me, are you? I fought against you in that battle and looking back on it I wish that I hadn't. I made the wrong decision. I should have listened to you sensei, Obito would have been ashamed".

"Forget it, it doesn't bother me" Tobirama says dismissively.

"You're wrong anyway Kakashi. Obito and Rin would have been just as conflicted as you in that situation" Minato concedes. "It's no use looking back on it now, we all doubted our own actions and acted how we thought best. All that matters now is that it worked out in the end".

"It will. It's Naruto after all, my student wouldn't lose again".

"Thank you Kakashi, all that you have taught him through his life, it has helped make him into the person he is today".

"No. Naruto may have had a lot of help from a lot of different people, but he is the man he is today because of his own efforts. Nobody could have stopped him from becoming what he is. Nobody".

Minato thanks Kakashi regardless for the effort he has put into Naruto. The 6th Hokage certainly made it easier for the 7th to accomplish his goals. In a way every Hokage has helped to define their successor. Tobirama was defined by his efforts to regulate the village Hashirama left. Tsunade was defined by the secretive village left to her by Hiruzen and Minato. Naruto though, Kakashi stabilised the village for him after the war and allowed the 7th Hokage to carry the village forward into a golden age.

Close to the sentimental Hokage, Mirai watches Naruto speaking with Hinata atop the mound. She wonders just what he thinks about her and all the others who rebelled. Will he hold a grudge, wouldn't that make him a hypocrite? Naruto probably wouldn't hold a grudge, she concludes, but then wonders how someone could possess such mental strength. Naruto isn't the only one who has lived a hard life, obtaining such determination shouldn't be possible.

"Hey, you!" a woman calls to Mirai as she pushes her in the back.

Mirai stumbles forward, just about managing to stop herself falling flat on her face. She turns around to look at the one who pushed her. It is Lara! Of course it is Lara, who else would introduce themselves like that?

"You sure having a charming way of referring to people" Mirai grumbles as she dusts herself off.

"Shut up! I need to speak with you about the fight" Lara explains. "If we're going to win this fight, if we're going to defeat Carmen".

"WE?".

"Yes, WE" Lara spits the word out. "I need a shinobi's help, and you're just about the only one that I can stomach".

"Wow… thanks. That's probably the nicest thing I've ever heard you say".

Lara forces herself to hold back from rebuking Mirai. She tells herself to build bridges. What she learned from her discussion with Clyde will take a long time to fully implement. She cannot change her attitude overnight, she cannot suddenly force herself to like people, or make connections with anyone else. However, she must start somewhere, and she has decided that should be with Mirai. So, she holds herself back for now and tries to tolerate the military leader of the Hidden Leaf for just a bit longer.

"We're going to be taking this journey slowly" Lara explains. "On the way to the outer wall of the imperial palace, I need you to teach me how to move like a shinobi".

"Move like a shinobi, that's what you want to do?".

"Clyde has his concentrated defence now. I will still be weak against the scatter shot unless I can learn to dodge like you. So, teach me how to do that".

Mirai doesn't know what to make of this attitude of Lara's. "Wow" is the only thing she can think to say.

"If you're holding out for a 'please' you're going to be waiting a long time" Lara angrily declares.

"No, no, I'm not" Mirai shakes her head eagerly. "I'm just surprised you would ask. Sure, I'll try to teach you how to dodge, Lara".

Ten meters behind Lara, Himawari and Sarada watch curiously. Until recently, Mirai and Lara almost never spoke to one another. While neither is one of the leaders of their world, they each lead their world's military. It is strange to see what may be their future. Cooperation between two worlds which hopefully will extend beyond their military and into every echelon of their society.

"Is learning how to move like a shinobi even possible in that time frame?" Himawari asks Sarada.

"Not for normal people, but something tells me that Lara will be able to do it. And if Mirai can befriend her, that's only good news for us".

"Yes".

Clyde approaches Naruto atop the mound, signalling to the assembled warriors that it is very nearly time to depart for the imperial palace.

"You do know that this plan is missing a key element" Clyde says. "We're depending on you, Naruto. Even with all our schemes, I'm not sure that we will be able to truly put Carmen down for the count. Have you found a solution to that problem yet?".

Naruto opens his hand and looks down at his palm.

"I think I have. Yes. I think I have a technique strong enough for us to win. I just hope that it works".

 **The Imperial Palace**

Carmen is initially roused by the slight tremors in the ground. She realises straight away that she is being approached by a large group of people, likely an army. She has felt this all too often recently, from two groups. This sensation has become too familiar for her, each time she feels it, it's proceeded by violence. She is either assaulted by 'death', the most unpleasant element she has ever felt, or is forced to defeat the last wielder of 'life', the one person she absolutely doesn't want to make her enemy.

Then, about five-hundred meters away from her, she feels the tremors stop. The army comes to a halt and a subtler approach is made. Four individuals separate from the massive force behind her and approach her directly. Obviously, they have come for the hidden entrance through the outer walls of the imperial palace. This group was well prepared for whatever obstacle would prevent them moving forward, they knew that she would be here.

As the group of four approach, she comes to the horrible realisation of their identity. _'No, this can't be right, my senses must be failing me. Surely, that cannot be Clyde and Lara, they have come again?'_.

Clyde can tell what Carmen is thinking, he can see the distress despite her best efforts to hide it. "Your mind isn't playing tricks on you Carmen, it's the four of us, we have returned to try once more. This time, it won't be the three of us who try defeat you. All four of us will combine our strengths to get past you".

If Carmen weren't blind, she would be confronted with the most awe-inspiring sight that the alliance could put before someone. The bloodthirsty general who has led the military for hundreds of years. The caring general who has finally decided to take a stand. The last Uchiha, the Hokage who fought back against the unstoppable invasion. And the man who never gives up, the one who no matter how strong you are, it seems impossible to defeat. The four mighty warriors stand not in any form or formation, but in a straight line, equals.

' _I can feel it. Even coming from Lara. Even without my sight I can read their emotions, they're resolve is stronger than before'_ Carmen notes as she gets to her feet. _'I don't get it, these fools, even after I tried so hard to convince them, even after I told them how pointless it was, they still want to ignore Emperor Endou's wishes. How could they? I can't let them get away with it'_.

Carmen checks one last time to make sure she hasn't misinterpreted this whole situation. No, there is no chance of that. A peaceful resolution to this encounter is not realistic, that is only her wish. That means that she only has one choice, she is going to have to beat the four of them again. She is going to have to find some other way to stop them coming back next time. She is going to have to break their spirit completely.

Carmen charges towards the allied foursome.

"Clyde, you're my subordinate" Lara says. "That means you fight beside me, right?".

"Yes".

Naruto and Sarada grab Clyde and Lara by the arm respectively. The two powerful Hokage lift their generals off the ground, spin them around once and throw them towards Carmen as hard as they can.

Carmen pauses at the speed of the two incoming generals, too late to do anything about it. The two generals grab her, Clyde by the left shoulder, Lara by the right, and push her back down into the ground, scattering the earth and the grass as they do so.

Carmen's surprise at the sudden successful move does not have much time to fester. Immediately Clyde resumes the attack, stamping ruthlessly towards her. She is forced to roll out of the way, managing to evade three times before his foresight pays off. Predicting where Carmen will be, Clyde slams his foot down towards her destination, forcing her to catch his incoming foot.

While Carmen evaded, Lara created an axe of 'golden light'. She waits for the second Carmen grabs Clyde's foot, knowing that the moment one executes a counter-attack is when they are most likely susceptible to another attack. She slams the axe down only for it to be caught by Carmen. She is too weak, there is no way that she can outpace Carmen when it comes to situations like this.

Carmen pulls the axe and Clyde's foot backwards. Simultaneously, she pulls herself upward and knocks the two strongest generals down to the ground. Having got back to her feet though, Carmen senses for the first time, an incoming group of a hundred-identical people.

A selection of Naruto's clones approach Carmen on-masse, concealing within their ranks not only the real Naruto but Sarada also. Carmen condenses 'golden air' around her fist tightly, making the gas more akin to steel in hardness. She then expands that super-condensed element sending a beam-like attack through the group of clones.

As the hundred clones disappear in a puff of smoke, the two key individuals manage to avoid the blast. Approaching from the left and right respectively, Naruto and Sarada make diagonal runs toward Carmen, having avoided her attack.

' _Do these fools think I can't attack in two directions at once?'_.

Carmen proves her mental threat to be true, this time firing two concentrated bursts of 'golden air' towards both incoming Hokage.

Perhaps straight-line speed is a battle that none of them could win against Carmen. However, in a race of getting from A to B, Lara will always win. The bald general grabs her subordinate and teleports to the space between Naruto and the beam, leaving Clyde there before teleporting again. This time Lara places herself between Sarada and her beam.

The two generals then show their teacher just how much they have learned. Clyde activates his concentrated defence, protecting Naruto from the attack heading his direction. Mirroring this, Lara uses her concentrated attack to protect Sarada from the attack heading towards her.

' _The two of them, one has mastered the concentrated defence, the other the concentrated attack'_ Carmen realises, _'When Lara works with the other three as well, they operate much more smoothly than they did apart'_.

Carmen's deliberations are poignant but there is no time to make them. As soon as her thoughts are concluded, she notices that Naruto has created a 'life' enhanced tailed beast bomb and Sarada a 'creation' enhanced solar punch.

' _But I won't let the two of them hit me'_.

That sort of thinking would have worked last time.

Naruto and Sarada each arc their runs. Their inevitable meeting point is no longer Carmen, but a spot about ten meters in front of her. They drop their shoulders and move their centre of gravity with perfect synchronicity, as if they can read one another's minds.

Carmen's thinking would have worked. Last time.

' _What are they doing?'_.

Lara teleports to Carmen's front with Clyde right in front of her.

Clyde prepared a 'golden darkness' dart while Carmen was distracted by the two Hokage. He casts the dart forward into her knee, instantly making her fall to one foot. The second Carmen falls, Lara removes her hand from Clyde's head and places it instead atop Carmen's. Then she teleports away, moving Carmen to the exact spot of her choosing.

Lara teleports Carmen to the spot Naruto and Sarada are converging on.

' _Not good'_ Carmen realises.

From the left, Naruto slams his 'life' enhanced tailed beast bomb into Carmen's shoulder. From the right, Sarada throws her 'creation' enhanced solar punch into Carmen's arm.

Reacting by instinct rather than strategy, Carmen activates her own concentrated defence, creating a strong armour of 'golden air' around her body, protecting her from the two blows.

As she emerges from the attack unharmed, Carmen spots the slight disbelief on the faces of the three attacking warriors. She jumps into the air, twisting her left foot on the ground to spin her as quickly as possible. Making one full rotation with her jump, she uses her elbow to strike all three of the assailants in one fluid motion, bundling them all back away from her.

' _Working together they are too strong, I can't afford to let myself get caught up in my anger'_ Carmen tells herself. _'I'm going to have to stay calm and go all out against the four of them'_.

Having calmed herself, the teacher of the two generals begins to practice what she has always preached. She begins to fluidly use her battle principles to her advantage. That starts with her foundation. She digs roots of energy into the ground, just as she did previously, and declares to the world that she will not move from this spot.

Lara makes three consecutive teleports to regroup the four fighters.

"Things just got a lot harder" Sarada admits.

Last time they fought, Carmen got caught up in her own frustration. Her rage against her two rebellious students and two stupid Hokage forced her to lose her temper. Back then, Carmen's lack of control presented an opportunity, very nearly taken by Lara, to defeat her. It was bad luck that Lara's strongest attack couldn't defeat Carmen then. It is also unfortunate that the four of them could not defeat her while she was still angry this time. With a cool and collected opponent, their job will be much tougher.

' _You're going to take me seriously this time'_ Lara grins, _'Bring it Carmen, I am ready for you'_.

Clyde takes a deep breath. Unfortunately he is a lot less excited than Lara. _'Alright, Carmen is going to fight seriously now, her style has changed. Our mobility advantage is pointless now. Lara's teleportation won't be as useful anymore. However, this will probably be OK for Naruto and Sarada'_.

Naruto charges Carmen once more, activating his six paths sage mode as he prepares to use any and all techniques he needs. First, he makes use of his truth-seeking balls, firing all of them at Carmen one after another. Naruto knows that his job may have just gotten harder, but at least now he is aiming at a mostly stationary object.

Sarada also begins to charge towards Carmen. If they are going to take her down in this state, they are likely going to need to strike at the same time.

Carmen coats her hands in 'golden air', ready to repel each of the incoming attacks. For the first few truth-seeking balls, she simply slaps them away as if playing a game. She counts the attacks patiently, waiting for the last two to arrive. She leans to the side slightly, timing her counter perfectly so that she sends the two incoming projectiles towards the attacking Naruto and Sarada.

Both Hokage manage to dodge the counter-attacks, making full use of their years of training in agility.

Naruto, as he falls from his athletic evasion, creates and enhances a rasen-shuriken in his hand, waiting for the perfect moment before throwing it. He lands and realises that the perfect moment still hasn't come, Carmen is too well prepared. He steps to the left and to the right to see if there will be any opening and when he finds none he throws it forward anyway.

Carmen simply reaches her hand up and when it arrives dissipates the rasen-shuriken. Naruto's hesitation was more thought-through than it appeared though. Carmen feels the shifting of the air on her skin as Sarada slams a kunai down toward the back of the aristocrat.

Carmen dodges the incoming kunai from Sarada. While her feet are fixed to the ground, her body pivots from her hips and she cleverly avoids each incoming attack from Sarada. That's when the perfect opportunity comes, Sarada slips slightly as she strikes again, and Carmen grabs her by the wrist, tightening her hand painfully around it.

Sarada tries to get her wrist free with brute force but it doesn't work, Carmen is too strong. The 9th Hokage attempts to stun Carmen with several powerful blows to the rear of her opponent's head, but even that doesn't stun her. One thing's for sure, Carmen's endurance is monstrous. With only one idea left, Sarada jumps a few feet into the air before intensifying the gravity around her. With the gravity strengthened, Sarada is forced back towards the ground and delivers the most powerful strike to the top of Carmen's head that she can manage. This finally stuns the rooted warrior, forcing her to free Sarada's hand.

Carmen's concentration is forced back to her front where she spies Naruto, a 'life' rasengan in hand, ready to attack. Naruto throws the rasengan towards Carmen's chest, but the attack never reaches. Carmen's fist whips forward like the head of a snake, striking Naruto perfectly in the forearm to make him lose control. The rasengan detonates violently, but not violently enough to affect either of these powerful individuals.

A stunning blow connects with Naruto's head. The very impact seems to leave his skull resonating painfully and put him off balance. He puts one foot back, regaining his senses just in time to see the same punch connect again. This happens three times in quick succession. These blows are what Carmen is really capable of when she puts her back into it.

After the third blow Naruto is extremely groggy. Carmen was forced to put him into this state, not because of her malice but due to Naruto's remarkable recovery rate. As a shinobi, the Uzumaki clansmen's recovery speed was already godly, adding 'life' to that only made it even more incredible. As Naruto staggers from one foot to the other, Carmen creates a 'golden air' knife in her hand, extends her arm out to her side and swings it toward Naruto.

Sarada sees the impending danger and ceases her own attacks in favour of defending her master. She leaps up onto Carmen's shoulder, powerfully wrapping herself around the attacker's arm to restrict any movement.

With her attack stopped, Carmen reshapes the 'golden air' knife. Sarada can do nothing but watch in dread as the knife changes shape into a cylindrical object, one that she cannot identify until it is far too late. Carmen clutches the object in her hand and as the 'golden air' explodes outwards Sarada finally understands, it is a bomb.

Naruto and Sarada are driven away with the bomb's detonation, giving Carmen her much needed breathing room again.

She preserves this room by beginning to use her deadly scatter shot battle principle.

The two Hokage quickly recover from the explosion and begin to dodge the scatter shot. The shots are quick and dynamic but nothing that the two of them cannot evade.

Clyde activates his concentrated defence, forming an armour of 'golden darkness' around his body. It is not cost-effective in terms of divine energy, but like this he endures his teacher's attacks.

However, Lara proves the true surprise story. The first attack comes her way and she dodges to the side of it. Dropping her body low to the ground and then using her hand as an axis to flip around the second incoming attack.

The agility that Lara displays pays compliments to Mirai. She is dodging like a shinobi. _'Over, around, down, up… move in every direction… out of the way… useful positions'_.

Carmen double checks her own senses as she realises that this movement is coming from Lara. _'I expected Clyde to use his concentrated defence, but Lara is moving like a pocket-worlder. Just what is going on?'_.

Naruto forms a tailed-beast bomb in his hand. Not satisfied with the power of this attack though, he begins to spin the pure mass of chakra, much like he does with his rasen-shuriken technique. Finally, he adds his power of 'life' to the attack, creating one of the deadliest spheres he has ever produced.

Sarada gets the message, they're going to do another combined power attack. She summons lightning to her hand and while augmenting its energy with 'creation' begins to form it in a pattern described to her by her father.

' _I know that technique, or at least the one it was based on'_ Naruto realises, _'She's gathering energy in the same formation as Sasuke did with his Indra Arrow'_.

While Lara starts to funnel energy into the space in front of her, Clyde identifies these as the strongest techniques that the other members of the four have used in the past. He has no such equivalent but does his best to improvise, creating his own sphere of 'golden darkness' energy.

The four of them move on Lara's command.

"Let's go".

Naruto, Sarada and Clyde all have summoned attacks that can be used on the move, unlike Lara. The three of them dash towards their adversary, with Naruto and Sarada moving to adopt unique paths. This will be a three-pronged attack if Carmen is sensing their motion correctly. Lara on the other hand, remains stationary.

' _Lara is the only one staying behind, but she can teleport'_ Carmen concludes, _'She can change which position the others attack from at the last second. Go on then. Show me Lara. Show me the genius of battle, which direction will they attack from? Show me just how amazing the four of you are'_.

Lara does not move any of the others but does teleport herself.

First to Carmen's left, managing to evade the subsequent punch.  
Next to Carmen's right, managing this time to avoid an attack with the other fist.

Now with both fists out of the way, Lara teleports to Carmen's rear.

She didn't move anyone's position, but she did distract Carmen while the other three closed the distance. Now all four of them are within striking range and Carmen has no time to defend herself.

All four attackers unleash their most powerful attacks at once.

' _No other choice'._

Carmen, as her last defence, fires her own concentrated attack into the ground, using it as an omni-directional strike, knocking all four defenders back and cancelling out their respective strikes.

A terror reaches Carmen's heart for the first time since these pocket-worlders have been striking against her. If she hadn't defended against that attack, she would have been defeated!

"I congratulate the four of you. You have all gotten stronger, if not physically then mentally. It shows in the way you fight" she praises them. "But the fact that this fight is still going on is why I cannot let you pass. You will die if you pass! I'm sorry but I will stop you here, because your power right now is not enough to defeat Furst".

Sarada ignores Carmen completely. This is not over yet.

' _Her scatter shot has been beaten. That's one of the battle principles down'_ she tells herself. _'She is already speaking about her victory, but Carmen has no idea what I've got in store for her next'_.


	143. Overcoming the Principles

**Credits**

Artwork: jessejzette - The 7 Generations of Hokage - Find jessejzette on deviant art.

* * *

 **A NEW WORLD – OVERCOMING THE PRINCIPLES**

 **Yesterday, Naruto's Tent**

The tent, evacuated save for the four powerful warriors, had become the epicentre of destiny. This was the point where a plan was made. A plan that only these four geniuses could have formulated. A plan to defeat Carmen.

"While Lara's plan may work to nullify regulation, there are still the other battle principles we must overcome" Clyde pointed out, "It won't be easy".

"I'm working on something, a new attack" Naruto explained. "That may be enough to defeat Carmen, but I would have to hit her in very specific circumstances. She would have to be off the ground".

"Not possible" Lara declared. "Not with her foundation. We would have to be a lot stronger to break it. We will have to think of another method".

It was at that point that everything became clear in Sarada's head.  
It was at that point where the plan finally came together.

"I think I may have an idea" she said.

 **The Outer Wall of the Imperial Palace**

Four warriors whose plan is built solely on their own potential, attempt to execute that very plan.

Naruto is the next to attack, rushing towards Carmen by casually evading each incoming scatter attack that she fires. He is now confident in the knowledge that he will always be able to reach her if he tries, and while melee attacks may seem suicidal against a warrior such as Carmen, they are actually his salvation.

He grabs Carmen by her shoulders and drives his knee into her torso as hard as he can. Naturally, this barely hurts her at all. That's fine, it's all within expectations. Shouting, he drives his knee into her again. It is only on the third attempt that this knee strike is caught by Carmen.

About to counter-attack, Carmen is interrupted as Lara teleports to Naruto's side and lands two quick punches to the same section of her torso, allowing Naruto just enough time to escape. Following up immediately, she teleports to the other side of Carmen. Again, she throws punches at the same height, angling them slightly for maximum impact. The only remarkable element to the strikes is the power put behind them, not designed to maximise pain but physical impact.

"Still Lara, even you, why do you refuse to give in?" Carmen asks.

Lara ignores the question instantly, dismissing it not only as stupid, but also as a distraction tactic. Lara teleports to Carmen's front once again, grabbing hold of the now-free Naruto and teleporting him to safety.

Practically no time passes as Lara disappears with Naruto and returns with Clyde.

Clyde uses his power of 'golden darkness' to form a set of chains. With a flick of his wrist he casts the chains forward, wrapping Carmen's arms to the side of her body in a way that reduces her mobility even further.

This presents the perfect opportunity for a well-placed attack. Sarada uses her comet form to approach Carmen from behind, returning to her human form just a half-meter away from her almighty opponent. Her rinnegan quickly scans the exact condition of Carmen and based upon that she makes the decision that best aligns with her plan, attack the leg. A single attack is all she will likely have time for, but even that counts. So, she drops to her knee and throws a solar punch to the inner thigh.

"Don't you get it, foolish one, that isn't going to work" Carmen curses.

In a tremendous show of strength, Carmen effortlessly breaks free of the 'golden darkness' chains Clyde put on her. The power she uses to do this so tremendous that even Naruto looks on and marvels at it. The aristocrat concentrates 'golden air' on her hand and flicks a single finger over her shoulder, blasting Sarada back away from her.

But Sarada won't give up.

' _It won't work huh?'_ the 9th Hokage asks rhetorically.

Sarada once more closes the distance, this time leaping up into the air and spinning to position herself upside-down. The rinnegan works it's wonders once again and she instantly weighs up the current situation with her plan. This time she slams her foot down into Carmen's shoulder, rocking the ground with the impact.

The impact is strong but barely any damage is dealt to the former teacher of the two generals. While this is a worry to all the shinobi and captains watching from behind, it does not seem to concern the four attacking warriors. Right now, it would appear that nothing could worry them, all four are the picture of absolute focus and concentration.

Carmen reaches towards the shoulder she received the strike from but catches nothing, save for a glimpse of Lara. She realises now that Lara truly is a huge difference maker in this fight. Ironically, the one who has always refused to work well with others has been granted a power that makes her the perfect controller for a team battle. Now that Lara is working with the other three, the space of this battlefield is completely theirs to control.

In the instant of Sarada's attack, Lara teleported away with Clyde, returned and grabbed Sarada. That was before she made yet another snap decision. She moved to Carmen's front with Sarada.

The 9th Hokage's rinnegan makes another scan. All part of the plan. She uses her power of 'creation' to make a massive steel hammer. Not an expert of heavy weapons by any means, Sarada is however, a highly adaptable shinobi. She leaps backward slightly and uses the distance between herself and Carmen to swing the hammer with as large an arc as possible. Once more, she strikes at Carmen's legs.

Carmen groans in pain. "Just give up!" she bellows.

The aristocrat should know by now that she is not dealing with people that give up.

Carmen uses her powers to manipulate the 'air' around them, pulling Sarada back to her and grabbing her by the scruff of the neck. She pushes Sarada a short way away and then pulls her back, slamming their heads together in a devastating collision. Carmen feels that this rattles Sarada, that it likely made those brilliant eyes roll back in their sockets, so she pushes her away and prepares to do it again.

Sarada recovers just in time to call for help. "Lara, right side, hip!".

That help won't arrive in time, but Sarada doesn't consider herself, only the task at hand. She prepares another solar punch with her right hand and slams it into the left side of her attacking opponent, landing the attack at the same time as Carmen lands the headbutt.

Lara obeys the instruction she was given, moving to Carmen's right side and attacking her left hip with three consecutive elbows. Each strike is imbued with her frustrations at their previous defeat, each strike is more bone-crunching than the last. It is after the third that Carmen recovers from the solar punch and tries to attack. It is naturally at this point that Lara decides to teleport both herself and Sarada away.

Finally, there is nobody around Carmen, Naruto's patience pays off. A hundred clones, each with tailed-beast bombs at the ready all launch them towards Carmen at once. An earthquake, a series of devastating explosions all detonate at once. While the attacks aren't concentrated the blow is felt for miles around, even going so far as to shake a few of the shinobi and the captains.

' _These attacks aren't very efficient compared to when I use 'life'. There only strength is strength in numbers'_ Naruto admits to himself. _'But they do serve their purpose'_.

Using one of the tailed-beast bombs to disguise his approach, Clyde is the next to put himself next to Carmen for an attack. His attack is yet another melee power-strike, a powerful horizontal kick, rocking Carmen's entire body. Following this, with Lara's continued support the two of them land a continuous flurry of similar attacks from each and every direction.

With Sarada back at his side, Naruto begins to use 'life' to heal his student.

"Are you certain this is going to work" he asks. "We don't have the energy to keep this up all day?".

"Trust me, any second now, all you need is her to be off the ground, right?".

"The higher in the air you can get her the better, but if this keeps up…".

"Naruto, with the rinnegan I can see what others cannot. Her roots may run deep but they are fragile. Even the strongest materials can be weak in certain directions. There may be only one such direction in the case of her roots" Sarada explains. "But if she keeps getting hit, if we keep striking her with such a strong blunt force, the roots won't hold. Her foundation will shatter. Any second now, that chance will come".

Naruto looks to Sarada for confirmation.

"One powerful blow applied at the exact right angle. And she will fly".

Naruto accepts this with a nod. "Alright, let's do this!".

"… the look you all gave me when I came up with this plan, I could tell that none of you believed me" Sarada says. "I may be wrong, Boruto has strong visual prowess and never mentioned he saw this. Do you think I was wrong, Naruto?".

Naruto grabs her by the collar angrily. "Don't even make me answer that" he shouts as he pushes her backward. "Just go out there and prove that you are right about it. About this, about Boruto, about everything".

Sarada nods.

This is it!  
All or nothing!

"Lara, Clyde, it's time!".

Lara brings the two of them back, putting the four of them in a line with one another once again. The four representatives of the most tenuous alliance ever formed, begin to walk forward, matching each other step for step.

"Haven't you learnt anything?" Carmen shouts at them. "Why do you keep going? Don't you realise that you can't win here?".

Sarada prepares another imitation of the Indra Arrow, masking it with 'creation' and once more creating the strongest attack that she can. Everything depends on her plan succeeding, and that success or failure will all happen in the next few seconds.

"Time to fly" Sarada declares.

The four of them continue to walk in time with one another, closing the distance between themselves and their adversary very slowly. Now they are depending on Lara's timing and senses. So, Lara waits, step after step, a painful agonising watch for both Carmen and the members of the alliance waiting behind them. Lara continues to wait, she waits until finally the power of the imitation Indra Arrow stabilises.

And then, without even turning her head, Lara asks, "Which side?".

Sarada's rinnegan checks one last time before she gives the all-important answer.

"Right in front of her".

Lara stretches her hand out, touches Sarada's shoulder and concentrates. _'Here we go'_.

Lara teleports herself and Sarada forward, leaving the 9th Hokage exactly where she requested, face-to-face with Carmen.

' _Straight in front of me? Just as before? You really aren't taking me seriously at all!'_.

With these thoughts, Carmen's rage reaches a crescendo. After all that she has endured since these pocket-worlders came here, this is what has pushed her over the edge. After beating them time and time again, they would dare disrespect her with such a telegraphed obvious attack.

In Carmen's frustration, she puts both hands forward and fires a concentrated attack.

Just as expected!

Sarada drops her right shoulder, falls down close to the ground, and avoids the concentrated attack.

 **Yesterday, Naruto's Tent**

The three others all looked at Sarada as she explained her analysis of what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future.

"She was frustrated during our last fight" the Uchiha explained. "She made mistakes because of it. We need to wait until the roots have been weakened again. We need to wait until her frustration peaks again. That will be the ideal point".

"Ideal for what?".

"Ideal for shattering her foundation".

 **The Outer Wall of the Imperial Palace**

The attack having missed, Carmen realises straight away that she just made a mistake. She crosses her arms to protect herself against the impending attack.

The imitation Indra Arrow focused on Sarada's fist is deadly. And Sarada stakes her entire theory on its power as she uncurls her knees and drives it toward the cross of Carmen's arms.

' _This is the weakness I saw with my rinnegan. A weakness that Boruto missed. I must be right. I must be right!'_.

As limbs crash against one another, so do 'golden air', 'creation' and lightning. In a moment that shakes the ground, Sarada's punch proves successful.

It worked!

Carmen is separated from her roots and driven into the air.

Sarada's plan is a success.

Sarada takes in a deep breath of air and shouts as loudly as she can to signal the start of their final attack.

"She's up!".

Naruto looks back over his shoulder. "Dad! Tobirama! NOW!".

The 2nd and 4th Hokage both run out from the enormous group they are hidden within, surprising captains and shinobi alike. They ignore cries of how dangerous the situation is and pleas not to get in the way as they press on towards the battle.

Both Hokage reach their hands back and pray that their skills don't let them down as they throw dozens of marked kunai into the space before them. Tobirama covers the entire area on the ground in front of him while Minato litters the sky with a dozen marks. Their teleportation area is virtually omni-present.

' _You people are too stupid and emotional'_ Carmen says in her head. _'There is no way that I will let two weak people like them get involved in this fight'_.

As Minato and Tobirama continue their run towards the battle, Carmen strengthens her resolve to counter their interference. She practices one of her battle principles and launches a series of scatter shots towards them. If scatter shots were to hit two individuals so weak as Tobirama and Minato they may prove fatal, but these two Hokage are masters of evasion.

Both the 2nd and 4th Hokage teleport back into the group they started in, their run merely a distracting deception.

Lara teleports to Clyde's side. "Are you ready?".

"Together, general".

Lara grabs Clyde and teleports the two of them to the space directly in front of the airborne Carmen.

Meanwhile, Carmen is distracted by Naruto.

Naruto holds his hand out before him, perfectly stationary, and concentrates.

His family all realise, this is the new technique!

First, he creates a rasengan. A perfectly, ordinary rasengan with nothing special about it, perhaps the calmest he has ever created. Next, he adds 'life' to his rasengan, seemingly the same as usual. Right now, this is a 'life' rasengan. Or is it?

Much to the surprise of all the onlookers, Naruto seems to be struggling. He is slightly altering the rasengan. It is at this point where the surroundings come into play.

From the grass.  
From the people.  
Even from Carmen.

Thin strands of 'life' gravitate towards the rasengan.

Every few seconds a loud bang sounds as the rasengan seems to detonate, but through pure concentration Naruto manages to maintain it.

In the centre of this rasengan, of this swirling ball of energy, is nothing but a void. Naruto's technique is the opposite to that of Carmen, Lara and Mirai. He is not funnelling all his energy into the centre of his technique, he is pulling it away from a gravitational centre. His determination, his power is what keeps this vacuum present at the centre of his rasengan. It is a vacuum that causes all 'life' energy in the area funnel towards it.

It is the 'life' gathering rasengan!

' _What the hell is that?'_ Carmen wonders. _'I've never seen 'life' used that way before. No, it doesn't matter, all that matters is that I stop it. I have to ignore the two in front of me and…'_.

Carmen's decision to ignore the two in front of her, is a grave mistake.

Clyde coats his open palm in 'golden darkness'.  
Lara coats hers in 'golden light'.  
Then, the two of them slap their hands together.

Just as they did before.

The 'light' and 'darkness' intermingle with each other, the scatter and revolve around one another. They brighten and darken the entire world one after another at an alarming rate. They change so fast that it's difficult to tell where anything is for those without extraordinary senses.

Unfortunately for Carmen, her senses may be extraordinary, but there is a problem with them. A problem Lara and Clyde know all too well.

' _Lara's idea is perfect; Carmen's senses have been rebalanced. Her sight is weak, but she can see. If we stress her eyes using this collision of energy, then…'_.

' _It will stun her'_ Lara recalls. _'Her brain won't be able to handle this, she will have to focus on rebalancing her senses. And when her focus is divided...'_.

' _I've lost my regulation'_ Carmen realises as she rebalances her senses, _'My divine energy is draining'_.

Lara's plan has been a success. Now not only have they gotten around her foundation battle principle, but they have beaten her regulation as well.

As Carmen regains her sensory balance, the first thing she sees is Naruto with his brand-new technique ready to attack with. Down on the ground there he appears so small, but she knows that these circumstances are do or die for both of them, and that Naruto now poses the greatest threat that she has experienced.

Naruto, at this point, begins to run forward.

' _Regulation doesn't matter, all that matters is that attack doesn't hit me'_ she concludes as she abandons yet another of her principles. _'This may kill him, but I have to stop the rest of them here. I'm sorry but you brought this on yourself'_.

While she continues to fall, Carmen reaches her hand out and once again fires a concentrated attack towards Naruto.

Lara sees the concentrated attack fly beneath her feet and towards the most crucial element of their attack. She knows that this cannot be allowed to hit, no matter what.

Lara grabs Clyde, teleports to Sarada and teleports them both back into the curving path of the concentrated attack.

Clyde rushes to the front of the trio and uses his concentrated defence to protect himself as the blow strikes against him. He wanted to sacrifice himself, but he realises that Carmen is still funnelling energy into the attack, and that she is using it to push him backwards towards the oncoming Naruto.

Ignoring the incoming concentrated attack, Naruto leaps into the air, and falls towards one of the marked kunai.

Sarada and Lara both reach their hands out and use Clyde as a barrier against the deadly energy. Together the three of them push forward against the mighty attack with all the energy in their body.

And just in time, the three of them manage to stop it.

The concentrated attack has been blocked!

As Naruto falls towards his chosen marked kunai, both Minato and Tobirama perk up slightly, all of their conditions have been met.

Tobirama teleports to the kunai that Naruto is falling towards.  
Minato teleports to one of the kunai just a few meters above the falling Carmen.

As Naruto falls, he touches hands with Tobirama who sends the 7th Hokage into the air to his father.

Carmen stares in horror as she realises what has happened. Naruto is right above her with his new attack in hand. They are both falling towards the ground at an equal rate, there is absolutely no way that she can get away from him. This has all gone exactly according to the pocket-worlders plan.

Naruto looks down to his opponent.

' _Your scatter attack has been dodged'_.  
 _'Your regulation has been shattered'_.  
 _'Your foundation has been broken'_.  
 _'Your concentrated attack has been blocked'_.

Carmen activates her concentrated defence, coating herself in an armour of 'golden air'.

' _He won't defeat me_ ' she tells herself desperately, _'There is no way someone on a level lower than my own could break through this defence'_.

Three mighty warriors below all disagree.

Sarada.  
Clyde.  
Lara.  
Together all three of them shout out for Naruto to complete the last part of their master plan.

"Naruto, do it!".

Naruto obliges, _'And your concentrated defence… will be overcome…'_.

Naruto slams his arm downward, clashing the 'life' gathering rasengan against Carmen's impenetrable concentrated defence.

Seconds pass, though for those below it feels like hours with all the uncertainty. They all feel the greatest outpour of divine energy they have ever felt as the two most powerful warriors for miles around throw everything into the single collision. Even with her regulation shattered, Carmen's divine energy is as tremendous as her resolve to not let the four of them pass. Naruto's power also reflects his unshakable resolve to get past, to defeat Furst, to free the village.

A battle of power and will!

Neither of them has any doubt in themselves!

That is until the breaking point is reached and Naruto feels his arm jerk downward. The breaking point is reached, and Carmen feels a powerful source of divine energy thrust through her own and hit her squarely in the chest.

The concentrated defence is broken.

Naruto pushes his arm forward, detonating the 'life' gathering rasengan and sending Carmen crashing down into the ground.

' _Boruto, Hashirama, I admit that there are some battles where you have to play it safe'.  
'There are some battles when you can't trust anyone'.  
'However, none of this would have been possible without them'.  
'This was a battle that truly needed all four of us to win'.  
'Today, we have proven you wrong'._

Naruto lands gently next to Carmen, hanging his head with exhaustion. Then, after five seconds, he finds the energy to raise it once more and look at his fallen adversary.

Their eyes meet.

Carmen looks him in the eye, matching Naruto's determination with her own. While she can see almost nothing, even through the haze that is her vision she can see his determination. This is more than an exchange of glances, this is a conversation between two warriors, a conversation that has transcended words.

Carmen gasps as she catches a glimpse of something familiar. For just a second, that same look. That look she once saw in the eyes of Akashi Endou. The look of a man who will not stay down.

She relents. There is no point going on. So, Carmen closes her eyes and lets the back of her head hit the floor.

As she concedes, Naruto uses the little remaining energy in his body to raise his fist in the air. A symbol to the thousands who came for the four of them in good faith.

A symbol of victory.

"We've won!" he shouts in an outpour of emotion, matched only by those behind him.

At the third attempt, the four of them have defeated an opponent stronger than themselves. They have proved that what seemed impossible yesterday is possible for the four of them. There is no stopping them now. They believe!

About two minutes pass before people start to funnel through the opening in the outer wall. This is what they have been praying for. On the other side of this wall is where destiny awaits, where Furst Jonas waits. Three people across, groups pass through the wall and run into the enormous indoor area that is the imperial palace. Each determined that they must go a long way into the gigantic building to be sure that Carmen won't come after them.

"Everyone head on through, don't look back" Sarada instructs them.

"Go through, don't worry about those we left behind. They will be safe with the team we left behind" Elliot says.

At the middle of the group, passing through the crack in the wall, Peterson tries to assure Mirai of the situation. "Nobody will come across them anyway. This world is so much bigger than yours, encounters like that don't happen here".

Lara leans against the wall to recover her energy. Supervising her many subordinates as they pass into the palace. She listens to the things they are saying, comparing them to what she overheard days before. All of their discussions are relatively uninteresting to her, but that one sentence from Peterson to Mirai reminds her of the encounter she had yesterday.

' _Encounters like that don't happen here'_ she repeats in her head. _'Except maybe because of fate. That thief, she changed my destiny'_.

As the group continue to pile through, it leaves only the four warriors who defeated Carmen to see them through.

"So, Lara" Sarada begins, "Ewe did it. How does it feel?".

"If you're expecting me to say it feels great and hug you, you can get lost" the lead general snaps, "You're still just a pocket-worlder to me".

"Oh yeah?".

With a sigh, Lara concedes. "I suppose you're a pocket-worlder who happens to be my ally. At least for now. But one day I will come to challenge you again, I will be stronger than you, then we will see just what sort of person I really am".

"We'll look forward to that, but it can wait until after we have killed Jonas" Naruto says, "After that, I can't wait to challenge you again, Lara".

"Whatever…".

The last of the subordinates pass through the wall, leaving just the four of them.

"You guys go ahead, I would like a word alone with Lara" Clyde says.

With a nod, Naruto and Sarada agree, both heading through the wall and leaving just Lara and Clyde on the outside. They have become two beings who cannot exist without one another, north and south, black and white, Ying and Yang. Working together is something that neither of them ever thought would be possible, working together to defeat Carmen is a miracle. It seems that forever their destiny will depend on each other.

"Don't expect me to start acting differently Clyde" Lara snaps, not even waiting for his statement. "I'm not like you. I'm not going to give heroic speeches or help the elderly or anything like that"

"You may do, eventually" Clyde begins, only to laugh when he sees Lara's face change. "I'm only kidding, it's not in your character. But once you start connecting with people, it changes you as a person. It makes you consider someone other than just yourself when you act".

"… maybe it does" Lara admits, "But in the past even when it was just you I connected with, all I cared about was defeating you".

"No, all you cared about was killing me, because you only had that one connection in the world, so you focused on it" Clyde explains. "The circumstances we were raised in made you resent me, and your solitude made you magnify that emotion a thousand times over. But you're not alone anymore, so you won't feel that way ever again Lara. I promise you that".

"You promise me? Why do you think that I would care about your promises?".

Clyde laughs. "You're the leader of the military, that means you have to care about what your subordinates say. Right, General?".

Lara smiles slightly, "I suppose so".

Clyde just looks at her. He has never seen it before. Lara's smile was so genuine that it moved him. Her entire life has been spent trying her best to be his antithesis. Anger, hatred, misery, these are the emotions that she built her entire life around. Smiling innocently was a sign of weakness to her, something that she would never do, that nobody could make her do. Clyde will forever hold pride in his heart for what may be his greatest accomplishment as a leader, he managed to make Lara smile. She smiled not out of anger, accomplishment or revenge, but out of joy.

"You two…" a weak voice calls to them, "Come here".

It is Carmen.

Both generals approach their teacher, whom they believed to be unconscious before hearing her voice. They walk tentatively after assessing her condition and being absolutely certain that she will not attack them or oppose them in any way.

"Do you realise what you're getting into now?" she asks, "Consider how difficult it was to defeat me. It will be far harder to defeat Furst, it's practically impossible for you".

Clyde doesn't know how to feel about his teacher as he looks at her now. She is broken, desperately trying to reason with the two of them. She still firmly believes that she should enforce the will of their last emperor, of the old man, Akashi Endou. He almost pities her for how obsessed she has become with the opinions of another person. In a way, she is a slave to her own nostalgia. However, even now she is doing what she considers to be best, that is a determination worthy of anyone's respect.

"I realise that it will be difficult, but there are ways to get stronger" Clyde declares, "There are ways to improve yourself, because of that, I think we have a chance".

"Clyde's right" Lara backs him up. "Of your battle principles, we have each mastered one so far. We have a long way to go yet".

"I could train further with that manual. I could get a divine ability. Lara could find her own manual" Clyde lists the possibilities.

"Furst is just the beginning" Lara declares. "I will make him look weak by the time I'm done".

Carmen opens her eyes and looks at the blurry figures of her two student. The feeling she got earlier when she looked at Naruto was special, the 7th Hokage had the same feel about him as the last emperor, a man who exists as the pure manifestation of conviction. The feeling looking at these two is different, but not bad by any means. They each have their own determination, unique from any other she has felt. To her, what makes this conviction more potent than any, is not its depth, but the fact that it comes from her own two students.

"You're both idiots" she snorts.

Lara and Clyde turn their back and walk towards the opening in the imperial palace.

"… I'm proud of you".

Both generals stop without turning around. They acknowledge the pride of their teacher and walk onwards. Moving just a few steps closer to their destinies.

Carmen is alone, or she thinks.

But then the tip-tap of familiar footsteps approaches her, bringing with it the smell of a man she has known for years.

An old-looking gentleman approaches and sits by her.

"So, you're here" she sighs. "You saw him, didn't you? Why didn't you stop him?".

"You know my situation Carmen, I can't afford to attract that much attention right now" the old gentleman replies, "But I did see him. So much potential. He reminds me of my brother. What do you think, can they do it?".

"Of course, not" Carmen groans as she closes her eyes and rests. "Do you?".

"They probably can't defeat Furst today" he admits. "But tomorrow anything is possible".

That doesn't allay Carmen's fears.

"Then let's just hope they live to see tomorrow".

* * *

 **Author Note**

That is the end of part 6. I really hope that everyone enjoyed it and that it's given you enough reason to read part 7.

There will of course be a delay as I plan out everything that is going to happen in part 7.  
Once I have done that, I will start to write for you again.

I must apologize retrospectively for the inconsistent rate at which I've released parts for part 6.  
It's fallen short of what I have achieved in the past and I will try to improve for part 7.

That's just about everything I have to say for now.

I hope you have enjoyed Part 6 - A New World and look forward to writing again soon.

See you soon,  
Cbehrills


	144. The Imperial Guard

**Author Note**

Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry that I was gone for a really long time.  
I'm afraid that I was moving amongst other things and a lot of my personal time was absorbed by that.

I am now able to give a lot more time to writing this story, and will now be writing a fully planned part 7!

With that said, I hope you enjoy part 7 which is called "The Imperial Palace".

Thanks,  
Cbehrills

* * *

 **THE IMPERIAL PALACE – THE IMPERIAL GUARD**

 **The Imperial Guard Headquarters**

From the outside the imperial guard headquarters looks about as intimidating as is possible. A hexagonal building, each of the six outer walls is guarded by the subordinates of one of the guard's mighty generals. Each wall is stony and black like an old castle but laced with thin jagged lines of a different and unique material. A dark yellow glow comes from this material, a glow so dark and ominous that it seems to make the surroundings themselves darker. With each wall the size of a mountain, guarded by thousands of mighty warriors, any attacker of such a building would have to be either very brave or very stupid.

The imperial palace as a structure is massive, an indoor space spanning a small central part of the continent, everything within is the safehouse of Furst Jonas. The imperial guard headquarters occupies a large part of that space, straight to the North of Furst's own private residence, the imperial core. Unlike the rest of the environment, this place is no luscious garden nor is it a rolling hill, the surroundings of the imperial guard HQ are bleak by design. Grassy planes have been stripped away and the green hills have been replaced by grey stones. This place is not designed for the sake of its inhabitants. This place was designed for Furst Jonas, to house his own private defence force.

The imperial guard was created for that very purpose, to be Furst Jonas' personal army. The military's purpose, albeit tenuous, is to protect the citizens of Homeworld. The imperial guard does not share that goal and would happily watch Homeworld burn to save their almighty dictator. Each member had been stripped of their true ambitions long ago.

At the very centre of the imperial guard headquarters one level below the ground there is a lounge. That lounge may be the room that fewest people have ever entered. Ever since the lounge's creation only two servants have ever served the patrons and only seven patrons have ever existed. These seven individuals are the six generals of the imperial guard and their leader, the head general.

One such general returns to the lounge one day, having been out to receive his report and returns with no information of interest. But what he doesn't realise is that one report will go through this room today, a report with repercussions beyond what he could ever have imagined.

Odion is his name. General Odion. A slender man, with dark hair and a neatly trimmed moustache. To those who knew nothing of divine energy and immortality, he would appear 35 years old, which is roughly when he made his breakthrough. He enters the generals lounge with his usual pristine uniform. Gold and silver are the colours of an imperial guard general, colours that look bright dazzling and important. He looks around to see that only one of his colleagues is present, General Rana.

General Rana is a similar age to Odion, but their natures are very different. Regardless, all the generals get along with one another. Rana also dons the same uniform as Odion, gold and silver. Both generals wear the same tag around their neck, standard issue to justify their name and rank. With her dark purple hair and skin a few tones lighter than his own, Rana is easy to pick out of a crowd. Nevertheless, as she turns around her familiar freckled face comes as a welcomed sight to Odion.

"Welcome back, I assume there is nothing to report for today" she asks?

"Nothing to report today, nothing to report any day" Odion sighs in reply, "It's only natural, you would have to be stupid to try attacking the emperor. An imperial guard is not necessary".

"It never existed in the days of Endou Akashi's rule" Rana muses, "I wonder why it exists now".

"The common theory amongst the military and lower ranks of the imperial guard is that our current emperor is unpopular with some unwise citizens. But you and I know that isn't the real reason, Rana. The real reason is control".

"Control?".

"We are the most elite fighting force in the empire, on par with any aristocrats. Unlike the military, our forces have access to divine abilities. Our forces have access to training manuals. Our only limit is our own potential, unlike the military who are limited by their resources".

Rana takes a drink from the glass in front of her, averting her gaze from her colleague. "What exactly is your point Odion? The only people who could stand up to us are aristocrats, and they mostly support Furst anyway".

"Exactly" Odion declares loudly, "If someone could defeat us there is still no chance they could defeat the emperor himself. He doesn't need us for his safety, he needs us to make his life easier, to around and put all the little people in check".

"Don't you think that we're a little overqualified to intimidate farmers?".

"We are indeed, that's why you and I only need to read several reports each day and can spend most of our time relaxing in the generals lounge".

Satisfied that he has made his point, Odion shouts at the servant on active duty. With a complete absence of manners, he demands the same drink that he usually favours this time of the year and receives it in an exceptionally quick timeframe.

"The thing is Rana, if the emperor can ask people as strong as us to intimidate people for him, there is clearly nobody who could oppose him, is there?".

"I suppose you are right, still it seems like everything is not going to plan lately".

This declaration grabs Odion's interest. Things not going to plan is unusual in the empire controlled by Furst Jonas. The emperor is a genius and all the greatest organisers in the world work under him. Plans are made, and plans are kept to, that's how the Furst empire is operated.

"Did you hear about the breakout incident in the laboratories?" Rana asks.

"Oh yes, I did hear something about that. A terrible mess, it's not like the laboratories to make a mistake like that".

"No, it isn't, but even the best of us can make mistakes, and I heard that this mistake is likely to be quite costly".

This information comes as a great surprise to Odion. He knows that serving under the emperor there are six royals, each royal oversees a significant land mass and certain operations of the empire. Each royal has an imperial guard general who reports directly to them. The laboratories are controlled by a royal, by a mighty king, and the general reporting to that king is Rana herself. If Rana is talking about high-level discipline at the laboratory, something very out of the ordinary is happening.

"Costly to whom?" Odion asks.

"The very highest level of authority" Rana declares.

"Your information" is correct confirms another general as he returns from his series of daily reports.

The newcomer is a general in the imperial guard who goes by the name General Dodi. Dodi enters showing his usual range of emotions, none. Never has a military leader been so deadpan, so dead behind the eyes. Yet despite that, he enters with his hair died red and a single thin braid draping over his right shoulder. It seems to Odion and Rana that he lost that bet against his subordinates, changing his hair from its natural dark black colour.

"Have you found out more information about the escape?" Rana asks.

"I have not been given any specific details, but I have been given a high priority message from my colonels" Dodi replies.

"What did the messages say?".

"The message said that Weiss Max is to be summoned to discuss the incident personally".

Odion leaps to his feet, his chair falling away from him and hitting the ground loudly. Hearing the name Weiss Max is a true shock, not just because of his identity, but because of the name. Civilians are not allowed to use their family name. In the military even, generals are not allowed to retain their name, they go through intense psychological programming to forget their family. In the imperial guard, generals are given the luxury of retaining a family name, but they dare not use it.

Apart from the emperor, only six people can use their family names.

The six royals!

That means that discipline is being handed out to one of the emperor's six most powerful subordinates. An incident of this magnitude is exceptionally rare, happening only once every ten years at a push.

"King Weiss?" Odion asks.

"Of course, King Weiss" Dodi groans in reply, "Who else could I have been talking about".

"Royals are hardly ever summoned personally; this breakout incident must be more serious than we realised".

"It's significant enough that I'm going to have to pass the message onto our superior" Dodi admits, "The message said that the Head General of the Imperial Guard herself must be the one to bring King Weiss to answer the summons".

"Then you had better go and tell her" Rana says, gesturing to the platform at the centre of the general's lounge.

Dodi nods, takes a deep breath and walks forward onto the platform. At the centre of the platform is a small podium, upon which is a single button. He delicately raises his arm and presses the button. The second he does so the platform begins to slowly rise. As the floor raises, Dodi is taken away from his comrades and rises the equivalent of two flights of stairs.

As the platform stops, Dodi finds himself looking at the back of his commander.

Shoulder length ginger hair concentrated slightly on one side of her head gives Dodi a view of the distinctive single earring that his commander always wears. The commander's uniform differs slightly to her fellow generals, gold lined not with silver, but with red. Her uniform marks her not only as a general but as the Head General of the Imperial Guard.

This is the Head General, Safura.

"Head General, I have news from the palace core, King Weiss Max is to be escorted there immediately" Dodi explains, wasting no words.

Safura is sat cross legged in the centre of a large courtyard, a courtyard that Dodi has been raised up into. Upon being called she stretches her arms high into the air, telling herself that meditation is one of her least favourite ways to cure boredom as she does so. Having fully stretched her arms, she stands up and turns her attention to her legs, stretching each in turn so that she is ready to go.

"King Weiss Max?" she asks in a gentle voice, "Are you certain, it's been a long time since a royal has been summoned to the palace?".

"I am certain Safura" Dodi says, "The message was passed to me by reliable sources. Are you reluctant to do it?".

"King Weiss makes me uncomfortable" Safura admits, "All the royals were selected because they are bad news, but more than any of them he makes me nervous. There is something inhuman about him".

"I assume you will be heading that way anyway?".

"I will head there immediately" Safura says.

Without another word on the subject, she walks away from Dodi and towards a metal construct. A perfect circle with a tiny arc embedded in the floor beneath her, a circle which she could walk through. As she rests her hand on a pedestal next to the circle, the metal structure begins to fill with a transparent energy. This is a portal, and it is beginning to activate.

"You will inform anyone who asks for me that I am carrying out important duties and am not to be disturbed" Safura declares.

"Yes, Head General".

With that understood, Safura steps forward into the portal and disappears to carry out her orders.

 **The Laboratories**

In the common area of the laboratories is a grand portal through which any number of people arrive. There have been visits from the imperial guard, sometimes even imperial guard generals. There have been visits from the finest scientists from across the kingdom, including Furst Jonas before his rise to emperor. Today however, as this portal activates, it is Head General Safura who steps through it.

Safura steps forward into a dome shaped building with transparent outer walls. Through the transparent walls Safura sees the many other domes that surround this central one, each of them dedicated to a particularly area of science. Everything in the laboratories is pristine, impeccable. The floor is a brilliant white, polished to such a degree that it could easily be used as a mirror. This is the empire's most perfectly kept scientific facility.

Upon seeing that his latest visitor has arrived, a greeter runs over to the portal and politely bows to Safura.

"Welcome Head General Safura. It is a pleasure to see you General Safura".

"It is good to see you too" Safura responds with a nod, recalling in the back of her mind that she has spoken with this greeter several times before. To have survived this long he must be in King Weiss' good books.

"Have you come here to enquire about any particular experiment today?" the greeter asks, "Or perhaps one of our scientists is working on something confidential for you, I could go and get them if you give me their name".

"That won't be necessary, I haven't come here to speak about research today".

"Then this is a social visit, General?".

"I'm afraid it isn't a social visit either" Safura admits. "Would you tell me which dome King Weiss is currently working in?".

The greeter's face loses all colour as he hears the mention of his boss. Even to those closest to him King Weiss is not a pleasant man to deal with. "You want to speak to King Weiss? I must advise against it general, he has been in a foul mood since…".

"You don't understand" Safura raises her hand as she interrupts, "I am not the one who wants to speak to him. It is the emperor who wants to speak to him".

Upon hearing that, the greeter quickly changes his tune, "He is in the energy experiments dome, behind you and slightly to the left".

"Would you be willing to take me to the corridor he is working in?".

"General Safura I…".

"Don't worry, he won't hurt you when I'm here".

"But… you see I…".

Safura is as sympathetic as always, an attribute she has become famous for in her time as the leader of the Imperial Guard. "Don't worry young man, I am an emissary of Furst Jonas himself. The emperor is in command here. You are safe with me, I assure you".

"OK" the greeter reluctantly nods, knowing he can argue no further, "Please follow me".

The greeter silently leads Safura through the largely abandoned corridors. The general gazes at each door as she goes past, noting the tiny dark window in the middle of each of them. The window is at just a little below the head height of an average person, matching the stature of Weiss Max. Safura learnt a long time ago not to look through any of these windows, because you will never be able to forget what you see on the other side.

Eventually, the greeter leads Safura to yet another empty corridor and points down to the end. "King Weiss is down the end".

"Thank you for bringing me here" Safura says as she hands a single yellow coin to the greeter.

His face lights up so much it practically glows, the Head General is generous as always. "Thank you for your generosity my general, please let me know if you need anything else".

Despite the greeter's apparent eagerness to please, he quickly runs down the corridor, getting as far away from his boss and the general as he can.

Safura slowly walks to the end of the corridor, a bead of sweat rolling down her head as she does so. In the Imperial Guard, she answers directly to Furst Jonas, a man who everyone rightly fears. However, Weiss intimidates her in a way that even Furst doesn't, every encounter with him is a source of anxiety, especially when you have bad news.

Safura gets to the end of the corridor and nudges open the door to the room the greeter told her of. Inside she sees a dark-skinned man with grey hair and an unkept grey beard that has long since grown out of control. Up around the man's ears is the high-collar of his blinding white lab coat. This man is without doubt Weiss Max.

"King Weiss Max!" Safura calls out officially.

Max looks over his shoulder. "The Leader of the Imperial Guard dares to interrupt my experiments, I will see you demoted for this, you won't quickly be forgiven!".

"Forgive me my king, but I have been ordered here by the emperor himself".

This naturally grabs Max's full attention. He turns around fully, dropping everything that he is doing despite how important it seemed just a moment prior. Safura works hard not to laugh at how quickly he changes his tone. That is something that only the name Furst Jonas can do to people.

"Furst ordered it?" he asks.

"I believe that he wants to have a full discussion with you regarding the breakout incident" Safura replies.

"Is he blaming me for it?".

"I dare not assume to understand the superior mind of the Emperor Furst Jonas. I also dare not contradict his orders, even if it offends one of the royals".

Max turns around and begins to fidget with his pens and his papers. "Very well, later today I shall go to the imperial palace and…".

"I'm afraid, my king, that I have been ordered to bring you there straight away!".

For a moment Max cold eyes fixed on Safura with hatred. If looks could kill, Safura would have been dead the moment she entered the room. This look though, this look almost makes Safura wish she were dead. Still, she holds her ground, there is a man far worse that she must satisfy at all costs.

Max calms down quickly as he recalculates his situation, "… if those are the emperor's orders then that's fine, let's go".

Together the two of them walk back through the corridors. Max delights in looking through all the windows as he passes, seeing the latest results of his sick and dastardly experiments. Safura once again does her best to ignore them. As the two of them make their way back to the common area, Max adjusts the destination set by the portal personally.

Both step through the large metal ring.

Together, they move to the imperial core.

 **The Imperial Core, the Throne Room**

Two individuals stand near to the throne, just steps away from it. One is a dark-haired, young-looking man wearing comfortable but regal robes coloured blue, red and gold. The other is a fair-haired, thirty-something woman dressed in a high-neck blue shirt.

"Do you believe the breakout incident to be his fault?" the woman asks.

"Only an idiot would believe anything else, he is responsible for it after all" the man replies, "It was an order from the heavens themselves that he must care for what is in that laboratory".

"Then he was a fool to contradict those orders".

As the woman finishes speaking, the doors to the throne room fly open. Two enormous doors at least twenty meters tall and made of a material solid and weighty. As she pushes open doors that normally would never budge, Safura concludes they are likely made from a material of such luxury that only Furst himself would understand.

As the doors open, Safura steps inside ahead of King Weiss and stands at attention. She announces herself officially.

"Head General Safura of the Imperial Guard, presenting King Weiss Max at your request your highness!".

Weiss Max steps inside and lowers his head politely to the gentlemen in red, blue and gold robes, "I answer your summons my emperor".

With jet black hair and piercing eyes to match. The young man in the robe is what most would consider to be a perfect human specimen. If one were to give him a physical inspection, there is not a single part of his being that could be improved. He is perfect not only by design, but because it is the will of the heavens. To be here is his destiny, to judge lesser beings is his destiny.

The twenty-something year old man ignores the two newcomers and walks over to his throne, sitting in Homeworld's most comfortable and prestigious seat, as is his right.

This man is Furst Jonas.

"Safura, despite the circumstances it is as always a delight to see you" Jonas says.

"Thank you, my emperor" Safura replies, her head still pointing forward perfectly.

"Your uniform is well kept as always, and while that little diamond earring isn't part of standard attire, I approve".

"I appreciate it my emperor" Safura says calmly, "This earring is of great sentimental value to me".

Jonas nods, "You have completed your duty as required, you may return to the imperial guard headquarters at once".

Upon being given this order, Safura leaves immediately. A room with not only King Weiss in it but Emperor Furst as well is terrifying. If one puts a foot wrong in a room like that, they will be killed and disposed of. The Emperor and the royals are the gods of this world, one doesn't offend them and survive, that is the law.

As Safura leaves she shuts the door behind her and Max walks forward.

"My emperor, there has been a big misunderstanding here, the incident in the laboratories was not my fault" Max protests, "I left certain responsibilities to my subordinates and they failed to do what was required of them. I have killed those who let you down, I have seen to it that their associates have been disciplined as well. There is no way this could happen again so…".

"Bow" Jonas demands simply.

Max immediately bows from his waist, silencing himself.

"Identify yourself formally".

"King Weiss Max, here at your service my emperor".

Jonas looks to the fair-haired woman at his side. "Petra, you too hold the distinction of being a royal".

"Yes, my emperor" Petra answers.

"Tell me, do you believe that I wish to hear excuses from a royal who serves me?".

"No, my emperor, one such as yourself values not effort but results".

Jonas pays no further attention to Petra. She has done nothing wrong right now but ultimately, she is just the same as Max. Petra, Max and all the royals who work for Furst Jonas are his servants. The fact that they are given privileges does nothing to absolve them of their responsibility to him, a responsibility shared with every other citizen of Homeworld.

"It is as Petra says Max, I don't value your efforts, your attempts to blame others, or your excuses" Jonas declares, "I value the results you bring to me, and I have had some very disturbing reports recently".

"The breakout incident my emperor?".

"Of course, the breakout incident" Jonas tuts impatiently. Max is supposed to be intelligent. "You would be wise not to ask me any more stupid questions".

"I apologise".

"I want you to personally confirm the reports I have received Max. You have already confirmed that there has been a breakout, but I hear that it is worse than that. I heard that our most valuable experiment got away. Can you confirm this?".

"… yes, my emperor, I can confirm that the most valuable experiment got away".

The silence in the room is terrifying for Petra as she watches the collision between Jonas' will and Max's incompetence. Jonas seldom shouts when he gets angry, his fury is the silent sort, the sort that hurts the most. If Furst decides that he is frustrated with you he will kill you, unless you are useful. If you are useful, the emperor has enough control over this world to make your life much more difficult. At this point, for Petra and all the royals, the slightest hint of Furst's frustration is enough to drive them mad with worry.

"In that case you are going to tell me the whole story Max" Jonas decides. "You are going to tell me how you plan to get the experiment back".

"… and you better pray that your plan is to my liking".

Unbeknownst to Furst Jonas, someone far more important than the experiment is heading in his direction. Far to the South, a man he helped to create has managed to do the impossible and get inside the walls of the imperial palace.

He is now on a collision course with Uzumaki Naruto.


	145. The Choice is Yours

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – THE CHOICE IS YOURS**

 **Inside the Imperial Palace Walls**

Roughly half way between the southern most point of the Imperial Palace walls and the Imperial Core at it's centre, a large group of infiltrators have come to a halt. Here, and throughout most of the Imperial Palace, the surroundings are beautiful. Unlike the grassy planes the infiltrators previously rested in, this place is blessed with diverse plant life.

Flowers grow together in small groups but not even one of them looks out of place. The entire scene seems as if it has been painted by god, something that many of Homeworld's natives believe to be true. Unlike the around Hidden Leaf Village, the trees here could not hide anything, each of them short, stumpy and with dense leaves and branches. The environment is will irrigated by the flowing of several rivers in streams. This place is truly a garden paradise.

Here is the chosen resting point of the alliance forces. The alliance, a tentative and dangerous truce between three different forces, the remaining forces of the Hidden Leaf Village, the military forces united under General Clyde and the military forces united under Head General Lara. The spot was chosen specifically by Clyde, the only one amongst the entire force who has any experience within the palace walls. This spot was allegedly ideal for evading detection by the imperial guard while being close enough to plot their assassination.

This is where they will make their stand from.  
This is where they will change Homeworld forever.

A shinobi wipes the beads of sweat from her head after hammering yet another peg into the ground. She steps back and looks at the tent before her, sturdy and reliable. "Well, I guess we can't complain, it's prettier here than it was before" she admits.

"You're not wrong there, you could spend an entire day surveying this land and not get bored" another shinobi agrees.

Upon hearing this one of Clyde's captains approaches the two of them. "You two should be careful not to become complacent, this land may be a garden paradise but at it's core it is hiding a devil. This land is Furst Jonas' territory, it's massive and he won't find us unless he is looking, but if we make a mistake, if we get unlucky and bump into an imperial guard patrol, we would be finished".

"I know" the shinobi admits, placing her mallet down and turning to face the captain. "I realise that we have come to a place where we are too weak to fight. We regular shinobi are just pawns in a great war, but Lord 7th will protect us, Lord 9th too, they won't let anything happen to us".

The captain shakes his head as he looks at the optimistic duo before him. He knows that they have been indoctrinated by their history, just like he has. In their hearts they do not believe there is any cataclysm that their precious 7th Hokage couldn't save them from. That sort of thinking has always worked in the past, but he is in the same boat. In his head, he doesn't believe there is any miracle powerful enough to overthrow Furst Jonas, the second emperor. Unfortunately, the circumstances point to him being correct.

"This isn't like the battle against Lady Carmen you know, if the generals and the Hokage fail, even just the once, they won't be able to save us" he explains, "There is no buying time against Furst Jonas, he is the single most deadly being to have ever lived. Every second an enemy survives in his presence, it is because the emperor has allowed it".

"He sounds terrible" the shinobi admits, "We will have to be on our guard not to be caught".

"Good, keep alert".

"Speaking of time" the second shinobi speaks up once again, "Why are we putting up all these tents, I am sure that Lord 7th could do this in a few minutes with his clones".

Approaching from behind the shinobi, one of the village's leading shinobi, Nara Shikamaru answers the question.

"Saving time is not important right now".

"Of course, forgive my impatience sir" the second shinobi replies with a salute.

"Right now, it's as you just said, we shinobi are merely pawns in a battle so great we cannot imagine it. The only thing we can do to make a difference is to help our four strongest warriors in any way we can, even just giving them a moment's extra rest".

The captain approves of Shikamaru's thinking. "You need not worry, we are all working together diligently. When the four of them attack, they will know that we have done everything we can".

"That's what I like to hear, keep it up".

 **Nearby on a Small Pond**

The surrounding trees cast a shade on the pond providing a dark secretive atmosphere in contrast with the situation. The pond water is crystal clear, the small ambient light upon it reflecting the trees and the leaves that surround the pond. Usually steady, the pond is disturbed only by a few tiny ripples emanating from the two people stood atop it. Facing one another are Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sarada.

The two slowly circle one another, smirking slightly as they do. This whole exercise was suggested as a training session but that's not what it is. At this point it is a little game they are playing, a test of who has the superior fighting mind. A battle between two children who grew up searching for attention in the most difficult places and whose brains have accumulated dozens of little tricks to use.

Finally, with a gentle gust of artificial wind, a leaf falls from one of the trees above them and both shinobi wait patiently for it to touch the water. As the green-yellow foliage touches the water it sends small ripples which clash with those created by Naruto and Sarada, and both warriors begin their moves.

Sarada is the first to act, closing the distance between herself and Naruto and throwing two right-handed punches towards his head. Naruto evades each of these before countering with a palm strike towards Sarada's chest, but she is familiar with this action of Naruto's. She catches the incoming hand and throws it aside.

The brief exchange of strikes ends as neither continues their assault. A basic taijutsu exchange with no winner. Their use of divine energy and excessive chakra magnifies their abilities and it is only after this that the true difference can be observed. Right now, Naruto is content that his pupil's moves seem to be on par with his own.

Naruto is distracted momentarily as he spots something hopping around near the edge of the pond. A frog.

"Look at that, this world has the same animals as our own" he notes.

"That's probably not a coincidence, Furst Jonas created the pocket worlds" Sarada admits, "He likely based the animals within them strongly upon the ones found in this world".

Naruto nods. "I have to ask you Sarada, do you think it's right to kill him?".

"Right to kill him?" she repeats incredulously, "Listen Naruto, I don't know if killing is always wrong or right or anything like that, but I know it's a price I'm willing to pay for our salvation".

"Yeah… I suppose you're right, it's just hard to hate a man you have never met, a man who created our world and all the beautiful things within it".

"Naruto, he's evil, you know that don't you?".

"Yeah, I know".

Sarada observes her teacher as he in turn observes the wildlife around him. She realises that something is wrong as memories from her childhood return. The 7th Hokage from her childhood would have just yelled an answer back after being asked a question like that. The 7th Hokage from her youth was certain of his actions, he was full of conviction and could answer any question about being right and wrong instantly. For the first time since she brought him to the future, she now looks at Naruto and asks is this the same 7th Hokage?

Sarada tests her theory, she steps back and throws a kunai towards his head. Naturally, he evades to the side of the kunai, that attack would never hurt Naruto in a thousand years. But as he moves out of the way she uses the distraction to step back into him and lands a clean punch to his head protector, a clear demonstration of how easy the attack was.

"Woah, nice one Sarada" he says with a thumbs up.

' _Nice one, Naruto? No, something is wrong'_ she tells herself, _'The Naruto from my youth was different. There was something more childish about him, a sort of childish persistence. He had a greater fighting spirit. And now that I think about it, it's been the same ever since he came to the future. It's almost as if he is too mature, almost as if his motivation is no longer desire, it's duty'_.

The ramifications of her realisation roll through Sarada's head. She considers what this may mean for any assassination attempt and in conclusion, she does not like it.

As her thoughts continue to distract her, she is brought back to reality by the feeling of something wrapping around her ankle. She looks down to inspect it and realises what it is. It's a hand.

The hand pulls Sarada down into the water and as Naruto laughs she realises what just happened. One of his clones just pulled her in.

' _So much for too mature'_ Sarada grumbles.

Naruto's original body offers a hand to his apprentice. "You shouldn't let your mind wander in the middle of a fight Sarada. That's why I'm the teacher and you're the student".

Sarada shakes her head and admits to the limitations of her insight. Even though the time-travelling Naruto is younger than her he has more experience on the battlefield, the things he has seen, done and understood are beyond what she ever imagined. There is no denying, fighting spirit or not, that this Uzumaki Naruto is a man you want on your side.

Sarada takes Naruto's hand and he pulls her out of the water.

 **Near the Camp**

Clyde leans back against the tree trunk and crosses his arms. He volunteered to go on the first scouting mission in this area, aware that it could be dangerous. He is the expert amongst the three-way alliance though, he is the only one who has been in the Imperial Palace before. If they are seen by an imperial guard captain and that captain gets away it could be catastrophic. The imperial guard is stronger than the military, handpicked from a very young age and on average far more talented than members of the military. Clyde remembered from before that this place was idyllic but that this was a façade. Behind all this beauty lies a demon.

Lara appears at his side, having just gone a short way away as part of the mission. "The river continues at least ten miles to the north. It goes south but doesn't quite reach the camp, it could still be a useful reference point though".

"Wildlife?".

"There are various animals alongside the river but nothing dangerous, they are all normal animals with no intrinsic divine energy".

"I suppose that's what we expected really, there is no way Furst would allow any kind of threat to remain too close to him".

Clyde and Lara continue along the planned scouting route they agreed with Naruto and Sarada earlier. Clyde was surprised at the time that Lara would volunteer to come scouting with him. Perhaps it was because she is still trying to be civil with her new allies. Perhaps it was because Clyde is the only person she feels comfortable around. Or perhaps it is because she wanted to wander the interior of the Imperial Palace. To Clyde, Lara's mind remains a mystery.

As the two senior military figures continue their route, Lara asks Clyde a question.

"Hey Clyde, do you think we will be able to kill Furst?".

Clyde notes that this sort of question is out of character for Lara. Frankly her confidence, even if unfounded, is the one attribute Lara can be relied upon for. To see her doubting herself is very unusual. That is how strong the emperor is though. From the stories alone, a fear has been driven into their hearts for many years. The military academy aristocrats did not necessarily instil this fear of Furst because they liked the new emperor, they did it for the sake of their students. If they didn't do this, many more promising colonels and generals would have thrown their lives away against him.

"I don't know" Clyde answers, "Honestly, it's not very likely but I'm willing to try anyway. Aren't you?".

Lara ignores the counter-question. "You should write down that there are a lot of flowers in this area that can be used to make common field-medicines. It could be useful for any injuries sustained if we have a run in with the imperial guard".

Clyde writes this all down on a piece of paper. "It's fascinating to watch you do this, it's a bit like being a captain again".

"Shut up!".

"I remember when we had just discovered our elements" Clyde smiles, "We were brought into the military and immediately tagged as people with high potential. Back then we did scout missions and you almost seemed approachable. It seemed that is what you were happiest doing".

"… it was what I was happiest doing…".

"Lara?".

"Scout missions are easy, I always see what nobody else can. I was the best at everything back then, but you were always my rival. Scouting was my strong suit though. When it came to scout missions, you couldn't rival me. I felt like I was safe. I was secure. I was untouchable, and I had fun and I…"

"Lara…" Clyde stops in his tracks.

"Hey, all these years people criticised me for not opening up to my friends and now you interrupt me".

"Lara…".

"Do you even care that I…".

"Lara!" Clyde interrupts for third time, "You just called me a friend and I am very grateful, but there is something I have to ask you urgently!".

"What!".

"Is there any reason why the trees would be so much denser here than anywhere else?".

Lara stops in her tracks as well. She was just talking about the past, gossiping like a child after their first day at school and she didn't pay any attention to her surroundings. She hasn't lost herself like that in years. She spends a few seconds reprimanding herself in her head before she moves onto the matter at hand, Clyde is right, their surroundings have changed, and the circumstances are suspicious.

Before they were walking through a garden paradise with trees at least twenty yards apart from one another. It was well lit and beautiful, they were surrounded by colourful flowers and small bushes. The grass was a bright reflective shade of green like something out of a story book. Now the grass is several shades darker, the ambient light is dimmer, and the trees are much closer together, a maximum of three yards apart.

"There is no reason for this" Lara mumbles, "But it could be…".

She stops mid-sentence in reaction to something falling from the air. Bright gold spores are falling from the trees and something seems to be connecting the spores to one another. She squints to see the microscopic substance and quite can't manage it. Instead Lara senses something strange about these spores, then she understands.

It's divine energy. 'Death' divine energy.

It's a trap.

Lara grabs Clyde by the shoulder and teleports away from the densely packed trees, speculating that Clyde's instincts were right and that this group of trees is all part of the trap. They come to a rest just outside the forest-like space and come face-to-face with the men who set the trap.

It's Hashirama and Boruto.

"Farewell" Boruto says as he casts a 'death' enhanced kunai towards Lara.

Clyde reacts as quickly as he can, his mind on red alert, he pushes Lara away from the kunai's path. The kunai catches her arm but that is all, the push saved her from certain death. The situation is still not good though, the two of them are fighting two fights on a higher level. Right now, every movement is do-or-die.

Clyde and Lara each activate their golden elemental cloaks.

Clyde prepares two golden 'darkness' darts and throws them at Boruto and Hashirama. Unfortunately for the mighty general his attack is easily guarded against. Hashirama raises his hand, creating a barrier of 'death' to protect himself and his student. The pocket world spent years trying to find a way to defeat Clyde but Hashirama just overpowered him in a matter of seconds.

Lara senses a divine energy slowly permeating throughout her body. It is 'death' divine energy and it is coming from her arm. The head general coats her hand in golden 'light' and takes a few layers of skin off her upper arm. It hurts her a lot, but she removes just enough to remove the 'death' energy from her body before it spreads.

The second she has saved herself Lara begins to charge a concentrated attack.

She waits only for a couple of seconds before Hashirama, as if taunting her, drops the 'death' barrier from in front of himself and his student.

' _Chance!'_.

Lara teleports to the former leaf shinobis' rear and unleashes her full power on them. This is what she learnt by copying Carmen, a golden 'light' energy concentrated attack. By refunneling 'light' energy back into the same spot several times, she increases her maximum power for the attack several times over.

Hashirama and Boruto are too quick though, dodging to the side of the attack, they cleverly use their enemies' power against them. The concentrated attack heads straight towards Clyde!

Clyde has no choice, he wraps his body in a layer of golden 'darkness' energy, a concentrated defence. Using this defence, he just about manages to survive the almighty blast Lara fired at him.

Reacting quickly, Lara teleports back to Clyde's side, grabs him and flees as quickly as she can. Successive teleports make her practical speed incredibly fast, so fast that not even the 'death' using shinobis can keep up with her.

"Should I pursue them, master?" Boruto asks.

"There is no way even you could catch a teleporter with raw speed" Hashirama admits, "Still, I thought their moves were interesting, didn't you?".

"Lara's attack and Clyde's defence have improved dramatically, but it seems their power is the same as before. It looks like they have gotten stronger just by improving their technique".

"I've never seen such remarkable techniques applied to controlling divine energy" Hashirama says, "I wonder if it would be possible for a shinobi to do the same thing?".

 **In the Camp, Under a Small Tree**

The team known as Ino-Shika-Cho has referenced many different people. Recently, in the shinobi loyal to the Hidden Leaf Village, it changed meaning once again. The title had been passed down to the younger generation. To Yamanaka Inojin, Nara Shikadai and Akimichi ChouChou. That all changed when the three of them conspired to help Hashirama break up the three-way alliance. Now the title has once more been returned to their parents. A legendary trio who have been summoned by the 7th Hokage himself.

"Naruto, you called for us" Shikamaru explains as the three of them find him sat leaning against a tree.

Shikamaru lets himself down onto the floor, leaning back against the tree with Naruto. Despite the apparent difference in their age it feels like the two of them are sat down as the oldest of friends. They have each known one another almost their entire lives.

"It feels like a long time since I sat under a tree and relaxed with some friends" Naruto admits.

"I find it difficult to relax in this place" Shikamaru says, "It just feels wrong here. Trees like this should be shadier, but because this environment is entirely indoors, the light comes from every direction by day. It seems to come from nowhere, it just appears in the air and it makes you feel a bit ill".

"Shikamaru, Naruto doesn't want to be bothered by your problems right now" Ino says.

Choji agrees with his teammate. "Naruto don't bother yourself with Shikamaru's grumbling. Tell us why you have asked to meet with us?".

"We're coming to the end of this journey very soon. All that's left is for us to assassinate the emperor" Naruto explains, "It's a dangerous mission and there will be no second chances if we mess up. We need a brilliant plan that will work the first time around, that's why I need your help".

"Our help?".

"There is no team in the history of the Hidden Leaf Village who has ever successfully created and executed more plans than Ino-Shika-Cho" Naruto continues, "Your generation of Ino-Shika-Cho is the most successful of them all. I was hoping that you could help us one final time".

"A plan to kill the strongest man in the world, someone even stronger than Carmen. It will be hard, but you are our friend, you can count on us until the end" Shikamaru answers.

Naruto grins, it's just as it has always been, he can count on his friends. Theirs was the generation that was pushed further than any other. At a young age they were forced to leave their peaceful life as students and fight in history's largest war. In places where even their brilliant parents could not succeed, they went above and beyond. They became the greatest generation of shinobi the village had ever produced.

They take a moment to enjoy the peace and quiet, wondering how many more times they will be able to do that. In good company, sometimes no words need to be spoken. Unfortunately, a voice comes out of the ether, a highly familiar voice.

" _Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village, please do not despair, this is Senju Hashirama"_.

Naruto looks around, trying to compose himself and work out how Hashirama is speaking to them like this. As his eyes come to rest on Ino, he realises that this means of speaking to people telepathically is a technique shinobi use during wars. This must be Inojin's work.

" _I have made it into the Imperial Palace as well and I am reminding you that Boruto and I have not forgotten you"_ Hashirama continues, _"We will rescue you from the people of this world very soon. Just moments ago, we encountered two of their generals and almost managed to save you from them. Unfortunately, they escaped from us"._

"Ino, would you help me out?" Naruto asks.

The Yamanaka clanswomen does just that. With the assistance of Ino, Naruto begins to address the same audience, and converses once more with the man who has now become his rival.

" _Hashirama, I am here"._

" _Ah, I was waiting for you Naruto, I was beginning to think that Inojin had communicated with the wrong group of Hidden Leaf shinobi"._

" _It's refreshing to know that even as you try to kill our allies you can maintain your sense of humour"_ Naruto muses.

" _They are not you allies Naruto, they are the people who killed so many of your loved ones. Do you know how many of the Hyuuga clan they killed?"_ Hashirama asks, _"They are responsible for the death of the 8_ _th_ _Hokage Sarutobi Konohamaru, for the death of Kato Dan, for the death of Uzumaki Mito… they're responsible"._

" _Everyone makes mistakes Hashirama, it's how you redeem yourself that counts. They are willing to work with us to kill Furst Jonas and end this conflict once and for all. Tell me, are you willing to do the same"._

Shikamaru wonders but thinks to himself that Naruto just spoke very wisely. If this is simply a battle of words Naruto has just left Hashirama with no choice but to appear like that bad guy. It is a mature performance, Naruto seems to have become a true statesman, that is different to the man Shikamaru remembers working for. Is this the same 7th Hokage?

" _I will not work with the people who order my wife's death"_ Hashirama shouts, _"Otherwise when I go to her side I will not be able to look her in the eye. In her last moments, she knew that these people were the greatest threat the village every faced. I intend to keep them away from the shinobi of my village"._

"… _Hashirama, even the Hokage may be hated for making mistakes. Your mistakes created Uchiha Madara. Lord 2_ _nd_ _'s mistakes made the Uchiha rebel. Lord 3_ _rd_ _'s mistakes meant Danzo did so many terrible things. All of us have made terrible mistakes, but we have been forgiven"._

Throughout the village, all the Hokage, listening to this exchange of views look back through their lives. What Naruto has said is true, the responsibility for the problems in the pocket world was theirs. So many crimes had been committed in the name of the Hidden Leaf Village and it's Hokage. To the many innocent people who they crossed do the Hokage not look just like Clyde once did to the Leaf?

" _The Hidden Leaf Village is built on forgiveness"_ Naruto declares, _"That's why we will work together with Clyde and Lara, and we will defeat Furst Jonas!"._

"… _you are deluded Naruto. You have been taken in by everyone's praise of your character and you have lost sight of reality. Right now, you cannot defeat Furst. After two attempts, you cannot even defeat me"._

Naruto receives a look from Shikamaru, Ino and Choji. Hashirama is correct, the two of them have fought twice. The first time back in the pocket world, the all-out collision between 'life' and 'death' saw Hashirama very nearly kill Naruto. The 7th Hokage was lucky to survive the first encounter. The second encounter saw the duo fight out of frustration, when they were both exhausted Lara watched Naruto fight and wondered just what everyone saw in him. Hashirama has consistently made Naruto look weak.

Naruto has never beaten Hashirama.  
How could Naruto defeat Furst?

" _Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, please save yourself while you still can"_ Hashirama concludes, _"I am in the Imperial Palace, if you come to Boruto and I we guarantee that we will protect you"._

" _The choice is yours"._


	146. The Lost Naruto

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – THE LOST NARUTO**

 **In the Camp**

Naruto stands under the tree considering what Hashirama just said. The 7th Hokage has been told many times throughout his life that his words are special. His words are words that move people. He was the one who brought Uchiha Sasuke back to the village, he was the one who turned so many former enemies into allies. To be worried about the charisma of another should be unthinkable for him, but that is the situation. Hashirama's words may also be able to move people.

Except for those who travelled through time, the current generation of Leaf shinobi all grew up knowing him as the Hokage. Supposedly, each one of them look at him with tremendous respect. He has never doubted that, they have always been so kind and polite towards him. They have always looked at him and expected the world, just as he always hoped people would. However, as he looks in the direction of the remaining shinobi population, he wonders just how many of them will be tempted by Hashirama's offer.

Being the Hokage is much harder than he thought. It has been for some time. He had always thought that his pursuit of acknowledgement and respect would be the hardest part of his life. Back in those days he used to be more upbeat, less stressed despite the emotions he felt. It's at times like this where he feels like an old man.

"So, what do you make of what he just said?" Naruto asks Shikamaru.

"About his beliefs or about defeating you?".

"Both".

"His beliefs are delusional. Refusing to forgive no matter the circumstances is a sign of weakness" Shikamaru begins. "As for defeating you, he may have been right, but there is no guarantee he would defeat you a third time".

"Do you think it's likely?".

"It's not for me to say if…".

"Shikamaru! Do you think it's likely"?

"Naruto, you're too strong, I honestly can't tell. Do you feel stronger since the last time you fought him?".

Naruto slumps back against the tree. _'It's as bad as that is it?'_.

A Hokage, the greatest Hokage, should inspire faith in the shinobi working with him. Naruto knows that there is a greater problem than that though, a problem that others have also noticed.

" _Hey Naruto, why are you even asking these questions? It's not like you"_ Kurama reminds his host.

" _It's important Kurama, I have to act based on the answers to these questions"._

" _What happened to not giving up?"_

" _I'm not giving up Kurama, I will find a way to solve the Hashirama problem, I just need to focus on what I can do now. Looking to the horizon isn't always good enough"._

Finishing his conversation with Naruto, the tailed-beast can't help but grumble to himself. _'That's not the problem, Naruto. It's that you used to make the horizon seem a lot closer'_.

Naruto enters a state of deep thought, considering all the possibilities and outcomes of this. Is there anything he can do, anything he can say to prevent a mass exodus of shinobi from the village? What if everyone does leave, what should he do then? Should he go with them and admit that Hashirama is right? Would that mean giving up? Is it right to persist even if the shinobi of the village don't agree with him? Just what will happen to him next?

"Found you" Mirai calls as she approaches Naruto and Ino-Shika-Cho.

"Which of us were you looking for?" Naruto asks.

"You of course. Are you doing OK? It can't be easy talking to a traitor like that".

Naruto smiles, it seems like he will at least keep one ally if there is an exodus. Looking to the right, he is reminded that there are several others that he can depend upon as well. Two small dusty trails are headed in his direction and when he looks closely he realises that it is Clyde and Lara. At least the two of them have escaped harm.

"It wasn't easy" Naruto tells Mirai, "Let's hear what these two have to say".

The five shinobi wait a few minutes as the military's strongest two generals sprint along the ground towards them. Naruto thinks back to running around the village in his youth, hoping one day to become a powerful shinobi. If the kid back then had foreseen that he and others would be able to run at such great speeds he would have probably jumped with excitement.

Clyde and Lara arrive before them, gasping for the first few breaths of air as they come to a halt before Naruto. They have just had the run of their lives.

"Are you two alright?" Naruto asks genuinely.

"A few scratches, nothing more, but how did you know?".

"A shinobi technique, Hashirama used it to speak to us" Naruto explains, "He told us that he almost killed you and then he made a threat. He's hoping that more shinobi will join his cause".

"Do you think there will be any more betrayals" Clyde asks.

"It's not likely, the current generation of shinobi revere Lord 7th and his determination" Shikamaru explains, "Lord 1st is charismatic though. Boruto has a lot of influence as well. I can't say it's impossible that people will switch to their side. Their words… sometimes they are almost hypnotic".

"How do you think they got inside the Imperial Palace?" Naruto asks.

"They probably got past Carmen when she was still injured. Or she may no longer be guarding the secret entrance at all. It's hard to say but I would think the former was more likely".

"Then they wouldn't have been far behind us?".

"No, almost certainly not".

"Do you think they are going to do something bad in here?".

"I can't imagine that they will do anything good".

Both Naruto and Clyde turn to look at Shikamaru, recognising him as the superior strategist present and the most likely to work out Hashirama's plans. The Nara clansmen spends a few seconds thinking through the possibilities but sees nothing particularly plausible. As a group the makeshift shinobi-military alliance is stronger, that's why they were able to defeat Carmen. Surely Hashirama is not planning his own assassination, his chances of success would be minimal. In that case perhaps he genuinely believes what he is saying and is here to minimise shinobi casualties. Completely stumped, Shikamaru shrugs his shoulders to the two leaders.

"You're awfully quiet Lara" Mirai comments.

"I simply have nothing to say".

As if forgetting the terror that the bald blood-drinking general once caused her, Mirai grabs Lara's arm and raises it from behind her back. Lara appeared unblemished to the group seconds ago but now looking at the state of her arm, Clyde's analysis of the damage is proven to be wrong. Clearly Lara suffered the worst of Hashirama's attack.

"You…" Lara growls.

"What happened?" Mirai asks, "This wound is hardly a scratch. It's like a good fraction of your arm was taken off".

Lara angrily pulls her arm free of Mirai's grip. "I did it to myself you fool. It was to stop 'death' spreading through the rest of my body".

"Then you need medical attention! Come on, I'll take you to the medical tent".

"I don't need an escort" Lara insists, "I am the Head General of the Homeworld Military".

"Don't be stubborn, I'm being kind to you".

"… fine!" Lara sighs, walking towards the camp with Mirai.

That leaves the remaining group of Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino and Clyde. Once the eyes of the shinobi move away from Lara's wound back to Clyde, they realise that he is stumped. The 'darkness' user is staring wide-eyed at his commanding officer as she makes her way to the medical tent.

"I can't believe it" Clyde says, "Lara was… polite to someone…".

"I would hardly call that polite" Shikamaru snickers.

"It's quite respectful compared to her usual attitude" Naruto says, "I think things are looking up for the military Clyde. Lara is starting to change, isn't she?".

"Lara has seldom show anyone respect in her life" Clyde explains, "Sometimes she showed it to her teachers at the academy, but that didn't happen very often. Recently she has showed it to me and Elliot. But to an outsider?".

"Mirai is no normal outside" Shikamaru explains.

This generation of Ino-Shika-Cho are very proud of Mirai's accomplishments. Their teacher's daughter, each of them had a personal stake in making sure she grew up to be a great shinobi. Each of them was to determined that they would help her in her father's absence, she is like a daughter to them.

"Maybe she isn't normal, but neither are any of the Hokage. Mirai is also the one who taught her how to dodge, right?".

"Yeah".

"Why Mirai of all people?" Clyde wonders.

"Does it matter" Naruto asks. "Shouldn't we just be happy that she is being social with a shinobi. Even if it is only one of us?".

"I guess you're right".

 **Later that Day, The Pond**

Sarada returns to the pond where she and Naruto trained earlier that day. The day's events have been rather difficult for her. The invite to switch sides was a temptation for her, but one she will not give in to. Still, it is hard to do what is right. She has always had a destiny, right from the moment she was born. Her destiny was to change the meaning of the Uchiha name. She was born to change things so that when people heard the Uchiha name they wouldn't think of hatred and revenge. She cannot do that by switching sides. It is a great pain for her though, that switching sides is the only way she can reunite with her fiancé.

As she arrives at the pond the light in the imperial palace is beginning to dim. It's a light without source, that as others have suggested, makes her feel rather strange. But it does mimic the sun rather well. As the light decreases in intensity, she feels exactly as she would do of an evening in the outside world.

Raising her head, Sarada sees the person who invited her here, along with many others of the same generation.

Shikamaru. Ino. Choji. Kiba and Akamaru. Shino. Tenten. Temari.

These are the shinobi of Naruto's generation. Reduced in number. Reduced in glory. Yet their presence, the inspiring aura they carry with them remains. This is the generation that won the war.

"Thanks for coming Sarada" Shino says, "I assure you that we appreciate your time, especially now that it is so valuable".

"It is no problem Shino-sensei".

"I want you to know that this assembly wasn't my idea, and the action that we may be proposing is rather drastic. However, I believe that our concerns need to be addressed".

"Sarada, before we talk you need to understand that this meeting is highly confidential" Shikamaru explains. "What we're saying here cannot be heard by anyone else under any circumstances. Can you confirm that nobody is within earshot, other than those of us here?".

Sarada is curious about the need for secrecy but trusts Shikamaru. For many years the Nara clansmen had worked in the Hokage's office, explaining certain situations to Naruto with great technical precision. He is a man who had always been trusted with the village's most closely guarded secrets. The last Uchiha activates her rinnegan and scans their surroundings, noting that the closest individual definitely wouldn't be able to hear them.

"We're alone, nobody will be able to hear us".

"Good".

"Sarada, we have a question for you" Kiba begins, "Have you noticed anything wrong with Naruto?".

"Wrong?".

"Kiba doesn't mean that something is wrong with him" Tenten interjects. "But does he feel slightly out of sorts to you? Does he feel different from how you remember during your childhood".

"Different. I don't know really, I was young and perhaps I'm speaking out of turn".

"You're not speaking out of turn" Tenten insists, "Please go on".

Sarada takes a deep breath as she recalls all the memories of her younger years. It wasn't easy being an Uchiha. She felt that she had the weight of the world on her shoulders in many ways and that was before she understood the full extent of the situation. When she learnt about how far her father had fallen, she felt even more pressure to be great, to redeem the Uchiha. When she wanted to know how to be acknowledged, how to earn redemption, and what to aspire to, she could only look in one direction. She should do what Uzumaki Naruto did.

"When I was a child, Lord 7th always seemed kind of childish for an adult" Sarada admits, remembering his various clumsy incidents, "He was responsible but naïve in a way. He was the only one who acted like the world's cruelty was unacceptable. But he wasn't naïve was he, he was right. I remember always being seeing him, I was happy that someone so silly and optimistic could prove he was right".

"And is this the same Naruto?" Tenten asks.

"… no" Sarada admits, "Something has changed. Perhaps he has endured too much. Perhaps that's why the glint in his eye is gone. Perhaps… perhaps that's why he lost to Hashirama".

"That's exactly what we think too" Ino tells Sarada, "The glint in his eye is gone. He still does the same things and he is determined, but he lacks the spirit he used to have".

"I didn't know Naruto like the rest of you during my youth" Temari explains, "But I still agree, that noisy child who kept running forward has changed".

"But aren't we better off with this Naruto?" Sarada asks, "Isn't he more aware of his surroundings. Isn't this just him improving with experience?".

"No" this time Choji answers, "He hasn't improved due to experience, coming to the future has made him weaker".

"Weaker? How could he be weaker?" Sarada asks, "I admit the fire he once had may be gone, but he keeps on fighting the same way regardless. He is stronger than ever, and he is still never giving up, so he…".

"It's not that he's given up! Since coming to the future, Naruto hasn't suffered much compared to his youth. He spent years alone as a child, years of being scorned by the village but he always kept moving forward" Shikamaru explains, "He felt so much pain but always remained the same, unchanging, until now. Now he is like a different person. He is the responsible adult many expected him to become, not the mad man with a dream, not the man who saved us".

"Maybe you're right, but what do you want me to do about it? I'm only Naruto's student. I can't turn back the clock and make him dream again can I? How could anyone be a dreamer after they have been betrayed so many times?".

A silence falls around the pond as the members of Naruto's generation consider how much of this is their fault. When the Hokage first came to the future, they should have explained things better, they should have helped them more. As it stands Hashirama betrayed them because nobody could protect Mito. Boruto betrayed them because none of them realised his suffering early enough. Shikadai, Inojin and ChouChou betrayed them and their parents hadn't realised at all. How much of this could they have prevented? Is it their fault that Naruto has changed?

"I don't know what you can do to reverse this effect" Shikamaru confesses, "But you are one of the four needed for the attack on Furst. You can stall for time, Sarada. You can stall until someone can figure out how to fix Naruto. Otherwise, when we attack Furst, we will all die".

Sarada has no idea of just how strong Furst Jonas truly is, but she can only imagine that his power is terrifying. Naruto is the one they will be relying upon to defeat him. It's bad luck, but if Naruto isn't at one-hundred percent then Shikamaru's prediction will probably come true. If something doesn't change drastically, they will all die.

"I don't think Naruto will appreciate me stalling for time".

"He won't, but you have to do it anyway" Ino says.

"Naruto will question you without doubt, he may even become angry with you, but we can sort that out later" Kiba says, "But we need to figure out how to help him now, otherwise we will never have back the Naruto of old".

"… so, we have to fix him, or we die?".

"That's right".

Sarada holds her head in her hands, the village has never faced a situation like this before, but Naruto is truly one of a kind. Normally, the village would go into a battle regardless of this, but this time is different. This time there is no going back if they fail. The entire shinobi-military alliance is going to be held back to address the morale of a single soldier. How has something like this come to her? She is no doctor, she has no qualifications to help fix Naruto's mind. Is it even possible?

After a minute of thought, Sarada can only come up with one solution to Naruto's problem. There is only one person who can help Naruto in this situation.

That person is Naruto himself.

"I have a plan, but it's dangerous. It may well endanger the lives of every single fighter we have" Sarada explains. "Are you sure it's worth it to risk the lives of everyone, just so we can get the old Naruto back?".

"We came here ready to die for the Village Sarada, that hasn't changed".

Sarada nods.

"In that case I know who I need to speak to".

 **That Night**

Near the middle of the camp is a neutral zone, where people from all three factions can in theory congregate. It is this area that the medical tent has been assembled, along with several other key facilities. As time has elapsed the bond between shinobi and captains has only increased. From the first time they came together as a make-shift alliance, Lara's subordinates have also become more approachable to both their military comrades and those from the Hidden Leaf.

However, this area is now playing host to a group of people stood together to discuss their common goal.

This is the Circle.

"Alright, let's start" Shikamaru claps his hands together. Following the betrayal of his son, he is now the Circle's official administrator. "I want to thank you all for coming here. This may be one of the Circle's final assemblies".

"I would like to make a point of order" Elliot interrupts Shikamaru, "Those two stood with you are not members of the Circle unless my memory fails me".

The duo in question are Ino and Choji, each doing their best to remain calm and show no signs of the anonymous conversation they had previously. It is as Shino said, whether it is the three of them or Sarada, nobody can give away their plan to take drastic action. As always though, Elliot is a man who follows the rules and his objection is technically correct. He is a fearsome man to have disagreeing with you.

"Ino and Choji are Shikamaru's teammates" Naruto explains, "Ino-Shika-Cho is a formidable team that has been the strategic core of the village for generations. They are here to help us plan the assassination".

Choji sighs with relief before smiling. Elliot is most certainly someone that they should avoid offending, but Naruto's presence overrules that. Whether or not the Uzumaki is the same man he used to be, he is still the most reliable person in the whole village.

"I can accept their presence" Elliot says, "But what about her".

The members of the Circle follow Elliot's finger, pointing between Lara and Naruto, coming to rest on another non-member in attendance. This particular attendee is Sarutobi Mirai.

"Mirai may be powerful" Elliot admits, "But she is not a part of the Circle, further to that she should be…".

"Shut up!" Lara demands of her second-in-command.

"Lara?".

"She was with me in the medical tent when I received an invitation to this meeting. I decided to bring her along" Lara explains, "She is the leader of the pocket-worlds' military. I am the leader of Homeworld's military. I thought she would be useful, is that a problem?".

"… I rescind my objection" Elliot says.

Still, Elliot is taken aback by this turn of events. Lara has been becoming more social, for whatever reason. This change seemed to have been effective in fighting against Carmen. However, Elliot was not under the impression that there was anything fundamental behind it. He believed that Lara was just playing nice to defeat Carmen. He understands her begrudging respect for Naruto and Sarada, but for Mirai? She thinks Mirai would be useful? This is a respect Lara has not shown a fellow warrior since he has known her.

"If we could come to the point" Clyde groans, "I would like to tell you all what we're up against. After all, I am the only one amongst us who has ever met Furst Jonas".

Hiruzen interjects with a question. "If Furst and Lara have never met, how was he able to select her over you as the head of the military?".

"He's heard the reports of her accomplishments. He's probably seen projections or images of her. He's just never bothered to meet her in person, he considers the military a bit below him".

"He considers you below him?" Minato asks incredulously.

"Frankly we are below him, it's important to remember that Lara and I are the strongest members the military has" Clyde admits. "Despite our strength we cannot attack Furst head on, that would be suicidal. I saw him personally through chance, through lucky circumstances, but he had no desire to see me at the time. Compared to Furst Jonas, we are all nothing".

"Is the gap between us and him so great?" Tsunade wonders.

"The former emperor Endou Akashi championed us in the great war that consumed this entire land, he was the hero of the empire" Clyde explains, "He couldn't resist Furst, a man of strength on another level. It's said that with enough numbers on your side, you can kill someone on a greater level than your own. That's how we managed to defeat Carmen".

"It only took four of us" Naruto says.

"Four geniuses" Elliot counters.

Naruto looks at Clyde who nods in reply. It's perhaps easy to forget the scale of their talents. Clyde and Lara were both taken into a class of geniuses when they were students at the academy, both of them excelled and were at the top of the class. Naruto and Sarada both obtained the greatest power possible in the pocket-world they were born in, then they went on to comprehend double-transcendent elements. The four of them are exceptionally rare people as Elliot suggests. They weren't just battling Carmen with numbers.

"I doubt there are enough people, genius or otherwise, to kill Furst Jonas in a straight-up fight" Clyde sighs.

"You're being an idiot" Lara barks at her fellow general, "Of course there are enough people in the world, but gathering them all together would be impossible. That's why an assassination is our only chance".

"Is that a chance at all?" Tobirama asks. "It sounds like we're praying for a miracle".

"We are" Clyde admits with a shrug of his shoulders. "You shouldn't be confused. We will almost certainly fail. We're only doing this for one reason. This is the only time we have ever dared to pray for that miracle".

The Hokage in the room re-evaluate just how incredible Naruto and Sarada are. The population of Homeworld is supposed to be much greater than theirs. Yet in all these years, Homeworld has never produced a warrior they were willing to bet on. There is no warrior who hoped they could defeat Furst. Now Naruto and Sarada are warriors who people are praying for. That is a huge step forward.

"To cast a darker shadow on this plan, if we ail then teleportation won't be much help" Minato explains, "There are too many people to take away, even with three teleporters amongst us".

Lara nods. "Even if we could take everyone away, there would be no time for planning, we would scatter all over the place in a panic. Furst could pick us off one by one".

"Now's not the time to think about that" Shikamaru declares.

"What did you just say pocket-worlder?".

"You four shouldn't even be considering what would happen if you fail, you should only be thinking about victory" Shikamaru continues, "Relax, this may seem impossible, but this is the perfect team for any assassination. The range of talents and abilities we have here is ideal, especially if our attack is well thought through".

"Then you think it's possible Shikamaru" Naruto asks.

"I believe that if we all work together, we can attack Furst from every direction at once. I believe we can show him our full united strength and give him no warning whatsoever".

To all those present, Shikamaru's thought-process sounds very promising.

Shikamaru makes his conclusion.

"I believe that we can kill Furst Jonas".


	147. The Worst Betrayal

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – THE WORST BETRAYAL**

 **In the Shinobi-Military Alliance's Camp**

Naruto and his father stand looking over the surroundings having just discussed the ways their scouts are operating. Truthfully, not much is happening in the camp, just the formalities. Scouts are making sure that they are not going to be found. Small groups are organising the required resources. Time just slowly plods along as Naruto, Sarada, Clyde and Lara all wait for Shikamaru to formulate a plan for them, but that is all they can do. They simply wait.

"What do you think of this place dad?".

"As I understand it this place was picked by the previous emperor, Endou Akashi. I'm not a fan of the artificial light, but other than that I can understand his decision. It's idyllic, almost perfect in every way".

"Yeah, I've never exactly liked flowers too much, but I agree, just look at this place".

Minato glances at his son and instantly understands that something is wrong. They are nearing the end of their path one way or another. Whether they can defeat Furst or not, this will be the end. At a critical time like this it is normal for people to reflect on their path, but it seems out of place for Naruto. Just hearing about Naruto's past, Minato had always believed that he would keep running forward, even at a time like this.

"Is something wrong, Naruto?".

"Nothing's wrong. I just didn't imagine that I would spend my final days in a place like this" Naruto explains, "We're in Furst's lair now, I pictured that it would be darker, that it would be filled with evil".

"Furst probably doesn't realise that he is evil" Minato replies, "He is just following a twisted ideology that makes other people suffer. And Naruto, it's too early for you to talk about your final days yet, you're going to win aren't you? You're going to restore peace to both these worlds, then we're all going home together".

Naruto nods. That's right, he can't fail now can he? All he must do is keep moving forward as he has done. Just don't give up and everything will be OK.

"I'm glad we could spend this time together dad. I never met you when I was a kid, you sacrificed your life to save mine, but I'm glad that I can do it now instead".

"Yes, I'm happy that I was able to meet you too, Naruto".

Minato says this without even thinking, but then as he looks at his son, he gets to thinking about his significance. Since being brought forward in time, Naruto has become the centrepiece of the entire village. All the movement has focused around him. Clyde changed his path because of Naruto. Naruto was the one who created another hope for Lara. Naruto was the one who acted as inspiration for Sarada. Naruto was the pivot for Hashirama's betrayal. Minato considers the importance of his son and cannot truly comprehend it. Naruto's significance is great both in the pocket world and here in Homeworld. Perhaps, he is the most important pocket-worlder to have ever been born.

Minato isn't just happy to have met Naruto, he is honoured.

 **Mirai's Tent**

Mirai walks through the door of her tent and sits down on the single chair that she has been afforded. She takes a deep breath of air and rests her head in her hands, lamenting the situation. She is the leader of the Hidden Leaf military, a mighty warrior with power greater than several of the Hokage she serves. Yet, as the Hidden Leaf prepares for the greatest battle it has ever seen, she waits in the knowledge that she is powerless to make any difference.

Mirai lifts her head back up, concluding that since she can't do anything else, it would be just as well to get some sleep.

But then Lara appears.  
Lara teleports, putting herself right in front of Mirai.

"Ah!" Mirai shouts, almost falling back off her chair.

Lara simply stares questioningly at Mirai.

"Don't do that, you scared the life out of me" Mirai says, "You can't just teleport into people's living quarters, I'm entitled to some privacy aren't I?".

"Shut up!" Lara barks bluntly, "You should be grateful for a visitor, nobody wants to spend their last days alone".

Mirai sighs once again, to hear it said is never pleasant. What if these truly are her last days? Has she done everything that she wanted with her life? If they fail, has she done enough? Will she be able to fight during her last moments without regret? Or has she failed, was her life pointless? Did she live for the sake of living? As all these questions pass through her mind, she looks to her company and asks the very same questions.

"You're a fine one to talk aren't you? You've shut people out for years".

"That's because everyone asks stupid questions and makes stupid statements" Lara declares, somewhat untruthfully, "I'm paying you a compliment by being here, you're only a local talking to a general you know".

Mirai laughs sarcastically. "I'm sorry mighty general, what good deed have I committed to merit the honour of your visit".

"Shut up!".

Silence descends upon them and Mirai uses the opportunity to asses the situation. Just what is going on? Lara doesn't pay visits to locals without an agenda, it's not in her nature. Is there some kind of ulterior motive for her being here, is she a spy? Surely not, her actions would have made her a terrible spy. Mirai can only ask.

"… what do you want Lara?".

Lara takes a deep breath and answers.

"You're the only shinobi I can stomach. So, I came here to…" she hesitates before continuing, "I came here to ask if you wanted to have a drink with my team".

"Seriously?".

"Fine, if you don't want to then I'll drink without…".

"No" Mirai cuts the general off, "No, don't go back alone. If you want me to come with you I will".

Not waiting for any further exchange of words or any explanation, Lara grabs hold of Mirai's shoulder, teleporting the two of them to the mess she left a few moments prior. Here a large group of captains, a few colonels and a couple of generals drink merrily, most of them paying very little attention to the arrival of their general. At this point their fear of her has disappeared, for they all fear that they will soon die anyway. Lara's anger is nothing compared to the enmity of Furst Jonas.

"So, what exactly do you drink in this world?" Mirai asks as she sits down at a vacant table she assumes to be Lara's.

"Don't ask" Lara replies, "If I told you how we make it you wouldn't want to drink it. Just drink it. Be careful, it's quite strong".

Mirai watches as Lara goes over to a cabinet and opens it to show several bottles. The general takes one of the ones from near the top and pours it into a couple of large glasses. Out from the bottleneck comes a blue liquid, which fizzes slightly as it hits the bottom of the glass. The semi-transparent drink settles after a couple of seconds and Lara brings over the two glasses, along with the bottle.

Mirai taps her glass against Lara's and takes a swig of the alien drink.

"Wow" she says, "It's certainly got a distinct taste hasn't it?".

"You should try something from an inner-city establishment, that would make this stuff seem familiar to a pocket-worlder".

Nearby, General Elliot watches his superior intently, leaning over to have a quick word with Blackburn and Brooks.

"Blackburn, Brooks, what do you make of this?".

"Make of what?" Blackburn asks, perhaps inhibited by his drink.

"Lara you fool" Brooks groans, "She's socialising! With a pocket-worlder no less"..

"It's a good thing" Blackburn declares dismissively, "Don't worry about it and just have some fun".

With his abrupt final word on the subject spoken, Blackburn walks over to a group of colonels who usually work under him and strikes up conversation about the times they have enjoyed together in the past. The morality of conquering pocket worlds is secondary to him, while he won't do it anymore, he thoroughly enjoyed the challenge some locals gave him at the time.

"You should keep a close eye on her Elliot" Brooks continues, "The last thing we want is to take Lara's edge away from her now".

"I'm well aware of that Brooks".

"Then will you have a word with Lara?".

Elliot gazes at Mirai, the adversary he once battled to determine the fate of the pocket world. Mirai is the only local to have ever defeated him after many years of invading pocket worlds. Lastly, Mirai is to the Hidden Leaf Village what Lara is to Homeworld, perhaps there is something to be gained by them working together.

"I'll just observe for now" Elliot declares, "I'll step in when I have evidence that this is weakening her".

"Just be sure that you do, all our lives are at stake here".

 **By the Pond**

Sarada paces around the pond, occasionally looking up into the sky only to see the great arching dome above her. The time has come to put her plan into action, a drastic plan that could endanger the entire village. Minato's assessment of Naruto's importance is correct, without him there is no way Furst will be defeated. That's why even if everyone else must put themselves in danger, they need to find a way to make him that little bit stronger.

"Sarada, are you alright?".

Sarada looks to her side and sees that she has been joined by Himawari, just as she requested.

"Ah Himawari, it's good that you're here. I was hoping to look up and see some stars, during the final days" Sarada admits, "When we beat Furst I hope Clyde will insist that this dome goes. It ruins the purity of the night".

"Can you see through the dome with your rinnegan?".

"Maybe, but I would have liked to see the stars normally, one last time".

"You could always try to blow a hole in the dome?".

Sarada laughs. "No, this thing is way too strong. None of us could do that".

"Shame…".

Himawari has long since realised that she is now weak, living in the world of the mighty. This dome was likely constructed by thousands of people far stronger than her. Each of them likely answered to a supervisor who was absolutely terrifying to them. Each supervisor likely answered to a being near the top of this world who in turn terrified them. Compared to that large chain of increasingly powerful people, Himawari knows that she is very small.

Sarada uses her powers of 'creation' to create a couple of wooden rocking chairs.

"Himawari, will you sit with me?".

"Of course".

The two of them sit down and lean back, taking the opportunity to relax as people all over the camp have been doing. Just sitting there together, the two friends feel that the weight of the world is removed from their shoulders. Despite Himawari knowing that they will probably all die, she relaxes. Despite Sarada knowing the tremendous difficulty of the plan she is about to execute, she relaxes.

"Why did you want to meet with me in private?" Himawari asks, "You know you don't need to keep any secrets from my family right?".

"I know that".

"Is there something you want to tell me that dad shouldn't hear? I know mom wouldn't tell him if we told her it was important".

"No, it's not that Himawari. I just wanted to spend some time with you near the end. You're one of the closest people I have left. You're like a sister to me".

"Yes".

Unfortunately, Sarada's last comment brings up the elephant in the room, a constant source of tension in their conversations. The man who brought the two of them closer together isn't here. He has betrayed their cause in favour of much deadlier and treacherous one.

"I know that it hurts you just as much as me that Boruto isn't here fighting with us right now" Sarada declares.

"It hurts a lot" Himawari admits. "But we have dad and we have you here fighting for us. I feel pretty happy with that for now".

"Maybe, but the psychological impact of losing Boruto and Hashirama has hurt us. They both represent the type of person who thinks just like my master does. However, the two of them have reached a different conclusion, and that's why it hurt Naruto a lot that they betrayed us".

"And do you think that will affect our chances of success?".

"I think the pain has hurt our odds, I think it has particularly hurt your father. It may be what ends up causing us to fail".

Himawari shudders at Sarada's brutal assessment. Between them any sense of optimism is gone. Sarada may be the only person who could ever make Himawari doubt her father's ability to succeed, and she has just done that. The Uzumaki clanswomen understood that Naruto had been damaged by the betrayals, but she never understood just how much of an impact that had, until now. If Sarada's assessment is accurate, then it's a total disaster.

"Do you have a way to help him move on?" Himawari asks hopefully.

"… no" Sarada mutters. "Right now the risk is about to be consumed by risk and uncertainty. He is the only one who can protect us. That's why you need to stand by him Himawari. You're his daughter and he can't deal with this without your help".

"Of course we'll stick by him, won't we?".

Sarada sighs. "I'm afraid I won't be able to do that Himawari".

Nearby, something rocks on the ground, causing Himawari to turn around and look. The noise keeps happening every two or three seconds and while Himawari gets up to investigate Sarada doesn't move from the spot. Himawari slowly approaches the source of the noise, a large wooden box, human sized, almost like a coffin.

Terrified of what may be in the box, Himawari looks back at Sarada. Sarada doesn't return the glance though, remaining silent as Himawari continues.

Himawari opens the wooden box and discovers exactly who is contained inside.

It's Tsunade.

The 5th Hokage's movement is heavily restricted by a binding material. Himawari quickly realises that if even Tsunade can't break through it then it must be something terrifyingly strong. She also realises that only one person could 'create' such a material.

Himawari turns back to look at Sarada. The 9th Hokage raises her hand and uses 'creation' to bind Himawari as well.

Himawari falls to the ground, unable to move. "Sarada, what are you doing?".

"I'm sorry Himawari, I'm afraid you can't do anything about this, it needs to happen" Sarada explains. "This is for the good of the village, I promise that I am being selfless".

"What have you done Sarada?".

The last Uchiha activates her rinnegan, turning and looking over her shoulder to see if everything is moving according to plan. She then confirms the deadly truth to Himawari with two words that would echo in her mind.

"… they're here…".

"Sarada, what are you talking about, whose coming, what have you done?".

Himawari can only assume the worst for as she struggles helplessly within her bonds. What possible reason would Sarada have for restraining Tsunade like this? Did Tsunade find out something that Sarada was keeping secret? Does Sarada have some secret that would be devastating if it came out. Surely there is no motivation for capturing another Hokage, surely Sarada would never resort to such a thing.

Then a cry for help makes things clear.

"It's Lord 1st!".

Himawari activates her byakugan and watches as dozens of attacks all launch from the camp. Whether it is divine energy or chakra, it is hurled in the same direction with a single-minded will to stop the target from attacking. It seems to do no good though as the attacks continue to fly.

Himawari can see the specifics though. Hashirama has arrived and is protecting himself with a shield of 'death'. He is protecting himself and Boruto.

The two 'death' using warriors are heading in her direction.

"Remember the agreement Boruto" Hashirama tells his student, "We will not fight back against them".

"I know".

Unfortunately, it is a show of powerlessness on the part of the allied forces as they work together to try and force Hashirama back, yet their dozens of combined attacks do nothing to him.

Boruto activates his tenseigan to assure himself that Sarada is where he has expected her to be. She is. Using this information, the two of them continue to converge on Sarada, Himawari and Tsunade at an even greater speed than previously.

Sarada walks over to Himawari, resting a gentle hand atop her head. "Look after him, Himawari. Alright?".

"Sarada, you won't…".

Sarada doesn't listen to Himawari's speech, knocking her out with a single blow to the rear of the head.

Hashirama and Boruto continue to advance towards Sarada, moving more quickly now. Their speed is so great that not even the colonels trying to attack them can keep up. The two of them run and run until they enter the clearing with the pond, standing opposite Sarada and a bound Tsunade. Now there is nothing standing between them and what they have come for. At least for a moment.

Moving so quick that a gust of wind accompanies him, Naruto positions himself alongside Sarada, in front of the two newcomers.

"Stop! Boruto, Hashirama, what do you think you're doing here?".

"This matter doesn't concern you, father".

"Don't tell me that it doesn't concern the Hokage when you attack his people" Naruto replies with disgust, "But, you must have lost your mind. Don't you realise that you're outmatched? There is no way you two alone could fight your way through the entire allied group".

"We are not outmatched, Naruto" Hashirama counters, "I'm afraid it is you who is outmatched. Do you have her with you?".

The question stuns Naruto. "What are you…".

"I have her" Sarada answers, interrupting Naruto.

Naruto looks back at Sarada in horror as Sarada lifts a bound Tsunade from a human-sized wooden box. As far as he can tell, Sarada has taken Tsunade prisoner and she is cooperating with Hashirama and Boruto.

"Remember the deal" Sarada says, "Nobody here must be hurt so long as Tsunade and I come with you".

"Yes, that is the deal" Hashirama replies.

Naruto is too stunned to react initially. Surely this cannot be happening. Sarada's loyalty is perhaps the loyalty he was most certain of. She has agreed with him wholeheartedly right from the start. His way of thinking is one that she strived to emulate, his way one she vowed to follow. What could possibly have happened to make her do this?

"Sarada, you're betraying us, you can't be serious".

"I'm buying the village's freedom with my betrayal, I'm afraid that's the only way to save you from certain death".

"Why? We could have fought them together. We can still win this fight, you don't need to do this".

Sarada sighs. "I'm afraid there is more to it than that master. I've been searching my soul for a long time now and I can't continue to fight against Boruto like this. I don't want to betray you, but I should be fighting with Boruto, not against him. I'm sorry, but I can't fight him any longer".

Sarada, with Tsunade in her grasp, begins to move from Naruto's side, walking over to Hashirama and Boruto, symbolically demonstrating that her loyalty has changed.

"Wait!".

The now-three powerful traitors stop to look at Naruto. His head lowered, the almighty 7th Hokage now appears so lonely, however, there is a slight growl in his voice that shows his state of mind. Whatever Naruto is about to say, it's clear that this exchange is not over yet.

"Your betrayal doesn't make any sense to me, but it's your decision" Naruto declares, before pointing at Sarada. "But, as the 7th Hokage, I cannot let you take the 5th Hokage with you".

Sarada herself a moment to process those words before grinning to herself.

"Do you think that you can stop me, master?".

Naruto doesn't answer, instead he summons the 'life' energy from within his inner world. 'Life' energy courses out of the giant tablet and then out through his skin, condensing just outside his body. Using this enhancing power, he leaps towards Sarada with tremendous speed.

Simultaneously, Sarada, Hashirama and Boruto all attack Naruto using their respective elements of 'creation', 'death' and 'death'. The instantaneous counter-attack is one of such tremendous power that even Naruto is pushed back uncontrollably, bouncing twice of the surface of the pond before hitting a tree on the opposite side. It is as Hashirama predicted, the 7th Hokage is helplessly outmatched.

"Don't be a fool Naruto, this is a fight you can't win" Hashirama explains.

"You couldn't beat my master when he was alone" Boruto adds, "How do you now hope to defeat all three of us".

Arriving at Hashirama's side, Sarada hands her captive over to him and turns to look back at her former ally, doing her best not to show any sympathy or remorse, no matter how much of it she may feel. A helpless Naruto, it's not a sight that she or Boruto ever wanted to see.

"Let's go" Sarada says.

With that said, Boruto and Hashirama each leap away, leaving just the master and student for a moment.

"Why Sarada?" Naruto asks one final time, "Tell me honestly, why are you doing this? Let me help you".

Sarada hangs her head, as if from shame. She forces herself once again to show no remorse.

"I'm sorry Naruto, you're on your own now".

With that said, Sarada leaves. For Naruto, it is the worst betrayal of them all.


	148. The Traitors' Plan

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – THE TRAITORS' PLAN**

 **In the Camp**

Shikamaru sits perched on the stump of a fallen tree. One knee raised, he uses it as a rest for his elbow as his hand cradles his head, his mind in deep thought. Recent events aren't totally against his expectations, but he had failed to foresee the unusual anxiety that consumes him. It now seems that there is almost no chance that the assassination on Furst will move ahead successfully.

"Yo".

Shikamaru turns his neck to the side, seeing who has come to visit him. He had been expecting a member of his own generation but instead finds that it is Mirai and Shinki. Frankly he finds himself slightly relieved to speak to members of the younger generation, people that he can give council to using his supreme intelligence. Weighing up the probabilities makes it easy to give honest advice, but someone with such a great mind can never truly dismiss the consequences of failure.

"Hello Mirai. Hello Shinki" he says slowly, "How are the two of you coping with the whole situation?".

"I think the two of us are coping fine, but that isn't really what's important here is it? The moving pieces in this situation make us look rather powerless" Mirai answers.

"Yes, I suppose they do".

"May we have a seat?".

Shikamaru nods, shuffling forward so that the three of them can share the small stump. They sit in a triangle, their backs pressing gently against one another as they stare semi-vacantly into the space before them.

"So, please go ahead" Shikamaru sighs, "I know that you have something you want to ask".

"What do we do now?" asks the Kazekage.

"Nothing" comes the answer, "There is nothing we can do without Sarada's help".

"Nothing?".

"If I'm honest, the plan had a one in a million chance of working even when she was willing to work with us. Now that she is against us, it will be impossible for us to kill Furst Jonas. There is only one hope, Naruto must become stronger".

Shinki groans, "Become even stronger, what are the odds of that?".

Mirai makes her estimate. "Given how quick training divine energy is that could mean that we have to wait 20 years, even with Naruto's talents".

"Exactly" Shikamaru finishes.

It truly is as hopeless as it seems. Naruto took two world-consuming wars and twenty years of fighting experience to break through and come to understand the first of his element's three tiers. Given the trajectory of a normal student, it would probably take him at least the same time again to advance to the next tier. Indeed, unless the situation changes they are hoping against the odds.

In these situations Shikamaru used to feel defiant, like this didn't matter. There was always a feeling of inevitability about the situation. That was because Naruto would take another step. Naruto would fix things. He always does.

"We can't wait another twenty years" Shinki notes, "We will have to leave the imperial palace and head back through the portal".

"Naruto's just lost his student. Do you honestly think he will agree to retreat now?".

Shinki has the least experience dealing with the 7th Hokage amongst the trio but fears that he well knows the answer to that question. "No, I suppose that he will keep pressing forward no matter what".

"Right now all we can do is hold our breath, watch Naruto, and see what happens".

 **A Tent, In Lara's Part of the Camp**

A small round table sits in the centre of the room with five people sat around it. As per usual, Lara has the same generals in her inner circle. She trusts the judgement of General Elliot, the second-in-command of her forces. She trusts the judgement of General Brooks, the genius who understood her element as merely a child. And she trusts the judgement of General Blackburn, the man with a heart for battle.

However, today Lara has admitted a fourth advisor to this discussion. Mirai has joined them and has brought news of the Hidden Leaf's position.

"He's the best thinker we have, and he doesn't believe that we stand a chance without Sarada's help" Mirai summarises her previous conversation.

"He's probably right" Brooks shrugs, "It's not like we stood much of a chance before anyway. It was only a dim light of hope that has been extinguished".

In spite of Brooks tough language, Mirai can see the sadness in her eyes. Perhaps it is because she still appears to be a child, perhaps it is because she has come so far, but it appears so obvious. These hardened warriors once attacked Mirai's world, they once tried to kill all her friends. Now as she looks at them as comrades and understands the struggles they have been through in this land, she feels more pity than she ever thought possible.

"Alright Brooks, we get it!" Lara snaps, "The assassination attempt is off, but can't you look at the bigger picture?".

"The bigger picture?" Blackburn repeats his boss, "What is she talking about Brooks?".

"How should I know?".

"If you two would shut up for a moment, I will tell you" Lara impatiently snaps once again. "The problem is now that Naruto has a clear route towards an even stronger following than before. Now he could hand us over to Hashirama, we would be a peace offering for their truce".

Lara returns to her seat.

"I get it" Blackburn loudly says, "If he does that all four of the strongest shinobi would be united once again".

"Exactly" Lara nods, her voice now a lot quieter, "The odds of assassinating Furst would be even greater than they were before. Naruto would only have to work with the temporarily, he could worry about doing the right thing after killing Furst. The only people he would need to sacrifice are those who invaded his home".

Lara summarises the situation grimly.  
"He only needs to sacrifice a group of murderers, then he has a good chance of saving both our worlds".

Elliot has worked with Lara for many years now. Since leaving the academy and joining the military full-time he has been her subordinate. He was reputed for his work-ethic, for his neatness and tidiness and his ability to keep to the rules. A ruthless leader, someone mentioned in the same sentences as Generals Lara and Clyde.

Elliot has worked with Lara for many years now. Since leaving the academy and joining the military full-time he has been her subordinate. He was reputed for his work-ethic, for his neatness and tidiness and his ability to keep to the rules. A ruthless leader, someone mentioned in the same sentences as Generals Lara and Clyde. In all that time, he never saw Lara truly struggle with anything like this right now. This is even more scary to him than the risky assassination that they were going to perform.

Elliot doesn't know what to say to Lara.

But to his surprise, Mirai confidently places a hand on Lara's shoulder and smiles to her.

"You guys don't need to worry about it. Lord 7th is working on a plan even now. He won't turn you over, you have my word" Mirai says reassuringly, "Besides, your teleportation will be key to any plan Shikamaru develops. We couldn't do this without you and Clyde".

"… well I guess so…".

Elliot watches on dumfounded. A former adversary of Lara's found the words to calm her down? Just who is this Sarutobi Mirai?

 **Outside the Uzumaki Tent**

Naruto sits on the floor, his legs crossed and surrounded by his family. This is a time of great stress for them all, but amongst it all, in the back of his mind he is thinking. What will he do to get out of this mess. How will he rise above this latest challenge? It certainly seems like an insurmountable obstacle right now, but it definitely is if he gives up.

"She betrayed us. I really just don't get it you know, her taking Tsunade like that" he says sadly, "It's just not like Sarada, I can't picture what would drive her to it".

"Don't let it get to you" Hinata says, patting her fiancé twice on the shoulder, "You can come back from this Naruto. You can come back from anything as long as you keep moving forward, that's what I think".

" _She's right Naruto, just keep going"_ Kurama urges Naruto from his inner world.

"I know" he replies them both, "I'll keep going, of course I'll keep going. But, it just doesn't make any sense to me. Didn't she believe in not giving up and holding true to the end?".

"Perhaps she disagreed with the path we decided to walk" Kushina suggests.

"Isn't our path the path of never giving up?" Naruto asks.

"I don't know Naruto. Perhaps she decided working with Lara yet shunning Boruto wasn't the right thing to do".

Naruto racks his brains for a moment, is that what he is doing? Is he refusing to work with his son because he wants to work with someone who once tried to kill his family? Is he in the wrong here? No, surely not, it is as if the whole world is trying to drive him mad. He chose peace and harmony to begin with, isn't it everyone else who made the decision to go against that? Should peace be sacrificed in the name of democracy?

"It wasn't a choice of Boruto or Lara" Naruto says, his frustration clear, "It was a choice between pursuing our goals or giving up. We were striving for peace, but she stopped!".

"Sometimes it is hard to strive for peace when it would mean the destruction of your family" Kushina declares.

Naruto wonders if that is what they all believe he is doing. Is he destroying his family by pursuing his goals too aggressively. Would everything go smoother if he just did as he was told? Surely that wouldn't be right? If that is what people want though who is he to deny them, isn't it his duty to fight for the principles of the Hidden Leaf Village?

"No, it doesn't matter" Naruto declares, "All that matters is that I keep moving forward, I thought she understood that too".

Hinata nods, "It looks like we never knew here at all".

"Did she ever even hint at betraying you Naruto?" his father asks.

"Not once".

Minato shakes his head. Having heard all the possible reasons for Sarada's betrayal he is still not satisfied. "She was always loyal to you in the circle. She was the only one who agreed with you when it came to the Lara problem. She was the first to try and convince the rest of us that we were wrong".

"Yeah, that was her alright, my very own student" Naruto says.

Himawari speaks up for the first time since the incident. "Dad, if she was thinking about betraying you before, why do it now? It would have been easier to work with Hashirama and Boruto to defeat Carmen, wouldn't it?".

They all go silent and consider what Himawari has said. It's true, absolutely true. The four mighty shinobi are all on a higher level than Clyde and Lara. If three of them were to work together defeating Carmen would have been much easier. They would be able to work together as a more cohesive team, integrating shinobi techniques and combinations into the battle would have been easier. This is the most nonsensical point to betray them, and Sarada is a very intelligent shinobi. That can only mean that she made the decision to switch allegiances after moving inside the Imperial Palace.

"The whole thing feels wrong to me, I just can't work out what's going on" Naruto admits, "Oh well, I'll just keep putting one foot in front of the other".

"But what do we do now?" Kushina asks, "Do we spend the rest of our lives impoverished, wandering this world?".

"I'll defeat Furst" Naruto announces.

"We're not going to attempt the assassination now are we? It would be pointless!".

"I can't just give up!" Naruto shouts loudly.

Kushina goes silent, her son's unwavering determination almost intimidating her. The will to push forward without the conviction to back it up is truly frightening. It can make someone look like a machine, it can make them look unstoppable, but it can also make them look like a zombie, it can make them look like they have stopped thinking.

"You can't win either" Minato says bluntly, "Delaying our assault is not the same thing as giving up".

"It is the same! It's giving up and admitting that something isn't possible" Naruto declares, "This assassination is possible and if it's impossible then I will do it anyway. Barriers have always been put in front of me, I've never failed to smash through them yet".

"… OK…".

Kushina turns to her granddaughter. "Himawari, you were the last person Sarada spoke to before she betrayed us. Did she tell you why she was doing it?"

Himawari shakes her head gently and nervously. "She said a lot of strange things that didn't make sense. Taking Tsunade is so unlike her. She said she thought of me as a sister and that I…".

"That you…" Naruto prompts his daughter to continue.

"She said that I stand with you, no matter what".

"We will" Hinata says.

That is something they can all readily agree on. They will stick together. No matter what.

 **Elsewhere Inside the Imperial Palace**

Sarada quickly spots her intended destination. She follows Hashirama and Boruto to their own encampment within these walls, the former of whom is dragging Tsunade with him. The camp is obvious, anyone could see it if they were to look in the right place. Largely dark coloured canvases cover the people who follow Hashirama, likely made from the same material as their poorly-crafted cloaks.

Sarada lands and is surprised by how friendly and happy these people all seem. When she looked at them as enemies they seemed absolutely terrifying, virtually silent yet endlessly deadly. It seems that is façade though, and that the moment they enter battle they focus with such precision and determination that they do not even speak to one another. These people are professional fighters, not to be messed with and very much to be respected.

From amongst this force, the familiar face of a bearded man emerges. This is the man who once took Boruto away. This is Tao Ma.

"Well, I am amazed that your plan worked so well Lord Hokage" he says.

"It went exactly as planned Tao Ma. My granddaughter is of course here with us and in addition to that we have another mighty warrior who has joined our ranks. Perhaps she is the finest leader our village has ever had".

"You praise me too much" Sarada says, "I will always believe that the greatest Hokage is Uzumaki Naruto".

While Boruto doesn't doubt it Hashirama detects just a hint of challenge in the voice of his new ally. Is her generations devotion to the teachings of Naruto really so great? Is she really so determined that he would never do anything wrong? Never mind, it matters little to him if she is fighting for the right cause now.

"You are very modest Lord 9th" Tao Ma replies.

"It's good to meet you properly this time, Tao Ma. My name is Uchiha Sarada".

"Indeed. We have had a very combative past Ms Uchiha. I hope that we can put our disagreements behind us now that you and I are allies".

Sarada scowls at her 'ally'. "You took my fiancé away from me and made me think he was dead. I would normally say it was impossible to forgive you, but if he is willing to do it I'm sure that I can as well".

"Excellent" the bearded man proclaims with a chuckle.

"Traitor!" the voice of the now awakened Tsunade comes from over Hashirama's shoulder. "Don't you dare proclaim yourself an admirer of Uzumaki Naruto or his ways. You betrayed him and through all his hard work away you…".

Hashirama begins to carry Tsunade away, not keen to discuss their family affairs in front of everyone else.

Sarada watches as Tsunade is carried away but has no chance to listen to the 5th's curses. Tao Ma offers to introduce her to some of their other allies. He introduces many of them and explains that they are the other victims of Homeworld's oppression. It seems to Sarada that everywhere she goes there is a tail of woe and misjustice. All that differs is who is blamed. Does the blame lie with the military, with Lara and Clyde? Or does the blame lay at the feet of Furst?

Around an hour later, Hashirama, Boruto, Tao Ma and Sarada meet to plan their strategy going forward. They are now operating from a position of strength, a strength greater than Naruto's group.

"How was your conversation" Boruto asks Hashirama.

"It's as I suspected" he declares, "She isn't willing to hear me out. Tsunade has no wish to understand the element of 'death'".

"That's regrettable".

"There are some things that those who have not experienced 'death' will never understand" Tao Ma says painfully, "They will never understand how cold it is, how much we suffer with each and every passing soul, how fatal the world truly is".

"I do not use 'death'" Sarada says.

"But you have experienced it" Boruto recalls, "It was my fault for exposing you to it when I almost killed you. During the captained-six contest, because I never told anyone about it, you were hit with 'death'. You understood the agony that I have lived with".

Sarada nods. "I remember. It was the most horrible thing I have ever felt".

"Lord Hokage, your granddaughter has never felt this, she has never experienced how it feels to touch a dying soul" Tao Ma explains, "Perhaps if you were to teach her the element, she would come to understand what you are trying to tell her".

"She has no desire to learn it. I spoke with her and…".

"None of us chose to learn 'death', we all learned another form of energy, one you refer to as 'natural chakra'" Tao Ma recalls, "'Death' was forced upon us by the reincarnation technique that the people of Homeworld developed to bring pocket-worlders back from the dead. We could use that on your granddaughter".

Boruto thinks it through. It fits. Tsunade struggled with her own weakness, especially after Dan's death. Their teammate Mitsuki helped her to get stronger by making several training recommendations, including learning sage mode. Tsunade is a sage, if the reincarnation technique were to be used on her, she would awaken the element of 'death'.

"That would be against her will" Sarada protests.

"Ultimately it would be a kindness if it means she and I could understand one another and fight together again" Hashirama counters.

Boruto and Tao Ma voice their agreement to this, leaving Sarada in an awkward position. As the only newcomer she has no choice but to agree with the three of them. She does have other concerns that she voices though.

"You know that Naruto will sense this right? He definitely will try and stop us".

"The last thing I want is an all-out conflict between myself and Naruto" Hashirama says.

Sarada finds this slightly curious. Hashirama has not hesitated to fight against Naruto for his beliefs on two previous occasions. Could it be that he has turned a corner and discovered a new side of his morality? Or is there a tactical reason he is becoming more reluctant to fight the 7th Hokage? Could it be that he is starting to become concerned that he might lose? Is Hashirama worried that Naruto will get stronger?

"The three of us could empower Tsunade together, far away from both camps" Sarada suggests, "We'll head south, back towards the secret entrance and do it there".

"My father is certain to come after us" Boruto says, "But if all three of us work together there is no way that he would be able to defeat us".

"Exactly" Sarada nods, "Not even Lord 7th could win three-on-one".

"… two-on-one…" Hashirama proclaims.

"Huh" Sarada starts, that doesn't sound good. If two of them are going to be fighting Naruto to the south, what is the other one going to be doing?

"The two of you will head south and deal with Tsunade and Naruto" Hashirama says while stroking his chin, "Tao Ma and I will head into their camp and finish off Clyde and Lara".

It is as Sarada feared, the compromise that she would always need to strike to side with Hashirama and Boruto.

"If Naruto were not there to fight us we could win the battle efficiently, avoiding any shinobi causalities" Tao Ma decides, "It's a good plan".

Hashirama continues. "We will get rid of the Homeworlders, help Tsunade to understand our cause and possibly force Naruto into an alliance with us once and for all".

Hashirama, Boruto and Tao Ma are all elated. Tao Ma did look at Naruto during his visit to the pocket world, he looked at him with awe. He had believed at the time he was looking at the single mightiest pocket worlder that had ever lived, and he had only started to scratch his potential. There was more to that pocket world though, there was Hashirama and Boruto, there was Sarada, that world was a real diamond. If he could unify and work together with all four of them, it would be a dream come true for his cause.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea" Sarada says, "Naruto won't enter into an alliance with us if we force 'death' on Tsunade. Also, Boruto and I may not be able to beat him without your help".

"Are you unwilling to try Lord 9th?" Hashirama asks, the tension thick in the air.

"This plan would risk the lives of the shinobi in the village".

"If Naruto isn't in my way I can do this without any shinobi fatalities. You have my word as the 1st Hokage, Uchiha Sarada".

Sarada has no further avenue for protest. "Very well, I'm willing to go along with your plan".

Boruto thanks Sarada for cooperating, knowing that this isn't easy for her. He then asks exactly when this plan would be best executed.

"There's no point in wasting time, we don't need to prepare for a fight so straightforward" Hashirama decides.

"We will begin immediately".


	149. The Terrifying Lord 7th

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – THE TERRIFYING LORD 7** **TH**

 **Kakashi's Quarters**

Kakashi lays back and thinks, staring at the canvas ceiling protecting him from the non-existent rain. It has been a while since they have been in this situation he realises. This is the first time in such a long time that they have felt truly hopeless. Since the captained-six contest when Naruto first understood 'life' they have always had a way to move forward. However, as everyone continued to increase their strength and develop new bonds the challenge only increased further in difficulty to the point where it became almost impossible to overcome. Defeating Furst Jonas is almost impossible, without Sarada it might as well be.

"Could I come in, Kakashi sensei?".

Kakashi sits up, "Ah Naruto, I was hoping that would come by and say hello at some point".

Kakashi didn't even have to look to know that Naruto is his visitor. In addition to an array if incredible sensory abilities, there is a depressing truth to the words the Uzumaki clansmen just spoke, he is now the only one left who would refer to Kakashi as his sensei. Kakashi has taught four students as part of his own team. Uchiha Sasuke who died battling his own daughter. Haruno Sakura who died at the hands of her own husband. Sai who died protecting the villagers from the incoming hordes of deceased warriors.

Now they are the only survivors of team 7. Kakashi never wanted to experience pain like that again.

"I'm afraid that my visit isn't going to be care free" Naruto says as he sits opposite his sensei.

"I figured as much".

"I really don't know where I should begin".

Kakashi has seldom seen Naruto directionless. From the moment he met the young man who dreamt of being Hokage the latter always moved forwards. Even if the odds were long, even if things seemed hopeless to everyone else, Naruto made it seem possible. People questioned their own senses and logic when he spoke because there was something behind his voice, a belief. He spoke not only with conviction but with an intangible power. That power doesn't seem to be present right now.

"Perhaps you should ask a question" Kakashi suggests, "I do still have a duty to answer as your teacher after all".

"Why did she betray us?".

"It's impossible to say for certain" Kakashi admits, "The most likely reason is that Boruto is on the other side. There is nobody in the world that Sarada adores more than your son. Love seems to make people go to incredible lengths".

"Yet you never even wavered when Obito fought against you, you stayed true to your beliefs" Naruto recalls, "You made him come back to our side".

"I did? I believe you were the one who did that Naruto".

"We did it together Kakashi sensei, it was teamwork, it always has been and always will be about teamwork".

The 6th Hokage wants to believe that is true but knows in his heart that he wasn't so unwavering in the face of Obito's conviction. He had doubts, he really questioned himself at points, but he always kept coming back. He knows why as well, because he had experienced something that Obito hadn't yet. He had experienced the unstoppable force of Naruto's will, the certainty with which he spoke. Whenever that young jinchuriki spoke he always sounded like he was right, like his words couldn't be refuted.

"If you truly think that is not enough, then you have to look at the other possibility, Naruto" Kakashi continues, "It is possible that Sarada joined the other side because she truly believes in their ideals".

"No! I refuse to believe that. She worked with Clyde and Lara before. She took down Carmen with us as a team of four. We became a team, I could feel it, I know that she could too".

"I'm afraid I don't have all the answers Naruto, I suspect there is more to this situation than meets the eye. It's not in your nature I know, but you should question everything right now, because something doesn't add up".

Naruto nods, pressing his head into his hands and remaining silent for a moment. Entering into deep thought, he relives the events that brought him here, some painful, some joyous, each helping to define who he is, and many helping to define Sarada as well. Is there something about Sarada that he has not seen, some event or occurrence that changed her or influenced her?

The main influences in Sarada's life have all come from team 7.

"Do you think Sasuke and Sakura are watching over us?" Naruto asks.

"Hard to say".

"Do you believe in an afterlife sensei?".

"Of course I do. After everything I have seen how could I not believe in such a thing, but it is their daughter we are now calling our enemy, Sasuke's student as well" Kakashi points out. "Where their loyalties would lie in this situation is something perhaps best left alone".

Naruto didn't consider that. Surely they would be on their side if they were here, wouldn't they?

He takes a deep breath. "I'm not going to give up you know sensei, this isn't the end".

"Oh?".

"I'm going to kill Furst Jonas, even if I have to do it all by myself. Guaranteeing freedom for the Hidden Leaf Village is my job, and I don't intend to let everyone down".

"Don't put the burden entirely on yourself, I am a Hokage too".

"But they arrived after you passed. I was the power that supported the village when the invasion came. Ultimately all of this is my responsibility".

"Naruto, calm down, it's not going to help you thinking like that" Kakashi says, "The last thing we need is for you to do something reckless and attack Furst without a strong plan, otherwise you will die, and all hope may go with you".

This situation is frustrating for everyone, but for Naruto it is especially so. All he can do right now is wait for better circumstances. Only once the stars align will he have a chance at doing the impossible. That is not the way he once championed. He always used to press forward, if the task were impossible he would do it anyway. Now that doesn't seem to be an option, not even for him.

"What do I do sensei?".

"The best chance we have right now is that Lord 1st will try to assassinate Furst. If there is any chance of him succeeding then we should probably help him from the shadows".

"But…".

"My enemy's enemy is my friend, Naruto" Kakashi shrugs, "We must consider what is best for the villagers, even if it involves swallowing our pride, don't you agree".

"… yes, I agree".

 **Outside the Tent**

A shinobi chases after one of her many leaders as he storms towards the tent, his temper clearly long-since out of control. "Please wait Lord 2nd, you're not thinking rationally, right now is not the time to bother Lord 7th with…".

"I know what I am doing" Tobirama says, his eyes dangerously alert, "Move out of my way".

"I can't let you when you're…".

A hand comes down on the shinobi's shoulder and she looks around to see the comforting sight of one of the village's leading shinobi. It is Mitsuki.

"Don't worry, I will go with him" Mitsuki says, "Truth be told, I am angry as well, but I won't let my emotions get in the way, you know me well enough to understand that, right?".

The shinobi nods, "Yes sir" and lets the two of them pass.

 **Inside the Tent**

Tobirama storms inside, paying no heed to the privacy of the occupants. Mitsuki follows closely behind him, both of them with clear looks of displeasure on their face. Kakashi knows straight away that he is not the target of their anger, much as he would prefer to take the heat away from his student.

"Tobirama, what are you doing here?" he asks.

"I'm here to speak with Naruto, and to tell him that he has lost sight of the biggest issue here" the 2nd Hokage shouts, "Tsunade has been taken against her will by three stronger shinobi and a group of people who have previously attacked the village. Whatever they have in mind, whatever they are going to do to her, it can't be good".

"Tobirama, calm down" Kakashi requests, "You're becoming hysterical".

Naruto forces himself to look Tobirama in the eye. He is not meeting the eyes of the 2nd Hokage. No, these are the eyes of a Senju Tsunade's uncle. These are the eyes of citizen of the Hidden Leaf, desperately lashing out but seeking help eat the same time. He hasn't come to see Naruto as his colleague, he has come to see Naruto as a superior.

Tobirama realises that he has become hysterical, he just no longer cares. "Naruto, I beg you, not as a Hokage but as Tsunade's uncle, save her. Don't just let them take her like this, we have to do something".

"I would make the same request Lord 7th" Mitsuki adds. "I am aware that the loss of Sarada is a greater impact on our military might and the destiny of the village but… Tsunade is the 5th Hokage, she is important to many people here, bringing her back must be our top priority".

Naruto nods earnestly to both of them. "Of course, I am sorry, I should have given this a higher priority than I have. I just thought that since Hashirama is Tsunade's grandfather we could trust him to at least keep her safe".

Mitsuki scratches his chin. "I only wish that were true".

"My brother is no longer the same man he was in the past" Tobirama explains, "He's no longer the man who loved his family unconditionally and protected them to the last second. He is a dangerous maniac, driven mad by the death of his wife. Anyone who disagrees with his view point is an enemy now".

"Then why hasn't he killed me yet?".

"Perhaps the opportunity has not truly presented itself, perhaps others could always have fled and spoken of what he did to you" the silver-maned Hokage begins, "But I think the true reason is his followers. He is afraid of showing his true self to Boruto. Your son may be the one who is saving your life".

"You don't think the same things have happened to Boruto?"

"I don't think so" Mitsuki answers.

Kakashi recognises Mitsuki's insight into this situation. The shinobi is a lot like himself and Tobirama, a thinker, someone who analyses the situation before he goes charging in, unless the situation forbids it.

"Please explain your view, Mitsuki" the 6th Hokage requests.

"Hashirama was turned by vengeance. Boruto was turned by a unique sense of justice" Mitsuki begins. "Hashirama is serving the screaming angry voice in his head. Boruto is serving the voices of the deceased he served with on the front lines. It's a warped sense of justice, but Boruto is fighting for others, his viewpoint is purer than his new teacher's".

"I see" Kakashi nods. "If Boruto fights citing the will of the dead, that makes him your opposite in many ways Naruto".

"Either way, that is likely why Hashirama hasn't killed you yet" the 1st Hokage's brother decides, "If he could have done, had the circumstances been right, he would happily have justified it as protecting the village".

"Lord 7th" a voice calls from outside.

The crowded tent gets even more crowded as Ino pushes her way inside, almost out of breath as she rushes around looking for her friend.

"Ino, what's wrong?".

"It's a scouting report Naruto, a scouting report. Boruto and Sarada were seen taking Tsunade south, back towards the secret entrance".

Naruto nods, this is a chance. "In that case we can work on a rescue plan".

"There is no time, the scout report said more" Ino continues, "I think the two of them are trying to force 'death' upon Tsunade. They're trying to make her just like Lord 1st".

Naruto quickly gets up onto his feet and considers the situation rationally. Heeding the words of his teacher from previously, he thinks it through, something is clearly out of place here. Would Sarada agree to this so quickly? This doesn't feel right. If he goes south, will he really be able to stop Boruto and Sarada? Should he take Lara and Clyde with him to increase his odds? Wouldn't that just be risking their deaths?

No, he decides to take a stand.

He steps forward and as if flicking a switch summons 'life' energy to his legs.

He looks back at Tobirama. "I'll save her… I promise".

"You better".

With a single powerful kick of his leg, Naruto hurtles off into the distance, on his way to save his fellow Hokage.

 **To the South**

Sarada stands with her back to her partner and her captive, choosing to look anywhere but at the horrible deed she is helping to commit. It happens by coincidence that her gaze moves to the north, and then the tremendous power starts to come towards her.

The power is incredible, all-encompassing, unstoppable. It moves towards her with what seems like infinite momentum and she shudders at the very feeling of it. This is Naruto's power. It is far greater than the last time she felt it. Is it because this time he is angry? Does he accept that she is his enemy now? Or is it because he is fighting for something different? Either way, there is something terrifying about it.

"He's coming Boruto, my master, your father" she says, almost admiringly, "He's coming so incredibly fast and his power feelings like nothing I have ever felt from a shinobi".

Boruto continues to circle around the bound Tsunade, drawing small patterns of divine energy on the floor around her. The divine energy is completely devoid of any element, no 'death' has been applied to it, it is merely harmless empty power. After finishing his markings on the floor, Boruto begins to draw similar markings on Tsunade's skin, despite her obvious protests.

"Are you worried Sarada, you should relax, there's two of us".

"Don't you feel that?" Sarada asks. "It's like staring straight into the sun and knowing you can do anything. A relentless force is moving towards us as if there is nothing that we can do. Is it always like this when fighting him?".

Boruto stops drawing the symbols for a moment, hesitating to recall his previous encounters with his father as an adversary.

"I haven't really fought him directly, but I have felt like this every time I've felt him coming. My father is a monster".

"A monster?" Sarada wonders, "I suppose that's one way of describing him. I've sparred against him before, but I've never fought him as an enemy. But he is my enemy now isn't he, and I don't think I've ever felt anything so terrifying".

Boruto finishes drawing the final pattern on Tsunade's forehead before walking over to Sarada's side. He squeezes her hand with his own for a moment, just to calm her down. It is an unusual experience having to calm down a Hokage, even for him. However, when he looks to the north, he considers that she is right to be afraid, because deep down he is as well.

"Fighting my father is one of the most painful things I've ever gone through, it's second only to fighting you" Boruto explains, "But fighting you is so much worse, a thousand times worse, compared to that agony this is nothing. Now there are two of us and only one of him, so say it with me, we can beat him".

Sarada nods, "We can beat him. There are two of us and only one of him".

"It doesn't matter if it's Naruto, Hashirama or Furst, nobody can stop us".

Sarada repeats Boruto's statement again. "Doesn't matter if it's him, Hashirama or Furst, nobody can stop us".

Having repeated that she doesn't really feel much better. Boruto's presence is an eternal comfort to her, but he was there before, and she knows it. Naruto is only getting closer, and the Uzumaki clansmen's power is not waning at all.

"Do you really think we are doing the right thing" Sarada asks, the last few moments she has to do so, "We are forcing 'death' on Tsunade at the end of the day".

"Well, 'death' was forced upon me" Boruto recalls.

"And was that right?".

Boruto questions it for a moment, that is enough to make Sarada happy. She is not entirely convinced that Hashirama is still the sane minded person he once was, but Boruto still has that independent mind. Even if he is making conclusions she doesn't necessarily agree with, he is thinking of those conclusions himself.

"Yes, it opened my eyes, made me who I am right now" Boruto explains, "It made me someone who could fight against the empire".

"But weren't you that man already?".

"I don't know, but Tsunade definitely wants to make a difference as well. You know that she yearns to fight on the front lines, that she has begged to make a difference. She wants to take the fight to the people who killed Dan. Helping her to do that can't be wrong, can it?".

Sarada shakes her head. "I don't know what's right anymore. I will just trust your judgement".

Deciding to leave things at that, Boruto activates his tenseigan.

Sarada joins in, activating her rinnegan.

Together the two of them make an unexpected discovery.

"Am I hallucinating or…" Sarada begins.

"… he's coming even faster than we…" Boruto adds, before he is cut off.

With a tremendous bang, two feet hit the floor thirty meters ahead of them. They dig into the floor leaving a trail in the ground where the friction tears the shrubbery from the planes of grass. The man making the trails stops with precision control, bringing himself to a halt not ten meters away from the two of them. Two on one, yet he stands before the mighty warriors not the least bit frightened. Perhaps it is bravery, or perhaps he is a fool, or maybe both.

Stood within the gaze of the rinnegan and tenseigan, he rises up to his full height, gasping for breath with sweat pouring from his head.

It is Uzumaki Naruto.

" _Are you tired already?"_ Kurama laughs at his host, _"Are you sure you're the Hokage?"_.

" _Now isn't the time Kurama"_ Naruto responds.

" _Oh, do you have something better to do than talk to an old friend?"._

" _Yeah"_ the jinchuriki replies. _"I have to beat some sense into these two"._

* * *

 **Author Note**

Apologies for the delay in releasing this chapter.  
I've been rewriting some of the plans for the story in light of recent reviews and it has taken quite a lot of my time.  
This shouldn't slow me down too much but I apologise in advance in case it does.

Thanks for your understanding,  
Cbehrills


	150. Pulled in Two Directions

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – PULLED IN TWO DIRECTIONS**

 **To the South**

" _It's good that you want to beat some sense into them, they are your responsibility"_ Kurama notes, _"However, right now you have an even greater responsibility. You have your responsibilities as the Hokage"._

" _Yeah, I know, there is probably only one person who could stop 'death' from taking over Tsunade's body"_ Naruto admits, _"And that person is me"._

" _Then do it Naruto"._

Naruto looks at the obstacles before him. To his left is the one living bearer of the tenseigan, the son of the Hidden Leaf's most highly regarded shinobi and the student of the first ever shadow Hokage. To his right is the one living bearer of the rinnegan, the daughter of that shadow Hokage, the student of that Hokage. Frankly, they are much like their parents, they have a connection not just personally but on the battlefield. Naruto already knows that everything they do will be almost perfectly in sync, that he will be coming up against teamwork much like his own with Sasuke.

They should be an unbeatable team.

But if anyone can overcome that 'should', it's him.

Naruto activates his six paths sage mode and holds his hand out before him. In an instant, a sizeable tailed-beast bomb is formed, pooling energy from both Kurama and his host. The powerful explosive in hand, Naruto aims carefully before firing the enormous mass of chakra in the direction of his two opponents.

Both Sarada and Boruto slide sideways away from the tailed beast bomb, easily evading it.

Naruto uses this opportunity, as the 9th generation of the Leaf's leaders avoid the attack, it starts to raise away from the ground, narrowly avoiding Tsunade and travelling into the distance, only detonating when it touches the outer walls of the imperial palace. But the bomb clears the path to Tsunade, just as Naruto knew it would, and he takes that path without hesitation.

As the 7th Hokage flies forward, he knows that his actions will not have gone unnoticed. The smallest of movements, the hesitation in his muscles that even he can't prevent will have given it away. He is facing two opponents with the greatest vision in all the world, and neither of them have missed that Naruto's true intention was to clear the path.

Boruto activates his tenseigan chakra mode, glowing a bright green to oppose his father's orange tinge. He launches himself back towards the path he just deviated from. He is still stunned as he watches, trying to catch up with his father. Naruto moves with a speed greater than his own, greater than any he has ever seen. He wasn't speaking out of turn previously, the 7th Hokage truly is a powerful monster.

Sarada uses her powers of 'creation', creating a touch steel chain in her hand. She uncoils her arm, swinging the chain towards the now leading leg of her once teacher. As it gets closer she can only hold onto the hope that her attack will be effective as she observes the reactions of her opponent. He is fast, he is more effective in his movements than he ever was during their training.

Naruto curves his run for a single stride, lifting each foot slightly higher to skilfully step over the incoming chain. As his feet plant into the ground he reassess his position, there is only one thing that matters, he is one step closer to saving Tsunade.

Unfortunately, Sarada's tactic was well judged, and the change in Naruto's stride provides enough time for Boruto to catch up and overtake his father. Now the Shadow 9th has taken up a position separating the 7th from the 5th. He creates a rasengan, a move taught to him by yet another great village leader. He coats it in 'death', a technique taught to him by one of his current allies. Lastly, he throws it forward with a tremendous battle cry, pushing it towards his father's chest.

Naruto steps back, such an obviously targeted attack is unworthy of Boruto and he can easily avoid it. Or so he thinks.

As Naruto takes his second step back, he feels the cold steel of Sarada's chains wrap around his legs, forcing him into a stationary position.

Boruto's first swing missed, but it was deliberate. The son takes an extra full rotation, increasing his momentum before pushing the rasengan towards his father's chest once more, this time connecting with the latter's chest with tremendous force.

As Naruto bounces back along the ground, he gather's 'life' energy on his hand, first to break the chains that bind him, then to remove the traces of 'death' energy that linger on his chest. He slowly forces himself to his feet, now with a deeper understanding of the gargantuan task that he is facing.

" _Their teamwork is incredible. They must have worked together almost their entire lives"_ he concludes.

" _I've only ever seen one duo work together so seamlessly before"_ Kurama adds, _"That was you and Sasuke. Your kids aren't that far behind you"._

Naruto is put back onto red alert by the screams of pain. Tsunade's screams pierce the air around them, reminding him of the urgency of her situation. He has no idea how long it takes for 'death' to overtake its victims, but he knows that he dare not wait around a moment longer than he must. If nothing else, Tsunade is in pain, and that is something that he cannot stand.

" _Right now it doesn't matter how well they cooperate. I just need to save Tsunade as quickly as possible"._

"I know what you're trying to do father" Boruto shouts. "Thinking of Tsunade before yourself is valiant in this situation, but frankly there is no way you can beat both of us if your attention is divided".

"Even Hashirama himself wouldn't be able to do that" Sarada adds.

Hashirama himself wouldn't be able to do that? Naruto wonders when that started to become the way Sarada and Boruto thought. The name they revere is Senju Hashirama? What must have happened? Do they not remember who he is, do they not remember what he has done? He is Uzumaki Naruto, the 7th Hokage, and the ceiling for those who never give up doesn't exist.

"Who do you think you're talking to" Naruto asks as he throws down a smoke bomb.

Behind the cover of the smoke, Naruto creates a dozen clones, all of which run simultaneously towards the victim of this heinous assault. Each of them move parallel to one another, converging on Tsunade with purpose.

"I could ask the safe of you" Boruto snorts.

Boruto uses a technique originating with the tenseigan. He raises his hand and blasts the array of Narutos with a golden wheel reincarnation explosion, making sure to enhance the attack with his element as he does so.

This is no problem for Naruto, he simply protects his real body with a 'life' shield. Unfortunately, this does bring attention to the real body.

Sarada uses this. She rushes to Naruto and uses a 'creation' solar punch to once again knock the would-be hero backwards. Together she and Boruto have stopped the advances of the Hidden Leaf's top shinobi once again. They truly are a team that no individual shinobi could ever hope to overcome.

Coming to a halt, Naruto uses his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow before getting to his feet.

"Why are you doing this master?" Sarada asks. "Why don't you just accept the truth of this situation".

"Because you're forcing something on a friend that she doesn't want. That is the truth of the situation. There is nothing complicated about it, I would help Tsunade even if I weren't the Hokage".

"I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about the reason everyone betrays you" Sarada says, capturing Naruto's interest. "It should be clear to you now that the village doesn't want to work with Clyde and Lara. The village wants unity with Hashirama, Boruto, Tao Ma and all their followers. Why can't you just accept that you are wrong?".

"… I don't know" Naruto admits, much to Sarada's surprise.

Sarada and Boruto each stop in their tracks, looking cautiously at the man they once admired. Even Tsunade painfully works to crane her neck to look at him. It's in these moments that Naruto always seems to have something they don't.

"I don't know why I have to be right about this, but I do" Naruto declares, "I have to move forward no matter what. I may have forgotten why I am moving forward, but I remember that I will never give up".

Kurama now understands. Naruto is just like the rest of them at last. That fire that drove him before, that passion, it came from a source that nobody else could ever understand. Now the jinchuriki himself has forgotten what it is.

He can only pray that Naruto remembers it.

 **To the North, the Camp**

A warrior in a long black garment approaches.

She walks slowly towards the camp, her hands in the air to signify her surrender. She does nothing as she sees dozens of people run around each other in a fluster, opting to continue her unimpeded walk. She keeps moving, right until she has without a doubt entered the camp.

Dozens of captains surround her, each with their arms raised or weapons ready. A mass of divine energy is summoned as the captains prepare for a fight. This woman is dressed in a way that is all too familiar to them. She is one of Hashirama's followers, a user of the element 'death'. An enemy with greater potential than they can afford to take their eyes away from.

Blackburn is the first major figure to arrive on the scene, the general issuing the camps orders.

"Stand very still and keep your hands up".

"Of course" the woman answers without hesitation.

The situation is out of the ordinary and Blackburn doesn't understand it. Why just walk into the enemy camp and give yourself up? Did she think that the resistance to her arrival would be weaker than this? Undoubtedly, there is no way that she could battle him and hope to win. She is too weak to fight a general, even with her doubly transcendent powers of 'death', they build on a foundation far weaker than Hashirama's or Boruto's. She would at most be able to fight with a colonel.

"Why have you come here?" Blackburn eventually asks.

"I have a message from my leader to yours" she answers. "Would you please go and get Uzumaki Naruto".

"Anything you have to say to him you can say to us all".

She shakes her head. "That won't do. I was given strict instructions that I must only give the message to your leader. I am willing to sacrifice my life if you are determined not to accommodate me".

Blackburn hesitates. This is not good. He knows for a fact that Naruto left the camp a short while ago, there is no way that he could meet with her now. Would it be best to wait? Would it be unwise to let her know that Naruto isn't here at the moment? He decides to pull one of his more trusted captains aside and discuss the matter with him.

"Uzumaki Naruto left the camp earlier" Blackburn whispers, "Go get Lara and Clyde, at the double".

"Yes sir" the captain salutes before running off as fast as he can.

The woman begins to lower her arms, humming tunefully to herself and tilting her head from side to side. As her arms lower the captains bark at her to raise them again and she does so, emphasising her surrender by lifting them as high into the air as she can. None of them quite understand what she is doing.

The next significant figure to arrive is Shikamaru, who urgently sets about assessing the situation.

"What's going on here General Blackburn?" he asks.

"This woman is demanding to speak to Uzumaki Naruto, she says she has a message from the traitors" Blackburn explains, "Personally I find it a bit…".

Shikamaru zones out of Blackburn's speech, what did he just say, she brought a message for Naruto. Surely not, why bring a message to Naruto in this way, in front of all these people. Inojin could communicate with them on mass like he did last time. Hashirama has the means to speak to Naruto at a moment's notice, so why?

Shikamaru's mind lights up.

"Everyone stop! Stop talking! Absolute silence!".

The general and the captains all comply. There is not absolute silence as Shikamaru requested though. There is one single sound that blots the environment.

The 'death' user smiles knowingly at Shikamaru as she continues to hum.

"Stop her!" Shikamaru shouts, pointing urgently, "Stop her now! Keep her quiet!".

The captains all run towards the intruder at great speed, but it is too late. She slams her hand down into the floor, using a wave of 'death' energy to knock everyone backwards. There is only one exception to the backlash from her power, General Blackburn stands firm against her attack and begins to bear down upon her.

It is too late though.

This humming is the same method Tao Ma and his followers used last time.

It is their method of creating portals.

An enormous portal opens behind her and as Blackburn continues to move towards her, despite his great speed he finds that someone moves to block his path.

It is Hashirama!

Dozens of people in long, torn black clothing pour through the portal, spreading themselves quickly throughout the camp. It is a surprise attack! An army has arrived and Homeworld's greatest military minds never saw it coming.

 **Nearby**

Clyde and Lara were discussing the situation, but that is thrown out the window in an instant.

"It's him" Clyde realises, "It's Hashirama, he's here!".

"This was his plan all along" Lara quickly realises, "They deliberately lured Naruto away so that we wouldn't be able to defend ourselves".

As they speak the terrible grey wispy energy begins to spread over the battlefield. The terror of Furst Jonas is the greatest they have experienced in their lives, but their fear of this energy is a close second. As the seconds pass, more and more of their captains are cut down while shinobi are left untouched.

"What do we do?" Clyde asks dimly.

"Fight to the end you fool" Lara barks at him.

"Everyone, battle formations, get into your teams!" the head general shouts, covering the entire battlefield, "We are under attack! Fight! Fight!".

The military-shinobi alliance may be outgunned in terms of raw power, but they are an organised force beyond the rabble they are battling against. Groups of shinobi and military quickly sort themselves into effective fighting units, complementing one another's skills. Their power is weaker than their enemies, but using this superior organisation, they soon slow down the rate at which they are losing people.

"What do we do about Hashirama?" Clyde asks, "You know that without Naruto we can't stop him".

"Mirai and Elliot are strong too" Lara concludes, "The four of us can work together, then we may be able to slow him down".

"Slow him down? What good will that do?".

"That's the best we can do you fool" Lara shouts once again, her old impatience returning. "By all means, if you think you can kill him go ahead. Now, put your hand on my shoulder, and let's show him that we're not going without a fight".

Clyde regains his composure, this is no time for panic. He does as Lara suggests, placing his hand on her shoulder while she teleports the two of them to the middle of the battlefield.

They try to turn the battle around, making big differences in small encounters as fast as they can, but it is hopeless. For every skirmish that they rescue, Hashirama and Tao Ma ruin two more. Slowly the battle turns more and more against them as two groups start to form. Hashirama works to split their force into a military half and a shinobi half. He brutally assesses those who he wants to leave alive and those who he wants to kill. Unopposed by anyone on his own level he is unstoppable.

Clyde understands now that they are likely to die here.

The only man who could help them is stuck fighting the odds to the south.

 **To the South**

Naruto turns his head to the north, sensing what is happening. _'So, that is what your plan was, Hashirama'_. He considered it strange that only two of the three strongest traitors had come to battle against him, but he dismissed it as a tempering exercise for the two students. Now he knows that he was wrong and that this was all a trap.

" _Hey, what's wrong"_ Kurama asks.

" _Hashirama has attacked the camp, this was all just a plot to lure me away"._

" _You still have no time to waste, you need to get Tsunade now"._

If only it were that easy. Still, the difficulty doesn't stop Naruto from trying.

He uses the weapons his present state allows him, launching four of his truth-seeking balls. The four miniature attacks travel half the distance between Naruto and his two opponents before they split, two heading towards Sarada and two heading towards Boruto. The attack succeeds in its purpose, once more driving the 9th generation apart and giving Naruto a clear run at Tsunade.

He presses forward, seemingly heading for the 5th Hokage, but that is not his intention. Just as his son moves to block him, Naruto changes his course slightly to the right, tackling Boruto to the ground.

' _If I can't get past both of you, I will take one of you out first'_.

Without considering his own wellbeing, Naruto grabs his son by the collar and slams their heads forcefully together. The impact rings throughout his skull but he manages to recover just in time to see the incoming counterpunch from Boruto. He thankfully avoids it just in time, replying with one of his own, forcing the back of his son's head down into the floor.

Boruto reels but does manage some basic thought. _'It's not just that his speed is superior to mine, his element means that he is recovering faster than me too. That would be enough to defeat me alone, but not the two of us together'_.

Boruto throws a haphazard punch towards the right side of his father's head. Dodging it would be all too easy.

However, at the same time Sarada uses her power of 'creation' to conjure two kunai made of pure diamond. She aims carefully, considering the slight weight difference of these kunai and throws them towards the left of Naruto's head.

The 7th Hokage is left with no choice but to shift back to the right and avoid the lethal kunai. This puts his head right in the way of Boruto's punch and he is left to take the impact head on.

He gets back up to his feet after receiving the punch and tries to back away from Boruto, but he cannot. His son grabs his wrist and allows him no room to escape despite his groggy state. He could pull himself free, if it weren't for Sarada quickly grabbing his other wrist, now the two have a tight grip on him.

The 9th Hokage and her shadow Hokage pull on Naruto's wrists hard, lifting up their knees and painfully slamming them into his head. That b rings Naruto back down to his knees, right where they want him. Together, the two of them pull hard on his wrists once again, slamming their knees forward. That's when they get their first sign of victory.

Naruto's body goes limp.

They release him and Sarada kicks him back along the ground for a third time in a row.

It is only thanks to a quick circulation of 'life' energy around his body that Naruto is able to survive.

"Come on Naruto isn't it finally time that you give up" Sarada asks, "You must realise that you have lost by now. Unless you leave here, Clyde, Lara and all the military will die".

Naruto spends a few seconds recovering and genuinely considers Sarada's proposal. Could he really go north and save everyone?

"Would you leave a loyal friend father?" Boruto taunts him, "Tsunade has done nothing wrong, would you leave her here just so you could pursue your own selfish ideology".

"Shut… shut up…".

Tsunade has added her voice to the conversation.

"You two don't… you don't understand… anything…" she says, clearly holding back her screams of agony. "… Naruto leave me… go… help the others… RUN!".

' _I can't give up, that's not my ninja way, but if I stay here I can't save the others'_ Naruto realises, _'Am I going to be held back by my own ideals'_.

' _What do I do?'_.

' _Who should I save?'_.

In front of him a friend he has let down.  
Behind him his redeemed allies.

What will he do?


	151. The Old Naruto

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – THE OLD NARUTO**

 **To the South**

Naruto continues to throw punches and kicks at his son, each of them blocked but each inching just a tiny bit closer to connecting with devastating power. Boruto feels a creeping terror each time their fists connect. He feels so much more pain than his father with each blow, he can feel the power behind the attacks tearing away at his muscles, he can tell that each impact is slightly stronger than the last. The attacks are no longer one-off moments of brilliance, they are perfectly calculated and timed. Both warriors have settled into a rhythm they feel most comfortable with and going all-out, that rhythm favours the father.

Sarada uses the unique powers of her rinnegan, transforming into her comet form to approach the duelling family members. Upon arriving at Naruto's side, she turns back to her human form and throws a 'creation' solar punch towards her enemy.

Naruto avoids the solar punch, putting his back to Boruto's chest and rolling parallel to him. He moves swiftly and cleverly, putting the shadow Hokage between the 7th and the 9th Hokages. They all immediately understand the logic, if Naruto keeps the three of them in a straight line using his superior speed, he will only have to fight one of them at a time. Using this logic, he throws his first attack from this new position, a violently rotating rasengan towards Boruto's chest.

Boruto manages to drop down beneath the violently spinning rasengan but is horrified as it sails over his head and instead hits Sarada instead. He realises what his father just did, there is no way he would have been able to dodge if Naruto had been going all out. Naruto had slowed down on purpose so that he would hit Sarada rather than Boruto. The shadow Hokage moves to respond to this, but the attack threw him off his game, his assessment of Naruto's speed lacks precision for a few key moments.

The rasengan released from the grip of his right hand, Naruto slams his elbow down towards the back of his son's head, simultaneously raising his knee into his face. A two-pronged attack towards his head, just as he had orchestrated against Naruto a few moments ago. The battle between family members continues down its violent path with no consideration about any long-term damage it may cause.

Sarada recovers from the rasengan and is greatly frustrated as she sees the attack delivered to her partner. Thanks to the rapid movements of her rinnegan, she is able to see that Naruto's muscles are starting to contract in very specific patterns. She foresees that he is going to roll back parallel to Boruto's chest once again. As the Hokage does so, she throws a deadly kick towards the spot that she predicts his head will finish.

The prediction proves to be incorrect, Naruto lowers his head slightly, raising his arm to throw the effectively one-legged Sarada off her balance. In the moment that both his opponents are at their most disorientated je flips, spinning through the air and this time putting Sarada between him and Boruto.

The 9th Hokage has no way to defend herself for the next few moments, but her master is ruthless nonetheless. He volleys her with repeated punches to the body, knowing that with each and every connection she will grow slightly more tired. He doesn't want this to turn into a battle of attrition but if that is what they are going to force upon him he has no intention of just rolling over and losing.

After the first ten punches Sarada finally manages to block one of Naruto's strikes, but he has gained momentum now and she fails to stop the following ten. Naruto keeps going, ignoring his depleting energy reserves and quickening breath as he lashes out.

When Boruto pulls himself together, he uses one of his own truth-seeking orb. He arches his back and kicks the ground, moving to the side just enough to see his father's his eyes around his fiancée's head. Swinging his arm out, he fires the orb around the far side of her head, watching as it moves towards the seemingly distracted Naruto.

However, he is not so distracted as he seems.

Stretching his arm calmly but quickly out to his side, Naruto catches the truth-seeking orb, manipulating it like it were one of his own. After an instant's struggle he has it under control and begins to use 'life' to change its very nature.

With the deadly energy at his disposal, Naruto mirrors Boruto's previous movements, stepping to the left and putting the three of them in a straight line once more. Then he drives it forward, firing the orb at the badly beaten Uchiha clanswoman.

' _Move Sarada'_ he pleads in his head, _'Move and let Boruto take this hit'_.

' _I won't move'_ she tells herself, predicting his thoughts, _'It would be disgrace to you if I didn't take this head on'_.

Sarada starts to create a Susano in an attempt to protect herself and Boruto but it is no use. As soon as the chakra projection begins to form, the all-powerful 'life' energy at the 7th Hokage's disposal smashes through the outer walls.

"Sarada!" Boruto calls out desperately.

Naruto drives the orb into Sarada's chest, not daring to hesitate in spite of his own sympathies. _'Don't go thinking I will hold back because you're my student. If you try to force this horrible fate on Tsunade, you are making yourself my enemy'._

As a nail in the coffin, Naruto uses the ball of energy to push Sarada backward, driving her into Boruto's arms and both of them to the ground.

" _Now Naruto!"_ Kurama shouts eagerly, _"Get to Tsunade before either of them recover"._

Naruto rushes towards the 5th Hokage.

' _I won't make it in time'_ Boruto realises as he tries to stop his and Sarada's backward momentum. _'What am I supposed to do…'_.

Before Boruto can even begin to think of a plan, he sees the clear yellow hand of a Susano and feels it as it wraps around his ribcage. He looks at Sarada to see the clear pain and panic on her face as she tries to regain control of her movement, but even in that state she continues to think, to plan, to scheme. He smiles and reminds himself that Sarada is truly worthy of being called the Hokage.

Sarada uses the Susano to cast Boruto toward Tsunade like a dart.

Naruto gathers 'life' energy on his hand and as he gets close to Tsunade prepares to chase the 'death' energy away from her.

But he doesn't make it.

Just as Naruto is within touching distance of Tsunade, Boruto arrives moving at least twice as fast as him. His son spins skilfully in the air and lands a kick on his outstretched hand. As Boruto lands Naruto is delayed for just half a second, switching 'life' energy to his other hand and reaching for Tsunade once more.

But once again, he doesn't make it.

Boruto uses the momentum from Naruto's forward lunge to enhance the power of a kick to his chest. It winds the 7th Hokage as he is once more driven back away from the victim he is trying to protect.

Once again, the 9th generation team have stopped Naruto reaching his target.

Both Naruto and Sarada stay down for a couple of seconds before getting to their feet, the latter using her comet form to move back to Boruto's side.

"You realise what's happening, don't you Boruto?".

"Yes. We know his fighting style inside-out, we've seen it our entire lives, but he is still learning about us" Boruto concludes, "As this fight goes on, he's only going to get more and more effective, meaning that we can't keep this up for long".

"It doesn't matter" Sarada says through ragged breaths, "All we have to do is hold him off for a little bit longer, and I have the perfect technique to do that. All I need you to do is hold him off for a moment and we will win".

"That won't be a problem".

Boruto launches himself at his father at full speed, not concerned with what will happen in their tussle after he arrives, only concerned with Sarada's words. He believes in her, that if she says this technique will end things, she is right.

Sarada begins to use 'creation' energy to draw a series of shapes in the air before her, like an ancient form of writing. In reality, this is a language that only users of 'creation' would understand, a group that currently has only one known member.

"We will stop you here father" Boruto shouts as he arrives and attempts to punch his father's chest.

Shocking Boruto, Naruto grabs his fist just as it is about to connect. Seemingly, he has gained some form of clairvoyant insight.

"Your fighting style is just like mine when you're flustered, Boruto".

Using Boruto's arm, Naruto raises his son into the air and slams him painfully down into the ground. The impact is so solid that it leaves a small crater in the floor, a testament to the incredible might of the 7th Hokage and the equally incredible endurance of the 9th Hokage to survive it.

When Naruto looks away from Boruto and back towards Sarada, he bears witness to her new technique.

An enormous cubic structure is forming around Sarada. Dozens of moving parts scatter in all sorts of directions, each parallel to the cube's edges. These moving parts appear to be fragments of walls, all with razor sharp edges, each rock-hard and at a first glance impenetrable, even for someone as strong as him. He understands very quickly that Sarada's technique is ideal for this situation.

It's an omni-directional labyrinth.

It's a death trap.

" _What on earth is that?"_ Kurama asks.

As Naruto looks on at the labyrinth, his thoughts are interrupted by the laughs of his son.

"You can't get into the middle of that father, nobody could, you know that it's a death trap" he announces, "It looks like Sarada and I have beaten you this time".

It's always a bold proclamation when someone claims that they have beaten Uzumaki Naruto, but it seems this time to be true. No matter what angle one approaches from, they are going to have to slip through a tiny gap, between surfaces moving incredibly fast with edges that could cut you in half. To advance through that would be crazy. Normally a self-preservation technique, it is now a method that is sure to stop anyone reaching Tsunade.

But Naruto just clenches his fist and walks forward.

" _What are you doing Naruto?"_ Kurama shouts.

"Are you crazy!" Boruto asks. "You can't go through that, you will die".

"I can't turn back, I will never give up".

"Why? Why do you keep to that stupid mantra?" Boruto rants, "Why do you hold onto a way of life that so is blatantly harmful to you".

"… when I find out, I will let you know".

 **To the North**

The battlefield now completely split into two halves, it would be better described as a slaughter than as a fight now. Captains continue to be cut down as the forces of 'death' tear through the military half. The other half is where the shinobi have been isolated and captured. They stand enshrouded by a shield of pure 'death' sustained dozens of warriors loyal to Hashirama. A barrier so power that none of them can escape.

"Do you not understand that your way is futile, that you must forgive to move forward in life" Hiruzen asks the nearest of the shield's creators, "If you forget how to forgive, the element of 'death' will consume you and you will continue to spread hatred like a disease. Eventually, there will only be one survivor left, one true master of 'death', are you willing to bet on that being you?".

The man replies by staring vacantly at Hiruzen, his gaze as empty as the message he receives.

"They're not even listening to him" Biwako says with a shake of her head.

"It's not surprising given their history" Choji responds.

"But don't they realise that he is right? That they are going to destroy themselves in the end?".

"They probably don't have it in them to understand that anymore. I think these guys may have been too weak to maintain the self-control Boruto and Hashirama have".

Shikamaru and Ino approach, joining Choji, Biwako and the 3rd Hokage at the edge of the shield. The flustered look on their faces a signal of how desperate the situation has become. Each second they fail to come up with a solution more and more people are dying. Eventually the more powerful members of the military will begin to fall and any chance they have of defeating Furst will die with them.

"Any luck talking some sense into them Lord 3rd?".

Hiruzen turns on the spot and replies with a raised voice. "No luck. There is no reasoning with these fools anymore. They're not determined, they're indoctrinated. They're military efficiency comes from brainwashing, not skill".

"We were the victims of this sort of military efficiency before. This is how Clyde once made us feel. We once felt like we had no chance of survival. I don't think that's a coincidence, do you?".

Before Hiruzen can contemplate any further, a trio of space-time events occur between him and Shikamaru and the number of Circle members present vastly increases. Minato, Tobirama and Kakashi all arrive in an instant, ready to urgently state the results of their attempts to escape.

"Have you found a way out" Shikamaru asks.

"The flying thunder god technique cannot be used to pass through the barrier" Tobirama answers, "It seems to interfere with spacetime itself".

"And your technique Lord 6th?".

"I can get through the barrier but my spacetime technique won't be any good for organising an escape" Kakashi explains, "I couldn't get people away from this spot quickly in large numbers like we would require".

Ino turns and looks as the battle between the military and forces of 'death' wage on. She tugs at Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Shikamaru, they'll be done for if we don't help them soon, we need to think of a plan before…".

"I know!" Shikamaru shouts, losing his temper.

Everyone goes quiet as Shikamaru rests his temple in his hands and furiously scratches the top of his head. He removes his hands before pacing back and forward, his mind moving as quickly as it can. Of course this situation is difficult to overcome, there is a master plotter on the other side to, a tactical genius who likely engineered this situation. This plan may have been passed of as Hashirama's, but it likely came from Shikadai originally.

Shikamaru stops with a single suggestion for their salvation.

"Mirai!" he shouts, beckoning her over. "The best plan I can come up with revolves around you".

"Me?" she asks as she runs over.

Shikamaru nods. "In here only you have the raw power necessary to put a dent in this barrier".

"I… I don't think I could…".

Shikamaru grabs Mirai by the shoulders. "Trust me, you can take down Sarada when you set your mind to it, you can break this barrier too. We don't have time for self-doubt, so just trust in my judgement, OK?".

Mirai nods. "OK, I can probably create a small hole in the barrier for a second or two".

"That will be plenty of time" Shikamaru says, now turning to the 4th Hokage. "Lord 4th, the moment Mirai creates a gap in the barrier the spacetime interference should go as well. You need to teleport away and come back with Naruto".

"That may not be good enough Shikamaru" Minato explains, "My teleportation range isn't infinite, it will take a while to bring Naruto back and…".

"We don't have a choice!" Shikamaru raises his voice again. "If we let the odds play out, all of our allies will die. All we can do is pray for a miracle, so if you have a better plan, let me know!".

They all go silent. Shikamaru is never like this, he's usually so calm and collected even in bad situations, but this ongoing struggle has really changed him. It's changed them all, they have long since passed their limits. They have struggled for years for survival but have yet to achieve a true victory. That can't go any longer.

This time they have to win!

There is no choice!

"We have to hope" Shikamaru says, "It's all we've had for a long time and it's all we have again".

Hinata steps forward, drawing the attention of the group. All of them are depending on her fiancé to fix this situation, and that dependency and hope has now started to wear on them. Naruto overcame the fear of that dependency before coming to this world, now it is their turn to do so. Perhaps the greatest authority on that subject is Hinata herself.

"This is the reason Naruto has kept going all this time, even if he has forgotten it" Hinata says. "Naruto has kept going because there was hope. He wouldn't give up in this situation, so we can't give up either".

Shikamaru turns to Minato who replies with a nod.

"Mirai, whenever you're ready".

Mirai concentrates, raising both her hands and pointing them at the barrier. She exercises the techniques she and her grandfather discovered during an accident in training and suddenly thousands of tiny explosions start to detonate in her hand. Divine energy beyond what should be possible in her situation gathers, shifting along her arms and from her hands to the tips of her fingers.

"Lord 2nd, Lord 6th, get everyone back, protect them" she requests.

The Hokage do just that, bringing everyone to one side of the shield, leaving Mirai standing alone with Lord 4th in the middle, a huge empty space before her.

"Lord 4th, this will only give you a moment to escape. Please bring Naruto back!".

"… you have my word".

With a roar of power and explosiveness, Mirai creates a single enormous detonation. She takes great care with her concentrated attack, pinpointing as much energy as she can on a single spot in the 'death' shield. 'Wind' and fire mix in a deafening explosion. The heat is extraordinary, almost hotter than Minato can stand without the protection of divine energy. He realises that Mirai's call for the other Hokage to protect the other shinobi was not bluster and overconfidence. The military leader of the Hidden Leaf's power is for real.

As the explosion and the 'death' shield clash, there is a fraction of a second where a tiny gap appears in the barrier. Spacetime fixes itself for an instant and in that instant Minato executes the most perfectly timed teleportation of his entire life.

It's quicker than the majority of shinobi can see, but the Hokage all notice.

They see it for a split second, Minato is on the outside.

Minato throws his marked kunai as far to the south as he can before teleporting to it, safely away from the battlefield and the warriors maintaining the shield. He move south as quickly as he can, hoping to bring their salvation back with him.

 **To the South**

From inside the labyrinth Sarada watches Naruto's every move with her rinnegan. Being able to see him is not a blessing, it's a curse. To see every movement, every scrape with death he has, it is no pleasure even to someone who has declared herself his enemy. One can never overlook the path he created for people like her, people who thought it was impossible for them to become Hokage. He is a trailblazer, a great leader, and her own teacher. Yet, she watches his scrape with death, perhaps one final respect paid to him.

"You're crazy Sarada… you know that" Tsunade's voice comes from beside her, "You know that he… he will try to come through… are you really OK with… with being the one who killed Uzumaki Naruto?".

Sarada doesn't even turn to look at Tsunade, but a single bead of sweat runs down her head. That is really what she is doing with this technique isn't it? She's quite likely going to be the one who kills Uzumaki Naruto. She will have to live with that pain forever.

On the outside, Naruto watches as several of the razor-sharp surfaces fly past him at tremendous speeds. He waits for the perfect timing before punching one of them as hard as he can.

He shakes his limp-wristed hand after it rebounds from the collision with the surface, his previous assumption was right, it's not just sharp, whatever this material is its rock hard. Sarada clearly chose this material very wisely. He winces and shakes his head, he is really going to risk his life by going into this thing?

But he most move forward, Tsunade is in there.

" _It was nice knowing you, Kurama"_ he says.

" _Naruto don't!'_.

Naruto ignores Kurama, jumping head first into the labyrinth, avoiding the first two surfaces that come flying past him. The second he comes to a halt he notes that two more are coming toward him, one from each side. He leaps upwards to avoid these, only to find another surface cutting across him, forcing him to spin to avoid certain death. He lands again, having moved less than a tenth of the way to the safe core of the labyrinth and repeats this process three times until an opening appears.

The second an opening to move forward appears he quickly weaves to the right before twisting to the left, another two steps, will progress continue to be that slow or is he lucky to be going so fast as he is.

Naruto stalls for time, looking for another opportunity to get closer to the centre, but then he is struck for the first time. Then a second time. He makes another step toward the centre before being cut a third time. He realises now that the closer he gets to the centre of the labyrinth the faster the surfaces are moving, the more dangerous the situation he is in.

Regardless, he presses on, doing his best to endure the many hits he takes. After a whole five minutes of enduring the constant pain of being hit, he is only one step away from the centre. With all the dexterity he can muster, he manages to get through, narrowly avoiding what would likely have been a fatal collision by the skin of his teeth.

He has made it to the centre.

Sarada stares at Naruto, mouth agape in astonishment.

However, Naruto collapses instantly.

Sarada does nothing, just watches him.

Naruto on the other hand, despite all the damage he has taken, begins to force himself to his feet. Through his own blood, sweat and tears, he manages to stand and take the first, very slow step towards Tsunade. This is not the walk of a powerful warrior, he is limping like an exhausted veteran of a thousand battles. He just takes one very slow step after another, complete ignoring Sarada's presence and pressing forward.

Tsunade cannot watch, craning her neck to look away as Naruto presses towards her. He is in a worse state to many patients she has tended to on the battlefield. This is beyond what anyone should have to endure. At the forefront of her mind, she knows that he is doing this for her, but that is why she cannot watch. She cannot bear the thought that all this is her fault.

Sarada watches as Naruto limps past her.

"Why do you do it master?" she asks. "Why do you keep going? What do you hope to achieve? Don't you realise that by refusing to ever give up, you are making enemies of the very people you want to save".

Naruto stops in his tracks, not because of the pain, but because of the words of his student. Did he really not realise that what she is saying is true?

"… I know that" he answers, "I realise that a long time ago. I know that my ideals are my own worst enemy, I realise that they hold me back".

Sarada watches him, wondering if this is the moment that she has been waiting for her entire life. Since she was a little girl she has admired Naruto, she strove to emulate him, to become a Hokage just like him, to surpass him. She idolised him along with many other people, but they all had something in common, they never truly understood him. Is she going to be the first person to understand the man who went on to become the greatest Hokage?

"But, my ideals represent something deep within me, something I've had since I was a kid desperately seeking attention. My ideals represent hope".

Naruto continues to limp forward, leaving Sarada standing there.

"Hope?" she asks.

Is that it? Is hope the only driving force behind this man?

"I may lose everything else that I have. I may end up without a friend in the world. Even then, that hope that will always be with me. It's something that can never be taken away, no matter what".

Finally reaching Tsunade, Naruto rests his hand on her shoulder and uses 'life' to chase the 'death' energy away from her body.

He has finally done it!

Sarada observes. _'He is using 'life' to remove 'death' from her body. No, not just her body, from the surroundings too. 'Life' is taking hold of the battlefield!'_.

As his element takes hold of the battlefield, Naruto straightens his back and takes a deep breath of air. It feels to him like the first breath he has taken in years. That is something Sarada sees reflected in him just from watching, the worst of his wounds are slowly starting to heal and a flurry of divine energy is beginning to build up in his core.

Naruto holds out his hand and 'life' energy begins to pour into it from the surroundings.

Sarada has seen this technique before. She creates a miniature Indra Arrow in her hand, enhances it with her element and launches it at her teacher.

An orb of pure mighty energy forms in Naruto's hand.

"Life-gathering rasengan!".

He turns and slams the powerful attack into the incoming Indra-Arrow.

Naruto pushes the life-gathering rasengan straight through the Indra-Arrow, demolishing before relinquishing control over it. The rasengan launches past Sarada's shoulder, flying without any control whatsoever, and smashes into the labyrinth that she created. Naruto's advantage instantly becomes so great that the labyrinth itself is destroyed with that single attack.

With the labyrinth destroyed, Boruto runs to his fiancée's side and gasps. He believed that she had dismantled the labyrinth by choice. He never believed for a second that it was possible his father could have destroyed it.

The situation is worse though, he knows that as soon as he looks at his father, there is a substance behind his eyes he hasn't seen in a long time.

This is the old Naruto!

"Boruto, Sarada, I can see into my own soul now. I can see the eternal hope that I felt so many years ago" he tells them. "You can try to beat me down, you can try to make me give up for a thousand years, but I won't. It's because of that eternal hope, it will never extinguish".

Sarada bows her head and smiles. "It seems that your resolve has returned. I admit that I haven't seen you like this since before Hashirama betrayed you".

"It doesn't matter" Boruto adds, "In your current state moving North past us will be practically impossible. Sarada and I can easily…".

Boruto manages to dodge an incoming kick at the last second. He only just has time to see the incoming foot and dodge it, he questions how that is possible. There is no way that Naruto could have moved that fast is there? No, not even with his former resolve returned? There is only one person who could have gotten so close with an attack.

His fears are confirmed as he is forced to jump backward once again, this time to avoid a solar punch.

Sarada has turned on him!

"Sarada?" Naruto asks questioningly.

"Go!" she shouts, smiling to her teacher. "Head north as quickly as you can. I will hold Boruto here".

Naruto doesn't hesitate, dashing north as quickly as he can and entrusting Sarada with everything here. It may seem like a risk to leave Tsunade's fate to her given everything that just happened, many would be weary of a potential ploy here. Naruto would have struggled to trust Sarada just ten minutes ago, but not now, not now that he has regained his former self. One look was enough for him to tell that Sarada was sincere.

"Sarada, what are you doing?" Boruto asks.

"Boruto, unlike you I have yet to lose faith in that eternal hope he speaks of" she replies. "I will hold you here".

"And my father?".

Sarada points at Boruto.

"He is going to show you why we all still believe in him".

Naruto moves to the north.  
Naruto moves towards his destiny.  
Naruto moves towards his third battle with Hashirama.


	152. Resisting Senju Hashirama

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – RESISTING SENJU HASHIRAMA**

 **To the North**

Arcs of blue crackle between the outstretched arms of General Peterson as he pulls one slightly behind the other and points his open palms at his target. A moment of concentration alter and the blue arcs are enshrouded in a gold coloured powder substance, as is his entire body. He activates the power two levels beyond the normal warrior, his golden cloak. Golden cloak active, he makes one final check of his aim before launching the golden 'lightning' at Tao Ma.

The agent of 'death' doesn't even react as his body is shocked by the 'lightning'. His endurance has now reached such a point where he can completely numb himself to the pain of attacks like this. He is a rare breed, one of the few people who can look down on a general.

Recognising that a ranged attack hasn't worked, General Sheer uses her powers of 'wind' to aid her movements. Her element is one of those inclined towards increasing speed, much like Peterson's 'lightning' or Lara's 'light'. After closing in on Tao Ma, she volleys a succession of punches and kicks at his torso. She does this fully aware that it's not going to be fatal, merely in the hope that it will slow down his slaughter slightly.

Tao Ma uses a single arm to block each of the incoming strikes, partially to demoralise his opponents and partially because he requires the other arm for other reasons. Manipulating 'death' in his left hand he creates a tentacle-like construct which raises up from the earth below. The construct raps itself around Sheer at his behest and throws her back towards Peterson with enough velocity to damage them both upon impact.

Sheer braces for impact but is grateful when she slams into a stony pillar instead of her long-time comrade. The pain may be worse than it would have been, but as she looks to her side, she sees that it is General Blackburn who stopped her and saved Peterson some pain in the process.

The behemoth spins his hand in the air, gesturing as if to throw something. On the fifth spin of his hand, the 'earth' pillar raises from the ground dropping into his hand. Despite the tremendous wait placed upon him, he controls the pillar with expert precision, throwing it overhead like a javelin, heading straight for Tao Ma.

Tao Ma snorts, having dealt with people like this many times before. Gathering 'death' upon his palm he slaps his hand at the pillar, shattering it into pieces. He looks around at the generals who are attacking him, each of them using their golden cloaks to enhance their elements. He has not reached that level of power yet, but he is still confident that his skill is enough to defeat any one of them.

Blackburn doesn't give up, launching pillar after pillar at Tao Ma with greater and greater frequency.

Tao Ma rolls his eyes as he continues to slap his hand back and forth. The pillars keep coming but he keeps destroying them. If they want to turn this into a battle of attrition the numbers should favour them in theory but doing so would be a grave error. With all their leaders occupied, the homeworld military cannot mount an effective counterattack. Eventually Hashirama's followers will overwhelm them, and then the numbers game will win this battle on Tao Ma's behalf.

Tao Ma slaps his hand forward once again and hits nothing, the pillars have stop coming. It is only at this point that he looks down and notices that his feet have been frozen to the ground.

' _She's got you know'_ Blackburn grins.

Brooks raises her hands, lifting the 'ice' up the side of Tao Ma's body so that it freezes his arms to his sides. She then glides along the ground, freezing it as she moves allowing her the superior mobility that she is feared for. She moves past him several times, striking him once each time but striking him powerfully every time.

"We're soldiers" she tells him as she hits him.  
"We serve under a mighty general".  
"We have been through more than you understand".  
"So if you think you can defeat us…".

On the next pass, Tao Ma pulls his arms free of the 'ice' and grabs Brooks by the neck.

"Try losing your entire world, then tell me what you've been through".

With a firm grip on Brooks' neck, Tao Ma moulds his 'death' energy into the shape of a knife and strikes it towards the throat of his captive.

"Watch out!" comes the collective shout of Blackburn, Peterson and Sheer.

A shield much colder than any Tao Ma has faced before blocks the attack of his knife. The moment it shatters a powerful blow is delivered to his shoulder, forcing his grip on the child-like Brooks to release. The final general grabs his falling comrade and leaps backward, carrying her a short distance to safety.

As the rescuer comes to a halt, he once more creates a frost-based shield to repel a series of attacks from his 'death' using assailant.

"Put me down" Brooks demands as she pushes Elliot backwards.

Elliot shakes his head. "You would do well not to be so careless again Brooks, we may not be so lucky next time".

"Fine!".

Tao Ma re-evaluates Elliot. He is clearly the strongest of the five generals he must kill. If he remembers from the generals battle against Mirai, the element in question is 'cold'. Tao Ma can well believe this experiencing what he just did. Just putting his hand close to Elliot's shield he could tell that it was the coldest thing he had ever felt. He continues to watch as Elliot rallies the five generals into a tight defence.

"As you said, we're soldiers who serve under a mighty general" Elliot shouts, "We won't lose to a naïve pocket-worlder like him".

Tao Ma doesn't think much of their opinion. He doesn't exchange any words with them, he simply raises both hands into the air. In place of the one he summoned earlier, ten long-thin strings of 'death' raise up from the ground. The look of horror on Sheer's face is transparent and is a beautiful sight for Hashirama's subordinate.

"Blackburn, dome!" Elliot shouts.

Blackburn protects the five generals from the incoming whipping attacks using an 'earth' dome. Upon it's completion Elliot immediately hardens it by cooling it down as much as his 'cold' powers will allow him. Though they momentarily lose the ability to attack it gives them a moment to breathe.

"We need to work together to think of a way out of this" Elliot declares, "Now think".

"Your powers are on par Elliot; can't you defeat him?" Sheer asks.

"In theory our powers are roughly equal" Elliot admits, "But he is more skilful than I am. I am reluctant to admit it, but right now I can't defeat him".

"Then we have to work together!".

"Lara, Clyde and the pocket-worlders defeated a stronger opponent working together, but that was only possible because of their skill" Elliot says, "I don't think the five of us can defeat this man, not without luck on our side".

"Then if circumstances don't change, we are going to die here!".

 **Nearby**

Hashirama's hand closes menacingly around the collar of Lara as she finds herself suddenly with no route to escape. She gazes at him, certain that a second ago his eyes were closed. Her suspicions are quickly confirmed but she notices that coloured markings are appearing around the edge of his eyes. She correctly determines that this is a shinobi technique that would help him find her without having looked, but there is still nothing she can do about it.

Hashirama punches Lara in the forehead for the first time.

Lara's head wobbles on her shoulders as the entire field of her vision seems to rotate from side to side. Her brain works on correcting this but may be being slowed down by its own warnings of imminent danger. Lara knows that she will be hit again but can't free up the mental processing power to protect herself.

Hashirama's fist goes back for the second punch but an arm moves underneath it before meeting with a second that has just wrapped around his neck. Clyde wrenches at his opponent as hard as he can as he holds Hashirama in this choke hold. He switches between shouting and grinding his teeth as he holds on for all he is worth.

Hashirama is not so weak as to be brought down like that. He removes his hand from Lara's collar and grabs each of Clyde's arms. Slowly but steadily he peels the generals arms away from his neck.

Unfortunately for Hashirama, he is just slow enough to give Lara sufficient time to recover. She grabs him by the armor before pulling her head back. She readies herself to lose self-control once again in the knowledge that she will be dealing the first significant blow to Hashirama she has ever managed.

Clyde spots Lara's intention and suddenly stops his attempts at choking Hashirama. He grabs the rear of the Senju clansmen's armor and pulls his head back, mirroring Lara's movements. When the two of them are ready, they slam their heads forward, sandwiching Hashirama between the two of them. Their skulls seem to vibrate against their brains, but they are certain that Hashirama must be sharing their pain.

No!

Hashirama recovers the quickest of the three.

He brings a kunai to his hand, quickly covering the surface of the weapon in 'death' energy. He turns, aiming for the man to his rear, specifically aiming for his head. Clyde tries to move back away from the attack but in the split second he has to react he still receives a nasty wound to the side of his face. That may not be all though! Hashirama skilfully flips the kunai in his hand, pointing it back at Clyde once more as he swipes it at his head once again.

Hashirama's attack misses as he is hit in the back of the head by Lara.

Lara doesn't attack just the once, desperately slamming the point of her elbow into the rear of his head as hard as she can. After the fourth hit she realises that it is doing little damage and is instead angering Hashirama. That does not stop her from attacking a fifth time.

Hashirama begins to turn to Lara but does so a little too fast. She takes advantage of this by punching his face in the opposite direction to his rotation, increasing the relative speed of her fist. She notices that this forced him back for a moment and ventures to try again.

The second proves unwise, it was a cleverly planted decoy by Hashirama who now targets the head general's face with his sharp weapon.

Clyde grabs at Hashirama's neck once again to prevent this attack from connecting, but his own attack is not successful either. Hashirama stamps his foot into the ground, kicking backwards and driving his elbow up into Clyde's chest.

As the 'darkness' wielding general hurtles backward, his painful bounces along the ground are stopped only a well-timed duo of teleportation's by Lara, bringing them to a standstill a short distance from Hashirama.

"You need to remove the 'death' from your body now, before it consumes you".

Clyde follows the order, using 'darkness' to finely slice the corrupted layers of skin from the side of his face.

He rebalances himself, looking at Hashirama who is already coming after them once again. This situation is desperate, they can't hold out for this much longer. It has not been easy adapting to Lara's orders and style of fighting but he made the decision as it was necessary. He can no longer remain calm, he can't fight against this man without panicking, it takes a greater character than his own. Luckily for him what Lara may lack in morality she makes up for in character.

As Hashirama leaps towards the two of them, Lara teleports to him, using his forward momentum to increase the power of her strike as she kicks him in the chest, driving him backward. She notes that if Hashirama has one weakness it is that his power vastly outstrips his reaction time.

With Hashirama driven backward, Lara begins to prepare a concentrated attack.

Hashirama creates a wooden wall in front of Lara and before she can react he closes the distance to that wall and thrusts his hand through it, grabbing her by the neck. She tries to peel his hand away but has no luck, even one so strong as her has no chance of breaking his vice-like grip. He lifts her and slams her into the ground.

With Lara immobilised he jumps back away from her before raising his hand towards the sky. Suddenly a wood dragon is created and begins to divebomb towards the senseless head general. Hashirama doesn't wait while she regains her senses, instead enhancing the dragon with his element of 'death' increasing both it's lethality and its speed.

Just as the dragon is about to strike Lara, Clyde positions himself between the two of them and uses his concentrated defence to hold it back. Even the concentrated defence can only hold for so long though and under the tremendous weight of the dragon Clyde drops down to a single knee.

"Lara! Lara come! I can't hold it Lara he's too strong!".

Lara's vision begins to return to her.

"Lara!".

Recognising the voice, Lara reaches out, grabbing Clyde's hand and teleporting the two of them a short distance to safety.

With the two of them out of the way the wood dragon slams into the ground, shaking the surrounding area with tremendous vibrations.

"He's different to last time" Lara gasps "He's not toying with us anymore, he's trying to k ill us".

"I know. I did notice the giant dragon of 'death' trying to kill us" Clyde replies.

"Shut up fool!".

"Do you have any ideas about how to win then?".

"The only chance is if I can hit him with a concentrated attack" Lara says, "If you can force an opening there, do it, do it at all costs".

The two of them are offered a momentary reprieve though.

Hashirama's attention moves away from them and his eyes turn to the south.

Hashirama sighs.

"I can feel it now… he is coming".

 **To the South**

Minato arches his arm and casts his kunai forward once again before teleporting to it, doing as he has been for several minutes now. He eternally casts his eyes to the horizon, hoping to see that glimpse of hope.

Eventually he does.

A man runs towards him with tremendous speed.

"Naruto!" Minato shouts, waving to the fast-moving man.

Naruto arcs his run, moving to his father's side while circulating 'life' energy through his own body.

"Dad, it was Sarada" he says, "It must have been her plan all along. Dad, Sarada isn't our enemy anymore, she…".

"Naruto, we don't have time to talk, we need to head north, now!".

Minato uses Kurama's chakra, cloaking his body in the orange chakra of the nine-tails. He moulds this chakra into the shape of a hand and uses it to create a path between his own chakra and Naruto's. Turning, he throws the kunai back in the direction he just came from and begins bringing Naruto north with him.

"From what you were saying it seems like we are trusting Sarada again, is that a good idea" Minato asks, "She only betrayed us a short while ago and now we are entrusting her with Tsunade's life".

"It's fine" Naruto says without hesitation, "I think Sarada realised something I didn't. Sarada probably saw the doubt within my heart. I was determined to never give up, to stick to my ninja way but I had forgotten why. She may have known about this eternal hope in my heart, so she made a deceptive plot to remind me of that".

Minato listens to Naruto while moving North as quickly as he can. Whatever this eternal hope is that Naruto is speaking of, it seems to have made a difference. There is something behind the determination in Naruto's voice now. He is no longer just determined to act, he is a man of purpose, fighting for a goal. This is the man who the youth of today speak of with reverence, this is the legendary 7th Hokage.

"Dad, Sarada was on our side all along" Naruto smiles.

"Her plan must have been absurdly risky" Minato replies, "Sarada must think that your resolve is worth its weight in gold".

"It's worth a thousand times its weight in gold" Naruto answers, "I will prove it to you".

"If you're willing to bet on that, I will too Naruto. So, do you think Sarada's plan worked, are you back to full capacity".

Naruto continues to smile, "I won't doubt myself anymore. My path will be hard but no Hokage has ever had it easy. I will give my life to walk that path".

"I see".

Minato considers Naruto's words, their true, no Hokage has ever had it easy. They have all had to deal with problems. They have had to deal with world-wide wars. They have had to deal with uprisings from the Uchiha. They have had to deal with pressure from the many clans of the village. They have had to deal with plots and schemes and the eternal cunning of Uchiha Madara. It's a difficult path that makes a shinobi into a Hokage, he is no exception.

However, Hashirama is also a man who walked that path. Many would say that Hashirama's route to becoming Hokage was the hardest of all, a path that went straight through the Uchiha clan. Naruto says that he is willing to give his life to walk the difficult path, that difficult path goes straight through Senju Hashirama, something no Hokage has ever done before. To call it difficult is an understatement, especially looking at Naruto's condition.

"I know your worried dad" Naruto says, "But while I am on this path, I can't be beaten by someone like Hashirama. I won't lose to someone who has abandoned hope".

"Then do me a favour when we get there, beat him Naruto! Show him that you were right, that there is still hope. Show him what it means to the rest of us to be the Hokage".

"That's exactly what I'm going to do".

If Naruto weren't Minato's son he would find it much harder to believe him, especially considering the former's condition. Minato notes that Naruto is completely drenched in sweat and that his bleeding likely only stopped a few minutes ago. The 7th Hokage has the look of a man who is already on his last legs.

"Is it really sensible to circulate 'life' energy as we approach?" Minato asks.

"It is".

"Wont' Hashirama sense you coming?".

"Everyone will sense me coming".

Naruto's proclamation echoes in Minato's head. Naruto will make his presence known not only to intimidate Hashirama but to give hope to his allies?

"I will be a beacon of hope for our allies. I will be a symbol of the end for our enemies" Naruto declares. "The panicked look on Hashirama's face will be a symbol for all the loyal shinobi and homeworlders fighting against him".

"A symbol of what?".

"A symbol that Uzumaki Naruto is coming back!".


	153. Naruto Returns

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – NARUTO RETURNS**

 **In the Leaf-Military Camp**

Clyde and Lara stand side-by-side and watch anxiously as their opponent casts his eyes to the south. Whatever has caught his attention, it is not something they are keen to distract him from. Their ultimate strategy is not to defeat Hashirama but to buy as much time as possible, and these few seconds are priceless. Hashirama shakes his head, not turning his gaze back.

After a moment, Hashirama raises his hand palm pointing to the sky and curls his fingers back, gesturing towards himself. As he does so an enormous wooden pillar appears behind Clyde and Lara, driving the two of them towards him at such great speed that they fail to even react.

As soon as the two generals alive, Hashirama punches forward with both fists. His left fist connects with Lara's chest and as a few flecks of blood fly, she is driven back through the wood. With each meter backward she moves more splinters scatter around her and her health deteriorates further. Clyde on the other hand is saved only by the quick application of his concentrated defence.

"You won't… get what you want… not while Naruto is still alive" Clyde says through gritted teeth, "He won't let you… kill innocent people… from this world".

Hashirama is enraged by this comment. "Don't think that you know him better than I do. Uzumaki Naruto and I are both Hokage of the Hidden Leaf!".

Incensed, Hashirama pushes harder. Slowly, the armor manifested by Clyde's concentrated defence begins to crack. With an ever-increasing pressure the shattering sound spreads from the 1st Hokage's fist to the entire set of armor. Clyde can only close his eyes and hope for the best, knowing that he is already giving everything he has to just resist the attack.

Lara teleports to Clyde, grabs him, and teleports a short distance away.

"Right, left, then right again!" Lara shouts at him.

Without any more words, she teleports the two of them back in front of the 1st Hokage. She puts them back into the most dangerous spot on the entire battlefield. In this position they begin their coordinated counterattack.

Clyde acts first, he pulls as much power as he can from his golden cloak and throws a 'darkness' dart into the right foot of Hashirama. Lara acts to balance this perfectly, she creates a spear of 'light' and stabs it into Hashirama's left foot. For the next few seconds, the 1st Hokage won't be able to move from the spot.

Clyde seeks to bind Hashirama further, gesturing left and right with his arms, a parade of 'darkness' chains begin to bind Hashirama's arms behind his back. Hashirama initially underestimates this move but is stunned as for the next five seconds Clyde continues to reinforce the chains further and further. With the final inch of his arms covered Clyde holds Hashirama still as tightly as he can before shouting at his accomplice at the top of his voice.

"Lara, now!".

Lara teleports a short way backward, positioning herself right in front of Hashirama and putting her hands forward. She begins to charge her concentrated attack.

However, despite Clyde's grip Hashirama starts to break free. Initially the chains begin to snap. The first one looks like a fluke, but the second does not. After the first two snaps they speed of Hashirama's escape increases. A third chain snaps, a fourth, and a fifth. The binds on his arms begin to fall to the floor. Clyde continues to hold on like his life depends on it, but it is hopeless, the Senju clansmen breaks free and throws the general from his back. Lastly he leans down and pulls the two sharp objects from his feet.

He has escaped!

Hashirama turns around and reaches out towards the now helpless Clyde.

In a flash, Lara arrives between the two of them.

Her concentrated attack is ready.

"Take this!" Lara shouts as she unleashes the concentrated attack on Hashirama.

'Light' energy circulates around Lara's feet due to her incredible power. Energy concentrates on the ends of her fingertips and launches towards Hashirama. The little energy that does leek spins around, re-joining the concentrated mass at the end of her fingertips. It becomes a blinding light after the first three seconds, a consuming energy that buries Hashirama tight within its grip.

Clyde raises a hand to cover his eyes and murmurs a few hopeful words under his breath.

When he finally lowers his hand, Hashirama is still standing!

He took the concentrated attack and is still standing!

Lara shakes her head and laughs. "Wow, seriously?".

Hashirama retains a deadpan look in return.

"This should serve as proof that barbarians like you never win in the end, General Lara".

Lara spits in his face.

"Go to hell, Senju Hashirama".

Hashirama gathers 'death' on his fist and brings it backwards. Lara closes her eyes. There are no more tricks to play, no more stalling tactics. They have surely given their best and come up short.

Hashirama's punch is intercepted by Clyde, who uses his concentrated defence one last time. This defence is weaker than the previous ones he used and it is quickly broken. As the defence breaks so do Clyde and Lara's bones, Hashirama's strike pushes them away at tremendous speed. Clyde lands with several significant injuries and instantly realises what happened, his defence gave way. He has lost so much divine energy that he won't be able to put another up.

Landing in a heap, Lara rolls away from Clyde and sighs. "What use is it Clyde? I have no ideas left. I have no energy left. We can't win here".

"I know" Clyde replies, getting quickly to his feet. "But just for a moment stop and use your senses, can't you feel it?".

Lara senses hope in her subordinate's voice, hope that she doesn't really understand. Against her nature, she humours the fool in what she believes to be her last moments. She stretches out with her senses. Her eyes snap open. She did believe they were her last moments. But now hope has returned to her too and she quickly gets to her feet.

"The reason for his urgency, we only have to hold on a little while longer" Clyde says, "Naruto is almost here!".

"Fine, if we have to scratch and claw we'll do it" Lara says, "I'll stall until he gets here, and then with our counterattack we will show this man exactly what we can do".

 **A Short Way to the South**

Minato continues on his quick journey to the North. His chakra and divine energy both being constantly drained as the cost for his quickest possible movement speed. He doesn't look away from the North, simply moving forward in a straight line without so much as a glance in another direction. He knows how dire the situation was when he left and it is unlikely to have gotten any better. There is only one man who can remedy these terrible happenings and he is right next to him.

Naruto looks on with a determined look in his eye.

"Dad, Clyde and Lara have almost run out of energy, they will die if we don't hurry".

"I am hurrying".

"Can you…".

"Naruto, I'm going as fast as I can" Minato says, "You just need to be ready to beat him when we get there".

Naruto looks away from his father, nods and concentrates on the flow of divine energy around his body. His wounds are still bad enough to hold him back and his reserves of divine energy aren't getting any greater. He needs to free himself up to fight somewhere near to his full capacity. After all, if he goes against Hashirama in his current state of health he will lose.

 **In the Leaf-Military Camp**

Hashirama turns his head to the south once more, panic now clearly written on his face. _'He's coming too fast. He's almost here. I don't have any time left!'_.

Hashirama leaps at Lara and Clyde without hesitation.

There is no counterattack, Lara simply grabs Clyde and teleports to the nearest safe spot. Recognising that as soon as Hashirama's feet touch the ground he will be after them again. This is a game of cat and mouse now. It's a waste of Lara's divine energy and she won't be able to last more than a minute doing it, but it is their only hope of evading the 1st Hokage until his eventual successor arrives.

' _He's not giving me enough time to recover energy'_ Lara says in her head, _'If I run out of energy to teleport we will die!'_.

They both know that this is the end of their battle, one way or another. It's a battle that has a set deadline, the arrival of Uzumaki Naruto. That deadline is surely just a few seconds away.

Naruto is inching closer!

Lara tries to teleport once again but pauses as she struggles to find any more reserves of energy.

"Clyde, I can't keep this up any longer, you need to use the concentrated defence again".

"There's no energy" Clyde shouts back.

"Then we'll die".

Lara teleports out of Hashirama's way once again and then feels a terrifying sensation. In her inner world energy has stopped flowing from the giant tablet. She cannot teleport anymore.

' _Too low on divine energy, we're done for'_.

Hashirama leaps at Lara and Clyde one final time, this time finally grabbing hold of them. He takes no time to celebrate the feel of getting the two enemies in his hands. He immediately goes to work, grabbing them both by the head and slamming their skulls together as hard as he can. The damage is instant and obvious reinforced by their screams of agony. He doesn't wait for them though, he's in a hurry. He uses wood to bind the two of them together, but cleverly weaves it between them to prevent them touching one another. Lara won't be able to teleport them away now.

Since the generals have no method of escape Hashirama puts some distance between the two of them and rallies 'death' energy from within his body for the final attack.

A few hundred meters away, a young man and his father teleport to within seeing distance of the whole incident.

Naruto is here!

"There they are" Minato yells as they come within sight.

Hashirama glances at Naruto and immediately attempts a fatal attack on the two generals. He creates a spear of wood, enhancing it with 'death' divine energy and casts it forward towards the two defenceless generals.

No divine energy left. No way to defend themselves.

"Stop that spear!" Naruto points and shouts.

Minato raises the kunai over his head and throws it forward, comparing the relative speed of the kunai and the spear as soon as they are thrown. Depending on the speeds of the projectiles, Clyde and Lara will either live or die.

' _Damn, it's not moving fast enough'_ he realises, _'We're not going to make it in time'_.

Jumping a short way forward, Naruto catches the kunai his father only just threw. He quickly spins on the spot and throws it forward again.

Naruto's intervention more than triples the speed of the kunai.

Both kunai and spear bear down on Clyde and Lara, their speeds so close that Naruto dare not chance the kunai getting there first. He knows that time to react will be minimal after his father teleports, so he begins a potential defensive movement in advance of their moving.

Minato watches, his eyes bolted to the kunai, then he does it!

The flying thunder god technique.

Minato times it perfectly, putting Naruto in the perfect position between Lara, Clyde and the spear.

With a slap of his hand, Naruto knocks the 'death' spear aside, saving the two generals. Clyde takes a deep breath of air. Both he and Lara have survived.

After taking a moment's pause, Minato sets to work cutting the wood away that binds Clyde and Lara. He surrounds his palm in 'wind' energy and repeatedly chops at it like a tree. After six cuts he manages to get through. He knows that this would be child's play for Clyde or Lara if either of them were at one-hundred percent. The fact that they need help with this is a testament to how far Hashirama managed to wear them down.

After being cut free Clyde rests for a few seconds, recovering some of his energy. He subconsciously starts the process of rebuilding his divine energy reserves, convinced that he is still likely to need them. After this he looks up and sees that Minato's hand is outstretched to him. He accepts the hand gratefully and gets back on his feet. The complexion of the battlefield just changed drastically.

Lara refuses the 4th Hokage's offer to help her onto her feet, pushing him away as she gets up and dusts herself off. Looking at the back of the 7th Hokage she is lost for words at first. What is there to say in this situation?

Eventually Lara finds the words to express herself. "You took your time here getting here!".

Naruto doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. Instead he just smiles and nods his head at the head general. "It's good to see you too Lara".

"What kept you?" Clyde asks nonchalantly.

"I was saving Tsunade from having 'death' forced upon her. I stopped her becoming like Hashirama and Boruto" Naruto says.

Hashirama stops his previous frantic attacks, instead opting to just watch the four people in front of him. The advantage across the whole battlefield is still theirs, he likes his chances, especially given how his fights with Naruto have gone before. However, in this scenario he might as well take the time to build his divine energy back up. Looking at Naruto, it seems like the Uzumaki has saved none.

Naruto places his hands on Clyde and Lara's shoulders before pushing 'life' energy out of his body and into theirs.

Initially Clyde doesn't react but then he grabs Naruto's hand, frantically throwing it away from his shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?" Clyde asks, "Look at you, you're almost completely exhausted. You look like you've been running for the last ten years".

Lara didn't notice it before, her relief was so great that it overwhelmed her, but now she sees it. Naruto is drenched in sweat, there is not a single part of his body that isn't bruised somewhere. Small drops of red liquid mark where the worst of his wounds have already healed. He is no state to be fighting, he should be moved to a medical facility immediately, he shouldn't be the one administering first aid.

"What exactly happened to the south?" Lara asks.

"It's a long story, but I fought Boruto and Sarada for a while" Naruto says happily, "After that Sarada came back to our side. She got in a few good shots first though".

"Where is she?".

"Fighting Boruto, Tsunade's fate is in her hands now".

Hashirama's ears manage to catch those words. He holds some hope in the back of his mind that Boruto will be able to defeat Sarada and that Tsunade will still end up joining their cause. He won't have time to think about that soon, even at a quarter of his full strength Naruto demands his full attention.

"That doesn't matter right now, we just need to focus on the obstacle in front of us" Lara says, turning back to Hashirama. "The three of us need to work together if we're going to eliminate him".

"I won't kill Hashirama" Naruto counters.

The two generals look at him incredulously. At first they wonder if they heard Naruto right but then they remind themselves about just who he is. This is the way he always works, he refused to kill them when they were his enemies, he is refusing to kill their enemies still. Hashirama is different from them though, he is a greater threat, a different kind of enemy, a traitor.

"You're mad" Clyde says, "Even if we are going to defeat him without killing him, we have to work together".

"No, I'll do it alone".

"Naruto, you're completely exhausted, you can't do this alone".

"I will do it alone!" Naruto shouts this time.

"You're an idiot" Lara says. "I have seen you fight this man before. I've seen it twice. You lost against him both times and this time you're in an even worse state than you were then. There is no logical reason to believe that you will win".

A sound argument. Clyde and Minato both agree with it on first inspection. There is no suitable argument that they can make against it, there is probably no logical argument that anyone can make against it. However, they both remain optimistic that whatever Naruto says in reply, he will make the two of them believe that he is capable of doing what he will say.

"I don't care about your logic right now, I have something that I thought I had lost inside me" Naruto says. "Right now I cannot lose to Hashirama, it won't happen. So believe me, this time I will definitely beat him".

Minato shakes his head.

"You've never needed to convince me, Naruto. You're my son".

Minato teleports away, joining the larger battle between the homeworld military and Hashirama's followers. His presence begins the initiation of a counterattack.

Lara looks to Clyde. "Are you actually going along with this nonsense?".

"… if we are saying it's impossible for Naruto to beat Hashirama, what chance do we have against Furst?" Clyde asks. "I'm going to go and save the others".

Clyde runs back towards the battlefield, knowing that he alone will be enough to turn the tide of the battle and put an end to the slaughter of the homeworld military. That leaves only two people standing opposite Hashirama. That leaves Naruto and it leaves Lara.

"Last time you fought him it was pitiful to watch" Lara says.

"I know".

"I looked at you, the leader of these shinobi, and I wondered what they saw in you" she continues, "What could they have admired so much about this hopeless fool who cannot stand up to the traitor?".

"I know".

Lara turns her back to Naruto.

"You better prove that they are right to believe in you".

Naruto doesn't hesitate.

"I will".

Lara follows after Clyde and Minato, ready to lead her forces in their battle for survival.

That leaves two.

They face each other for the 3rd time.

Uzumaki Naruto vs Senju Hashirama.


	154. The Battle Changes

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – THE BATTLE CHANGES**

 **To the North**

The two men standing opposite one another have a tremendous reputation. Throughout the history of the pocket world they came from their popularity is virtually unmatched. The man who united the world and the man who saved it. The Hokage who found the Hidden Leaf Village and the one who fulfilled the goal of the village. The two greatest sage mode users to have ever lived in that world. The two people from that world who have accumulated the most strength, surpassing even the god-like beings they fought in the 4th great war.

Looking at one another now, it feels like they have travelled so far. Hashirama has been on a journey to this moment ever since his wife died. He knew in his heart from that very moment that the greatest opposition to his merciless requirements would come from the 7th Hokage. For Naruto this is the accumulation of a journey from the first private conversation he had from Boruto. He does not fight against Hashirama but against the element of 'death' which has plagued his life ever since Boruto first mentioned it.

Despite having talked only hours ago, it feels like years.

"Hello Naruto".

"Hello Hashirama".

"It feels like you and I are fated to battle one another time and time again" Hashirama says, "It seems that you and I have become linked, just as I once was to Madara. It's just like you once were to Sasuke".

"That's right".

The battlefield around them rumbles with small explosions and collisions of energy but it makes little difference, the two men take no notice of it. It doesn't matter what happens elsewhere, all that matters is what happens between the two of them. The tension in the air is thick, Hashirama can feel it clearly as he moves his fingers nervously.

"I wish it were more of a surprise that you returned, but I always suspected Sarada" Hashirama says boastfully, "I couldn't admit it to Boruto though, and when she brought Tsunade I couldn't help but pretend to trust her. She went along with my plan too, it was a good plan, luring you to the south".

"Yeah, it was a good plan alright, but it didn't work".

Hashirama snickers and nods. "I assume she turned on Boruto?"

"Not before getting a few good shots in on me".

"I'm surprised, did she change her mind mid-fight?".

"Something like that".

Hashirama momentarily casts his mind to the south. Boruto and Sarada are likely fighting down there to determine Tsunade's fate at this very moment. That fight could have significant repercussions. If Sarada wins then nothing changes, everything stays as it is at the moment and this battle will determine the outcome of their war. However, if Boruto wins, Tsunade will probably change to their side. If Boruto wins then this victory will certainly be theirs. The 1st Hokage's confidence is immediately boosted upon analysing this, he is confident that his student's ability surpasses Sarada's.

"You have something I don't Uzumaki Naruto, something I so desperately wish I had" Hashirama explains with a sigh, "You have the ability to reach people, your words pierce their very soul. That is why you brought Sasuke back to the village, and why I failed to do the same for Madara".

"You can still come back to the village Hashirama. It's never too late, especially for someone like you".

"I'm afraid your words won't work on me Naruto, I have too many people relying on me".

"Then you know what has to happen next".

Hashirama puts his hands behind his back and paces back and forward. He pays no heed to the immediate threat Naruto poses him. There is nobody else in the village who would dare act like this before him. Even in a heavily advantageous situation Boruto and Sarada acted against Naruto with extreme caution, treating him as if he were a deadly and uncontrollable animal. Hashirama acts more like a scolding parent, not showing any fear, completely controlling of the situation in front of him. He of course has a trump card, one handed to him on a silver platter by his adversary.

"Naruto you're doing a good job pretending it isn't there, but not good enough. I can see that you're drenched in sweat" Hashirama says confidently, "There are still scratches and bruises on you that have yet to heal and your energy is significantly drained. You are not even close to one-hundred percent".

"No. No, I'm not" Naruto admits.

"There is a good chance that you will die if we go ahead with this. Are you really willing to risk that again?".

"Yes, I am".

Hashirama tuts and shakes his head. "Sacrificing yourself for others again. I question the character of those you want to save, but I don't doubt your good intentions. You're a good man Uzumaki Naruto, so I will try not to kill you".

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Hashirama".

Naruto drops into a fighting pose, one that Hashirama has not seen but that Naruto's friends will be very familiar with. A throwback to his youth.

"This time will be different from the last. This time I have a full view of the eternal hope within me. This time I am at my best. Depleted energy reserves, damage from my previous fight, injuries, none of that matters right now. I am at the best for the first time in so long. So go all out, try to kill me. But, when you fail, realise that you were wrong, and that you have chosen the wrong path".

Hashirama steadies himself after a moment's consideration. He was right with what he said before, the words reach for your very soul. Even when he is so determined that he is right, the young man in front of him almost convinced him to change his opinion. It is a frightening ability, far beyond his powers as a shinobi or his skill with 'life' energy.

Hashirama activates sage mode, leaping at Naruto and throwing a punch towards his head.

Naruto activates six paths sage mode, dodging to the side of the incoming punch and kicking Hashirama in the back as he passes.

The 1st Hokage stumbles forward and turns around to see that Naruto is already pushing a tailed-beast bomb towards his face. Hashirama manages to pull his head backward, generating the power to do so from his core. By the skin of his teeth, he evades harm and watches as the small explosion detonates to his right.

' _Seriously? These movements, there is definitely something different about him'_ Hashirama confirms, _'Could it really be that this beaten up fool is the strongest Uzumaki Naruto of them all?'_.

His realisation is accompanied by a terrifying fact he has yet to realise.

Since Hashirama learnt to use 'death', that last exchange is the first between them that Naruto has won.

 **Nearby**

Tao Ma finally manages to grab Brooks after almost half an hour of the generals evading his grip, now that he has hold of her he is even less inclined to be merciful. Gripping her head under his left arm he repeatedly bashes his left elbow into the rear of her neck.

Blackburn charges at Tao Ma, recognising that with her child-like stature Brooks is ill-equipped to have a close range battle with someone so powerful as Tao Ma. However, he is too slow, with one final elbow to the rear of her head Tao Ma immobilises Brooks. He then lifts her over his head and uses her as a weapon, throwing her as hard as he can into Blackburn's legs, taking him out of commission as well.

Peterson waits until Tao Ma is unshielded by his comrades before unleashing a steady stream of 'lightning' upon him. Sheer backs up her comrade, adding 'wind' energy to the mix. Together they conjure up a seemingly perfect storm to bombard their enemy with. However, both are demoralised at the lack of effect this seems to have on Tao Ma.

The 'death' user creates a shield from his energy to hold off the attacks. He even goes so far as to establish his dominance over the battlefield by driving forward with the shield, showing Peterson and Sheer that even together they can do nothing to him. As he steps forward he re-establishes control over his tentacle-like constructs, using them to slam both of Clyde's subordinates down into the ground.

Now there is only one thing protecting them from certain death, one last warrior to battle against Tao Ma, and that is Lara's second-in-command. Elliot runs up to Tao Ma and exchanges fists with him. Initially it seems like the two are evenly matched, at moments it seems like Elliot's disciplined fighting style has the upper hand, but that is not the case. Eventually Tao Ma gets the advantage, the benefits of his training in his pocket world. He catches hold of both Elliot's hands and tries to push 'death' energy onto his body.

Elliot uses 'cold' energy to try to protect himself. _'You can't let it touch you Elliot. Not 'death' energy. Not 'death' energy. If you can't hold on it's all over. So hold on! Hold on!'_.

He holds on valiantly, but even his endurance is not enough to save him.

Tao Ma releases Elliot's hands, pushes him backwards by his chest and then slams his hands together, detonating the 'death' energy and driving Elliot away into a nearby pond.

It takes a moment for Elliot's eyes to readjust as he pushes his head back out the water. He is aware that it is probably too late, that there is no longer anything he can do. His vision oscillates back and forward, too bright, too dark, too bright, too dark. Then they come into focus and he could swear that he is hallucinating. _'L… Lara… a hallucination?'_.

But then a hand firmly grabs hold of Elliot's wrist and together they move back to dry land.

It is Lara.

Arriving on dry land, Elliot looks back over at Tao Ma to see that he has not yet been successful in killing his comrades. No, instead the tides have turned, and he is fighting a losing fight against General Clyde.

In a hand to hand battle Tao Ma had a marginal advantage over Elliot, but Clyde is someone who has used a training manual, his strength is a whole level greater. Within seconds Clyde establishes an overwhelming advantage on Tao Ma. He lands successive strikes which are simultaneously sparing and taunting the 'death' user. With a five successive unanswered punch, Clyde lifts Tao Ma off his feet and drives him back at least ten meters.

It is at this point that group of less powerful 'death' users rally to Tao Ma's aid, warriors that unlike him have not mastered their divine cloak yet. While they manage to fight well in this group they do little more than slow Clyde down, he is enough to single-handedly change the flow of the battle.

"Lara's what's happening" Elliot asks.

Without receiving an answer he looks to the nearby battle and understands. His face lights up with a joy he rarely displays as he notices that Hashirama has a new opponent.

"He's back!".

"Get up, moron" Lara orders as she drags Elliot to his feet by the arm.

"Lara I…".

"Clyde and I have a score to settle with these bastards" Lara says, "Reorganise the others, really them and get them ready for the counterattack. We're taking this battle back".

Lara then teleports to Clyde's side, happy that Elliot will be enough to handle their organisation. With the two of them working together the retaking of the battle happens even quicker. While not to the same degree, they are opposites who fight well together just like Naruto and Sasuke, just like Sarada and Boruto. The battlefield quickly falls under their control.

Elliot looks around to see many captains and colonels struggling to hold back the hordes of 'death' users they find themselves battling. While he struggled to hold back Tao Ma, fighting against these lower level warriors he is more than able to turn the tide.

He gathers 'cold' energy on his arm, freezing the very air around it. He wraps his arm around his body and then unfurls it, gesturing to the entire battlefield before him. From his arm, a huge barrier of frozen air forms, curving around in parallel to his fingertips. The huge barrier extends, cutting the field in front of him in half, separating his enemies from his struggling allies.

"General Elliot" a captain calls gratefully.

"There is no time for gratitude soldier, this is a battlefield" Elliot says as he moves towards them. "All medics tend to the other generals, get them back into fighting condition now!".

The few soldiers with medical capabilities run past Elliot and begin tending to Brooks, Blackburn, Peterson and Sheer.

After about thirty seconds the barrier of frozen air is broken and the 'death' warriors pass through two-by-two. That is no problem for Elliot. The first two that break through the barrier he rushes them, grabs them by the neck and slams their heads together.

Brooks is the first general to get back into fighting condition.

Standing up she shouts "out of the way" as she pushes the two medics aside. She quickly glides along the ground as she freezes it, joining Clyde and Lara in the counterattack. It's not long until the other generals do the same.

Elliot looks over at Naruto.

' _His strength alone isn't what has done this, there's something more about him now. Lara, Clyde, everyone, we've all started to perform at a higher level. Morale shifts on his whim and he may not realise it but he may be the most qualified military leader of us all'_.

 **To the South**

Boruto leaps back away from Sarada, readying himself for his next attack. He holds his palm out in front of him and concentrates on the manipulation of his energy. Mimicking the way in which he uses the golden wheel reincarnation explosion, he spins 'death' energy around his fist like chakra. He unleashes the 'death' wheel reincarnation explosion upon Sarada, firing a steady beam of 'death' energy at her.

Sarada runs avoids Boruto's attack by running to her left, leaning hard to her right as she does so. Gradually as she circles around Boruto she spirals towards him, getting closer with each pass while she takes care to avoid the 'death' energy. As she calculates that she will reach him with the next pass she prepares a solar punch in her hand.

Boruto gives up his previous attack, using two of the truth-seeking orbs behind his back and firing at Sarada as she runs at him.

Sarada leaps, spinning so that she passes horizontally over the top of the truth-seeking orbs. While spinning through the air she concentrates and forms a second solar punch in her other hand. When she lands, she kicks the ground, moving forward with renewed momentum and renewed purpose. She is thoroughly ready to strike.

Boruto gestures back towards himself with his hand, turning the truth-seeking orbs around in mid-flight and bringing them flying towards Sarada's back.

Sarada doesn't have blind-spots though. Sarada does not have careless moments. The possessor of the rinnegan, daughter of Uchiha Sasuke, student of Uzumaki Naruto, she will always see attacks like this coming. She drops her centre of gravity, sliding along the ground so that the two truth-seeking orbs pass over her head. Tapping her hand against the ground mid-slide, she skilfully gets back to her feet, standing right before Boruto.

First she throws the left-handed solar punch.

Boruto creates a 'death' shield to block the attack.

Sarada throws the right-handed solar punch into the shield. There is a loud crunch and a few cracking sounds but the shield does not break. She then pulls her left hand back and creates a miniature Indra Arrow on it, quickly enhancing it with 'creation'. This attack is the strongest offense at her disposal and as she punches the 'death' shield with it, her fist goes straight through, hitting Boruto's chest and driving him backward.

Boruto lands on his back, coughing and spluttering as he gets to his feet.

"How could you do it Sarada?" he asks, "Don't you have any problem with betraying your fiancé? Isn't this going too far?".

"You were all too happy when you thought I was betraying my teacher" she says in reply, "No, I'm not betraying you. You made the decision to betray me a long time ago".

"So be it".

Boruto raises his hand, forming 'death' energy into the shape of an arrow and pointing it not at Sarada, but at Tsunade.

"Boruto…" Sarada practically growls.

Tsunade raises her head to look up at Boruto.

"It is time to see if you have any loyalty to anyone left, Sarada" Boruto says angrily, "I assume you still claim the mantle of Hokage, then surrender, and save Tsunade's life".

Sarada shakes her head. "Boruto, are you really going to do this, this is entirely different to what you have done before now".

"You have given me no choice Sarada. Now raise your hands into the air and don't delay a moment".

Sarada looks through every possibility as quickly as she can. There is no blind spot for Boruto whose vision is even more encompassing than her own. However, there may still be some room for manoeuvre, but nothing is obvious. She then spots Tsunade who seems to be gesturing to something. Regardless, Sarada has no choice in the next few seconds other than raising her hands into the air and at least pretending to concede defeat.

Realising there is somewhere Boruto may not look, Sarada takes her chance. _'I just have to be really careful that he doesn't notice'_. The one weakness to Boruto's vision is the truly opaque.

Boruto holds his hand out, creating a bunch of 'death' chains and catching them as they fall about an inch into his hands. He takes the first step towards Sarada, his intention to clearly bind her and stop her from moving.

"Now Sarada!" Tsunade shouts.

Sarada pulls her left hand back and pulls out a tiny piece of super-strong thread rises out from beneath the floor. The thread wraps tightly around Tsunade's leg and as Sarada yanks it backwards the 5th Hokage is dragged out of the potential path of Boruto's arrow.

The Shadow Hokage has no time to properly react, so he leaps at Sarada, determined to bind her with his next action.

Sarada creates another miniature Indra arrow, this time in her right hand. She enhances it with 'creation' energy and throws her fist forward.

' _Focus everything onto your right hand and let him have it!'_.

Unfortunately for her, Boruto dodges the attack. He leaps through the air, wrapping Sarada's right arm in the 'death' chains as he does so. He lands behind her and wraps them around her left arm as well. Next with a swift kick to the rear of her leg he knocks her down to her knees and proceeds to tie the chain to her legs.

Sarada cannot move any more.

Boruto steps back, looking at Sarada and points the 'death' arrow in his right hand at her head.

"It seems you did have loyalty to someone after all".

Sarada scoffs. "My loyalty is where it has always been, with the Hidden Leaf Village. Where does your loyalty lie Boruto?".

"I… I…".

Sarada's face momentarily lights up as she sees the conflict on Boruto's face. She briefly dares to hope that there is still a chance he will change his mind, that they can all go back to the village together after this. The unity between the two groups would truly be the best chance of obtaining freedom for all the villagers. Alas, that hope is quashed as quickly as it is birthed.

"My loyalty is with my master".

Boruto hits Sarada with a powerful strike to the head, knocking her unconscious.

"But I could never kill you, that is my greatest weakness perhaps. I love you Sarada".

Boruto falls to his knees and watches over the woman he loves the most. This situation is not fair, he went to war to protect the village, Sarada included. He suffered so much, he watched as so many of his comrades died cursing the people who invaded their world. He spent far too long hearing the pleas for Clyde's head and then he wasn't able to deliver it. When he finally gained the power to deliver that, his father had decided to favour mercy instead of death. Now that he strives to fulfil the wishes of all those heroes, he is being stopped by the people they admired most.

He watches over her tearfully, knowing that there is nothing he can do to prevent this cruel fate consuming him.

But he does not watch for long.

A powerful blow to the back of his own head knocks him out as well.

The Shadow Hokage lands on the floor next to his Hokage.

And the only one left standing is Tsunade!

The Senju clanswoman gasps for air, still reeling from the 'death' energy forced on her previously. She questions the reality of the situation, it was so unlikely that she would be the only one left standing, yet that is what she is.

"Don't look away from me, I'm the 5th Hokage idiot" she says to the fallen Boruto.

Next she lifts Sarada onto her shoulders and begins the slow journey to the North.

The true battle is still yet to be decided.


	155. Naruto vs Hashirama

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – NARUTO VS HASHIRAMA**

 **The Camp**

Naruto cannot help but wish he had son's as he tries to keep track of Hashirama's movements. He can move and perceive time at a quick enough rate, but even then there is something mystical about the way the 1st Hokage moves. Perhaps it is the many times Hashirama battled Madara, perhaps he is the better equipped of the two to battle a high-level opponent. To others Hashirama's feet are a complete blur as he reaches such a sensational speed, only one person can possibly keep up with him.

Hashirama circles Naruto, keeping his position difficult to predict. However, Naruto has the benefits of sage mode, and of his keen battle intuition. He sways once to the left, once to the right and then he bolts. He arches his run, moving at the same speed as his adversary and moving in such a way that the two of them come level with one another.

Running next to Hashirama, Naruto fires a truth-seeking orb at him, hoping to unbalance him from his run. Hashirama moves to block without even stopping though, coating his hand in 'death' energy and swatting the truth-seeking orb away with ease. The quick exchange happens far quicker than any equivalent during the 4th great war.

The two of them run until they reach a small pond where they stop in perfect time with one another. They bring the chakra to the balls of their feet and control it perfectly to prevent themselves falling in. This is where Naruto and Sarada trained before, this is where a plan was hatched to bring Naruto back to his best.

Hashirama kicks his foot into the water, bringing it up into Naruto's eyes and blinding him. As the 7th Hokage covers his face with his hand, his opponent runs forward, spins once to add momentum and then strikes, landing on a solid to Naruto's sternum.

Naruto is pushed back by the punch but his legs remain strong, preventing him going back more than a foot, and opening up the next strike for Hashirama. The 1st Hokage lands rapid blows on the 7th, blows even more rapid than previously. In the blink of an eye fifty punches are thrown and Naruto's already wounded body is damaged even more. It is a flurry that surely nobody can stop.

But Naruto does stop it.

Without so much as moving his head, Naruto's hand flies in front of his chest and catches the incoming hand of Hashirama.

"Decreasing your power to increase your speed?" Naruto asks, "I think it's about time you got serious".

Naruto leaps upward, grabbing Hashirama's head between his feet and flipping him to the ground. It's a daring move that requires tremendous precision, something normally impossible against someone so evenly matched, but the Uzumaki clansman connects anyway, slamming Hashirama down into the surface of the pond as if it were concrete.

Hashirama knows the form in situations like this all too well, don't let yourself get pulled into the water, if you do then you will be at a significant disadvantage. However, Naruto is quick to grab his left arm, pull it across his chest and then use his right arm to pin it on place, putting Hashirama in a position where he cannot counter the next attack. Naruto brings a tailed-beast bomb to his hand and slams it down toward Hashirama's chest.

Hashirama curves his fingers, pointing them up at his face and projects a small beam of 'death' from his fingertips. This small beam works as a shield, saving him at the crucial moment as the tailed-beast bomb detonates between the two battling warriors. As the huge explosion dies down both of them remain in that same position, unhurt, something unthinkable for shinobi not long ago.

Hashirama bends his knees before kicking Naruto several times in the chest, each strike forcing the 7th Hokage to convulse differently from the last. Enhancing the fourth kick with 'death' energy, he drives Naruto back through a nearby group of trees, tearing up the nearby shrubbery.

' _Winning here would be easy if I made this into a battle of attrition'_ Hashirama thinks, noting Naruto's condition.

Naruto gets back to his feet, creates a rasen-shuriken, then adds 'life' energy to it.

' _But he isn't going to make that easy!'._

As Naruto launches the rasen-shuriken, Hashirama notes that it is faster than any attack he has had to deal with from Naruto before. The great distance between them acts in his favour though, and he follows his rule of thumb in these situations, go left to avoid the attack. He does that, kicking with his right foot and letting his feet hover just over the ground. He thinks he has gotten away with it, but he hasn't.

Suddenly the rasen-shuriken expands, all while spinning violently.

The rasen-shuriken knocks Hashirama sideways in what seems to be a random direction. The 1st Hokage quickly comes to realise that this isn't the case as Naruto arrives in his path, mid-flight. Naruto predicted exactly where he would go, next Naruto raises and kicks his leg downward, slamming Hashirama into the ground.

As Hashirama bounces a short way off the ground, Naruto begins to gather 'life' energy in his hand.

' _What on earth is this?'_ Hashirama asks himself as Naruto gathers energy.

He has no time to wonder, he must act quickly. Naruto has all the energy he needs to perform his strongest attack, his concentrated attack, the life-gathering rasengan.

Hashirama gets to his feet, he must move quickly. He leaps backward to get away, but his luck has run out.

Naruto grabs Hashirama by his armor, preventing his escape.

There is nowhere left to run.

"Rasengan" Naruto cries as he slams the all-powerful ball of energy into Hashirama's chest.

Hashirama screams out in pain, realising that it is over. The energy is consuming him, it's the most beautifully crafted attack he has ever faced, far more efficient than Carmen's. He tries desperately to wriggle away, but Naruto just pushes further forward. After two seconds have passed, Naruto curves his arm, uses the rasengan to lift Hashirama a short way into the air, before curving it back and slamming him down into the ground.

A violent explosion of dust comes out from under Hashirama and bright 'life' energy engulfs his entire body.

Naruto breathes a sigh of relief.

' _That's it Naruto… you've conquered your demons… you've won'_.

But he hasn't!

Naruto looks down to see Hashirama covered in an additional layer of armor. An armor constructed mostly of wood but teaming with external particles of 'death' energy. Breathing heavily, Hashirama himself appears shocked at the revelation. That isn't what concerns Naruto though, Hashirama appears unharmed.

' _What the hell just happened?'_ Naruto asks himself.

Hashirama doesn't have time to think. He kicks Naruto away for the second time as he coughs deeply into his hand. The armor dissipates around him as he dusts himself off. Slowly, he gets to his feet, all the while looking down at his hands. The 1st Hokage dares to smile as he realises what a great gift fate has bestowed upon him. It seems that his luck had nod run out after all.

' _How is this possible, is it because I'm weakened? Is it because I'm tired?'_ Naruto wonders, _'No, that armor around him, could it be?'_.

Finally, it becomes clear to both Naruto and Hashirama.

' _Hashirama has developed a concentrated defence'_.

One with a concentrated attack, the other with a concentrated defence.

Naruto wanted desperately to avoid a battle of attrition, but now it seems that he may have no choice in the matter.

Naruto looks on aghast, wondering exactly what his next move is going to be. The possibilities run through his head and he takes a moment to calculate the best possible outcome. This is normally something Shikamaru would do, but he has no choice but to use his head right now. Or does he? He considers that perhaps he should do what he always used to do and run with his heart.

Suddenly a group approach him from behind, calling out to him. Confident that he could react to any attack from Hashirama he turns his head to see the various members of the approaching group. The group consists Hinata, Kushina, Hiruzen, Kiba and a collection of military personnel. With the 'death' barrier down and the loyal shinobi free to join the battle, the tide has truly turned.

"Naruto are you alright" his mother asks as she reaches out to him, "You look like you won't last much longer".

"Don't worry, I'm fine" he answers.

"How can you say that? Look, there isn't a single part of your body that isn't bruised or broken or…".

"Mom, I'm fine" he insists, "I've mended the internal damage using 'life' energy".

Hinata and Kiba take a moment to see what the others cannot, there is a definite change in Naruto's aura, his confidence. The man stood before them now is not the same man who rushed south to save Tsunade. The person stood here is a confident, outgoing warrior who knows his own mind and will not be swayed. He is the person whose determination and resolve took him from an annoying kid to the Hokage. He is the Uzumaki Naruto they knew in the past.

"Naruto, the battlefield is under our control now" Hiruzen explains, "They may be stronger than us on average but our leadership is better. Lara and Clyde are machines, they are dominating anyone who gets in their way".

"All that's left now is take down this traitor" Kiba says.

Naruto turns back to Hashirama. The 1st Hokage may not be a user of 'life' like he is, but he is still a master of medical jutsu, and his recovery rate is incredible. The concentrated attack he used previously may have been able to defeat him if it had gone unchecked, but it did not. Now his concentrated attacks will always be answered by a concentrated defence.

"It's easier said than done" Naruto says.

"Then let's work as a team" Hiruzen suggests.

"Lord 3rd, I don't think this team would…".

"No, not us. I will get Mirai and Elliot, if the three of you worked together you would be able to defeat him".

"No".

"No?".

"I will take down Hashirama alone".

Hiruzen doesn't know what to make of that. If anyone else had made such a claim it would have sounded incredibly hollow, but coming from Naruto, there is a small part of him that believes it may be possible. He certainly wants it to be possible, he wants it to happen, but he struggles to believe it. Is there a single pocket-worlder who has ever lived that could take down Senju Hashirama as he is now?

"Naruto look at me" Hinata begins, "This is your pride talking, you need to think about the situation now. There is no harm asking your allies for help, you should be proud to call on them. Together we can this battle using your power to inspire people".

Naruto shakes his head. "Hinata, I'm going to ask you to stand down".

"I won't do that Naruto, I won't let you do this alone" she shouts back at him, "I can't watch the same thing happen again, I can't watch you lose here and do nothing".

Naruto's next words take everyone aback, they show a confidence even greater than he shows with his stance and his aura.

"Who said anything about losing?".

"I…".

"Hinata, it's not my pride talking, you probably can't feel the battlefield, but I can" he says with a smile. "The balance is shifting; the surrounding element of 'death' is weakening and 'life' is getting stronger. If Hashirama and I go on like this, I have calculated that I can win".

Hinata doesn't dare to believe it. That isn't only the same old Naruto speaking, it's not just his youthful confidence, but it's also his calculated opinion. That is the greatest certainty of victory over Hashirama that has ever been stated by him.

"Naruto, how confident are you of winning" the 3rd Hokage asks.

"I'm confident enough".

Hinata speaks again. "But Naruto if you lose then…".

Naruto turns back to his fiancée, placing a hand on her shoulder. Perhaps it is her love for him that makes her so doubtful in this situation. But it is his love for her, communicated through a single touch, that puts her in a more comfortable position. As Naruto rests his hand there, to Hinata it's as if the entire battlefield vanishes, and the whole world is filled by just the two of them.

"Hinata, do you trust me?".

"Yes, with my life".

"Then get back. This time I promise that I am going to win".

Hinata nods, accepting Naruto's request and stepping back away from Naruto. As she walks away Kushina steps back with her, as does Kiba. Following the lead of the Hidden Leaf shinobi, all the Homeworld military that have accompanied them step back as well. Captains and colonels, they are all well aware that even their collective might would not be enough to stand up to Hashirama. They have no choice but to leave this fight to Naruto. But, unlike before, everyone now feels a lot happier in leaving the fight to him. This is their trust in him.

As the masses retreat, one Hokage remains stood at Naruto's side, the 3rd Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"You really are something, you know that?" Hiruzen says, "You know there won't be any more chances if you lose this time. He won't spare your life, he will have no choice but to kill you".

"I know".

"Then from one Hokage to another, please beat him. For the sake of the village, beat him Naruto".

Hiruzen gets only a nod in reply before he walks back and joins the military personnel and his fellow shinobi. Despite the changing of the tide throughout the battlefield, this is the one that will really make the difference. If Naruto loses it's all over for them, if he wins then they will have pulled off a miracle and survived this attack with no major casualties. As he walks back and sees only Naruto's back as he faces Hashirama, he understands just how much the young Hokage has matured in their time in the future. The 7th Hokage is a young man who carries on his back not just the dreams of one, but the dreams of the entire village, and he keeps moving forward anyway. That is why he goes into his battle with the Hidden Leaf's founder with his reputation as the greatest Hokage firmly intact.

Now there is only one thing left to do.

Hashirama finishes healing himself, takes a deep breath and walks forward, meeting Naruto in the middle.

Both men walk to their destiny and prepare for their final battle.

"How many more times will you do this to me Naruto" Hashirama asks, "You could walk away with your life in one piece, all you had to do was…".

"Oh just shut up Hashirama" Naruto says, interrupting his old friend, "You have known my position from the beginning. It is what it once was, what it always has been and what it always will be. Never give…".

Hashirama attacks mid-sentence.

Coating his hand in 'death' energy, the 1st Hokage makes a fist and punches forward as hard as he can.

Coating his arm in 'life' energy, the 7th responds by raising his arm to block the incoming blow. His block is rushed and only just makes it in time, and he can feel the crunching of the bones in his arm as he struggles to deflect the strike from his head.

' _Going straight for the head, looks like his true colours are showing'_.

Hashirama continues in this manner, landing slow but powerful blows on Naruto repeatedly. While Naruto continues to block, Hashirama refuses to stop his offence, landing strike after strike. The blocks do little to allay the damage after the first few strikes, even Naruto's arms have been struck so many times that they have begun to break. There is no way that even he can continue to fight much longer.

After the strike count passes a dozen, Naruto's arms finally weaken to the point where Hashirama lands a clean punch to Naruto's face, spinning the Uzumaki clansman around to face his supporters. The signs are now clear to all that Naruto's body is going to give out long before his heart does.

"Naruto!" Hinata shouts as she runs towards him.

"Hinata, please stay back" Hiruzen begs as he grabs her by the arm and forces her to remain where she is.

She is not the only one that is worried.

" _I don't know what you're doing, but don't you dare give up now Naruto"_ Kurama implores his host, _"Just keep pressing forward, keep refusing to back down, just like you always do"._

Eventually the blows stop landing on Naruto as an exhausted Hashirama gasps for breath. Hashirama looks down on his opponent, watching as the 7th Hokage wobbles on his feet. He watches as his former friend's arms flail uncontrollably about. However, after all the dramatics, and after all the damage he has taken, Naruto is still standing.

"You… you infuriating bastard… Uzumaki Naruto, just who do you think you are?".

Hashirama steps in and strikes to Naruto's body.

"Just why…".

He hits.

"… won't you…".

He hits.

"… stay down!".

He hits again.

But no, he staggers around and flails about desperately, but Uzumaki Naruto does not at any point leave his feet. It seems that Hashirama's prediction has already come true, this beat up fool, this naïve idiot, he is the most powerful Naruto of the lot.

Steadying himself once again, Naruto stares powerfully in Hashirama's direction.

"Don't you get it? You've already lost, Hashirama".

Hashirama shakes his head. Concentrating his energy control on his hand, he moves the 'death' energy away from the fist and instead concentrates it into a super dense orb about an inch in front of his knuckles. All those supporting Naruto shudder as they feel the energy grow, it's more powerful than any attack that Hashirama has hit Naruto with as of yet.

"Just remember Naruto, you forced me to do this".

Hashirama takes two steps, one to get into the right position, then one to boost his momentum. When in the perfect position, he strikes forward, unleashing this horrendous torrent of 'death' energy in Naruto's direction.

That man who can barely stand, who is on his last legs, who looked like he had nothing else to give. He gives one last thing.

Naruto ducks beneath the attack, managing to avoid it at the last moment.

With a quick rotation, his hand gathers 'life' energy from the battlefield and forms it into a life-gathering rasengan.

The concentrated attack is ready!

Hashirama has energy left to spare. He simply dissipates his attack and recreates the sensations he felt when he survived last time. Sure enough a powerful wooden armor enhanced by small particles of 'death' energy is formed, it protects him, fitting like a glove. Everything is perfect and he smiles because of his confidence. If he can survive this attack, he will have won. This will have become a battle of attrition and even a small push would be enough to defeat Naruto.

Naruto slams the rasengan into Hashirama's concentrated defence.

That is when Hashirama feels it for the first time, this attack is more powerful than it was last time.

He quickly understands what has happened, it's the balance in the surroundings. There will always be a balance in the environment between 'life' and 'death'. Previously it was almost entirely 'death' energy, Naruto's attack which depends on the environment was weak. However, as Clyde and Lara defeated his subordinates, 'life' energy started to slowly return to the battlefield. In the last few minutes alone, the balance has shifted significantly to the point where Naruto's attack is now much more powerful. It may even be powerful enough to pierce his concentrated defence.

Hashirama grits his teeth and holds on like his life depends on it.

But then it is heard.

For the first time in so long.

A scream, a battle cry, a shout symbolic of effort. Hinata recognises the sound, it's Naruto's scream, a sound she hasn't heard since coming to the future. This is definitely the true Naruto.

Naruto forces the life-gathering rasengan through the concentrated defence and into Hashirama's torso.

"Stay away from the Hidden Leaf" he says.

"Rasengan!".

Naruto uses the force of the rasengan to raise Hashirama slightly before twisting and slamming him down into the floor.

Once more dust is scattered by the impact and Hashirama's body is shrouded in 'life' energy.

Naruto knows straight away that this is it, he's either won or it's over. There isn't the energy in his body to continue fighting someone at Hashirama's level, he's too weak.

The dust clears.

The fight is concluded.

Hashirama is down!

After the third attempt, Naruto finally overcomes his demons, and defeats Hashirama!


	156. Good Luck Naruto

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – GOOD LUCK NARUTO**

 **The Hidden Leaf Camp**

Hiruzen looks on, almost in disbelief at the sight before him.

"He did it!".

Naruto takes a couple of steps forward and arrives before his kneeling opponent. With fists down by his sides and an upright back, he looks every bit the victorious fighter he has become. When Hashirama looks up into his eyes he doesn't even need the following words to confirm everyone's thoughts on the matter, he already knows. Yet Naruto is not the same man he was yesterday, he is now the old Naruto, a man with an indescribable kind of power.

"You've lost Hashirama".

Hashirama glances up at him again. It is agonising, there is a shred of arrogance in this young man that only he can detect. Now, what everyone thought before would appear to have been confirmed. At his peak, Uzumaki Naruto is not only the greatest Hokage, he is also the strongest.

"I may have lost our fight" Hashirama begins through gritted teeth, "But this battle is far from over".

The two of them are interrupted by a whirring sound, by incredibly fast movement that eclipses even the two of them. If Naruto were to look behind him he would see a dozen flashes of gold, he would see a series of key people appear and disappear. He doesn't need to turn around though, he knows exactly what is going on. The look on Hashirama's face confirms his suspicions, it must be the same face Hashirama pulled when he first sensed Naruto coming.

With one final flash of gold they arrive.

Tobirama.  
Hiruzen.  
Minato.  
Kakashi.  
Shinki.

The five of them appear beside Naruto and in front of Hashirama, creating a moment that will most likely go down in the history of their pocket world as it's defining moment. The six mighty warriors, each champions of their alliance with the homeworld military, face down their greatest opponent.

"Thank god you're here dad, I can barely stand" Naruto admits.

Minato takes his son hold by the shoulders, making sure that he remains standing and stable. "You've done a good job Naruto, I'm proud of you".

Tobirama tilts his head. "Go on Sarutobi".

Hiruzen walks forward to the front of their group and makes their declaration.

"Senju Hashirama, we five Hokage and one Kazekage, call upon you to surrender this battle".

As Hiruzen looks at Hashirama, he was certain just a moment prior that this was a true declaration of victory. But then Hashirama groans, and his knee unbends. First he gets up from his knee and onto his right foot. Next he gets up onto his left. He shakes as he slowly but surely stands up. Hiruzen is terrified, what a monster his former mentor is, to display such an impossible level of power.

' _He's actually getting up?'_ Naruto wonders.

Hiruzen quickly calms down. _'There is no cause for panic, his divine energy is incredibly weak right now, just keep calm. Any of us could defeat him right now'_.

Hashirama doesn't seem like he cares.

"I will not surrender here" he proclaims as he glares at them.

The six of them all look at him aghast.

Naruto realises something, it's about his eyes, they are terrifying.

In his life he has seen many terrifying eyes. He has seen the mighty eyes of Kaguya. He has faced down the omnipotent eyes of Madara. He has faced the vengeful eyes of Sasuke. He has endured a battle against the Tenseigan and Rinnegan at the same time. He has more experience than anyone alive facing an intense stare, but he has never felt anything like this. The intensity in Hashirama's regular eyes eclipses them all. Perhaps, this is what people once saw in his eyes.

Tao Ma tries to take this opportunity to come to the rescue. He dashes towards Hashirama and the six Kage who oppose him but he is cut off. Lara teleports into his path, bringing Clyde with her and cutting off the final hope for their opponents.

"Nice try" Clyde says, "But we're not letting you anywhere near him".

Tao Ma cackles at them sadistically.

"Uzumaki Naruto! You seem to have let something slip your mind" he shouts. "Your son is to the south. He has your 5th Hokage with him at this very moment. If he killed her and returned, the tide of the battle would change instantly".

Kakashi turns to his student. "Naruto?".

"It's true, if Boruto were to return here now, he would probably turn the battle around" Naruto admits, "I wouldn't be able to defeat my son in my current state".

Tao Ma grins triumphantly at the Uzumaki. "Then perhaps it is you who should be giving in. Perhaps you should be the one to surrender to Hashirama".

"Don't be stupid" Lara shouts as she points at Tao Ma.

Clyde for once agrees. "Even if Naruto surrendered, Lara and I could take over and eliminate you all right now".

"But he wouldn't let you do that. He wouldn't let you kill us, would he?".

Minato looks at his son and wonders exactly what he will do. If lethal force is necessary would Naruto be willing to condone it. Is lethal force even necessary to begin with? Would they be able to stop Boruto without Naruto if he were to come north? Does he know his son well enough to judge what he will do here?

Lara snorts. "Naruto is injured, if I want to kill you he won't be able to stop me".

"Lara!" Clyde snaps.

"You can seriously mean to stop me killing him Clyde? This is our chance!".

"If I have to stop you to preserve our alliance, that's exactly what I am willing to do".

Hashirama looks at the two of them and wonders. He is what first brought them together in many ways, their first union was a desperate attempt to defeat him. Perhaps, he is what was holding them together all this time, a greater enemy to worry about. Perhaps, now that he is no longer there, this fragile alliance will splinter. It could well be that he needs to do nothing at all, and that Naruto will eventually come running back to him begging for an alliance.

"STOP!".

A woman's voice, distant but audible. The Hokage turn to look. Tobirama reacts fastest, teleporting to the source of the voice and bringing back the speaker.

It's Tsunade! And she has brought Sarada back with her!

"Lady 5th… Lady 9th" Naruto nods gratefully.

Hashirama stumbles backward, putting distance between himself and the Hokage before him. Now all the Kage are there. Tobirama, Hiruzen, Minato, Tsunade, Kakashi, Naruto, Sarada. With the exception of the unconscious Sarada, they all look upon him with judgement. Now it is beyond all doubt, he has lost. His breath rate increases and he tries to claw at something behind him, an imaginary surface to rest on. He and Tsunade know straight away what is happening, he's panicking, he's run out of options.

"Sarada bravely fought against Boruto to save my life, and together the two of us defeated him" Tsunade explains. "Boruto won't be returning here any time soon".

That is all Tao Ma needs to hear. Even if they can escape, this has been a total defeat. This make-shift alliance has overcome every obstacle that has been put in their way.

"Grandfather, it's time to admit it" Tsunade says, "You have lost this battle!".

Hashirama takes a moment to calm down and assess the situation. It's not good but look at how far he has come. He has moved to another world, he has defeated Uzumaki Naruto twice, he has turned people to his cause. Since Mito died, he realised the truth, and from that moment he has gone from strength to strength with only a single defeat. Just because he is outnumbered doesn't mean he can endure so little. Naruto has endured more than a single defeat, there is no way that he cannot do the same.

Besides, he has a plan.

Sighing, Hashirama balances himself "A shinobi's life is one of sacrifice".

"Sometimes we shut ourselves off from the rest of the world Hashirama" Naruto explains, "When we do that, we often forget what is worth sacrificing and what must be protected".

The words echo within his brain, more so than any of Naruto's did in days gone past. Again, Hashirama is reminded truly how fearsome the true 7th Hokage is. However, he cannot falter now.

"I believe the villagers must be protected" Hashirama counters, "I believe that any shinobi must be ready to sacrifice their lives in that cause".

"As if you believe that" Tsunade shouts, stepping closer to her grandfather. "You may be ready to sacrifice your life and the lives of others, but you refuse to sacrifice the single thing that is most important to you. You now value your pride more than your own life".

"… Tsunade, I'm sorry".

"Then don't apologise, fix the situation, come back to us".

This makes Hashirama pause.

Tobirama wonders what will happen if Hashirama accepts this request. If he switches sides what will happen to them? Will Tao Ma attack, will he lash out at Hashirama, Boruto and Ino-Shika-Cho? Will he accept and become a powerful ally? If the 1st Hokage could be brought around to their way of thinking he would be a powerful ally, their chances of assassinating Furst Jonas would greatly increase.

"I want you to know that I did what I did for a good reason" Hashirama explains. "I wanted you to see the world through my eyes, just once. I wanted you to understand how I feel, how Mito's death changed me, but it seems that won't happen".

"I have no desire to change just yet" Tsunade answers. "I don't ever want to see the world like you do, I can only imagine that it must look like hell. Whether you are right or wrong, my grandmother would never have wanted me to see things that way".

Hashirama nods. "Maybe she wouldn't have. Very well, I admit that I have been beaten here, but I do have one last bargaining chip".

Suddenly, a black-cloaked man runs past the Kage and ruins to Hashirama's side. His movement is slow, especially compared to the mighty warriors who allow him to run past. Each of them watch him, unable to react, more out of bewilderment and shock than exhaustion. They watch as he approaches and closes the last few meters between himself and his leader.

' _He's going to try escaping?'_ Naruto asks himself.

"Don't let him get away" Shinki yells.

Tobirama uses the flying thunder god technique, a technique of his own invention to place himself at his brother's rear. Within a split second he has a kunai pointing at the back of Hashirama's neck. With Hashirama weakened so much by Naruto's life-gathering rasengan, a strong enough strike would be powerful enough to kill Hashirama.

"Don't try anything brother".

Hashirama grins. "I'm afraid that your threat won't do you any good in this case Tobirama".

Within a split second, a dagger of 'death' energy is pressed to the front of Hashirama's neck. His own subordinate is threatening his life.

Tobirama starts, unsure of what to do.

Naruto watches as this happens three more times. Blades go to the necks of Shikadai, ChouChou and Inojin, the three traitors. In a short space of time, suddenly four Hidden Leaf shinobi are being threatened with death. What Tao Ma said earlier was correct, Naruto won't want any harm to come to the four of them.

' _Is this really happening?'_ Naruto asks himself.

"This man" Lara groans.

Clyde nudges her. "If you were pushed, how many of them would you be able to stop from killing their targets?".

"I could only stop one of them, the same would apply to the two pocket-world teleporters as well" Lara explains with frustration. "Four targets, three teleporters, no matter what we do, one of them would die".

Hashirama is of the same mind.

"I've done the calculations here Naruto, I know your side's abilities" Hashirama explains, "one of us will certainly be killed, unless you meet my demand. Let us go".

All eyes turn to Naruto, this is clearly a negotiation. The Hokage, Shinki, Clyde, Lara, they all look to him as their leader. This man younger than any of them is going to negotiate a hostage situation on their behalf. He is going to try and think of a way out of this, and all of them trust him without reservation.

Naruto stops leaning on Minato, standing under his own esteem as if to elevate his authority.

"There are three teleporters amongst us, so in theory we could only save three of you" he begins. "Unless someone else could move fast enough to stop you. How fast do you think I can move?".

"Stop it!" Hashirama shouts.

"Hashirama, how fast do you think I can move?".

"In that state, you won't be able to move fast enough, you won't be able to!".

"Are you willing to bet everything on it?".

"Are you trying to call my bluff, Uzumaki Naruto?".

"Hashirama, are you trying to call mine?".

The Kage, along with everyone else, watch as the two stare at one another, unmoving. This is a stalemate in every sense. Even if they were to wait ten hours and Sarada and Boruto were to come around, the two of them would make no difference to this situation. This is a hostage situation where only one person could possibly make a difference, and that person is ready to go.

Kakashi leans towards his sensei and begins to whisper.

"Minato sensei, I could make a marked kunai appear right next tone of their heads with my kamui" he suggests, "Would you be able to react fast enough to put me next to one of them".

"No, not even I could react that quickly Kakashi".

His eyes fall back on Naruto. Lara, Tobirama and Minato each prepare themselves to teleport the instant Naruto requests it or one of the assailants moves their blades. A do or die situation.

Mirai runs forward, past the Kage group and to Naruto's side.

"Naruto, why don't we call his bluff?".

"Mirai?".

"There is no way you're going to do it after all, is there Lord 1st" she scoffs at him. "You've already shown today that your mind is the opposite of what it used to be. You realise how important you are to your rebellious movement, there is no way you would be willing to sacrifice yourself".

Naruto has been questioning that for the last thirty seconds. Just how far is Hashirama willing to go to ensure the escape of his allies? Would he be willing to sacrifice his own life so the others can escape? Would he sacrifice Inojin first so that they knew he was serious? Mirai's assessment is right though, if Hashirama were to die, surely his subordinates would never succeed in their objective.

"If I sacrifice myself to help my allies escape in the chaos, I will be giving Boruto an army" Hashirama says, "I believe in my student, he will defeat you one day Naruto. He will defeat you even if I die here and now".

Naruto finally understands, this is not his conflict with Hashirama, this is his conflict with Boruto. The 1st Hokage is simply an admirer, a copycat. The true preacher of this 'death' based philosophy is the person who had it all along, that is Boruto. If Boruto is able to keep going then this argument will never cease, it is his son who must be brought around, not Hashirama.

"You are all under the wrong impression anyway" Tao Ma says, "You are not negotiating with Lord Hashirama here, he foresaw this potential circumstance well in advance. The decision of whether or not to execute him isn't with your 1st Hokage, it's with me".

Naruto groans. It just became a lot harder to call the bluff.

' _They've got you on all fronts, so what will you do now Naruto?'_ Shikamaru wonders, _'Is it a bluff? Will he go ahead with it? What will you do?'_.

"… very well, let them go" Naruto finally says.

Tobirama keeps his kunai ready at the back of his brother's neck, not moving his eyes as he calls out to the man acting as his commander. "Naruto, are you sure? If we let them get away now there is no guarantee that we will ever have another chance to bring them back".

"It's fine Tobirama, I know what I'm doing".

Tobirama withdraws his kunai from its position near his brother's neck. He teleports back to Naruto's side, still watching like a hawk for any change in the situation.

After a few moments, Hashirama's followers begin humming, the same familiar tune that they have hummed every time. Behind Hashirama, a giant portal begins to form, much the same as it did when they arrived. Whatever this technique is, it's very convenient for surprise attacks and last minute retreats.

Slowly, the evacuation begins, as the forces of 'death' begin to retreat.

"You surprise me Hashirama, you lost and refused to take responsibility" Naruto says, "You've run away even when you knew that I would let you live. You are a coward, Senju Hashirama".

The 1st Hokage lowers his head. "Maybe I am. But Naruto, I am a coward whose cause is as true as his heart. You must realise by now that your cause is false, that more and more people will continue to betray you".

Naruto looks back at Sarada, his student, and smiles.

"No matter who turns their back on me, no matter how many people betray me, I won't give up" he says, "There is an eternal hope within me, that's all I need to keep going".

"I wonder if I will ever understand you, or if I ever did, Lord 7th" Hashirama turns and begins to walk into the portal.

"If you're going after Furst Jonas, I have only one thing to say to you. Good luck Naruto".

* * *

 **Author Note**

Hi All,

Apologies for the long gap in writing, I had no access to my chapter plans.

I would also like to apologise for another similar long gap that is about to happen.  
I am having to re-plan a few of the last chapters with some obvious improvements. It shouldn't take too long but I can't promise anything.

I will try to keep writing as fast as possible.

Thanks,  
Cbehrills


	157. The Wedding

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – THE WEDDING**

 **The Uzumaki Family Tent**

Himawari sits alone in the central area of the unusually large tent rubbing her hands together as she stares into the space in front of her. There has been a lot on her mind recently, even without Hashirama's recent attack. They are now facing the prospect of going into their last battle without her brother on their side. She always believed that when she died it would be at the side of her brother, but now, facing almost certain death, she sits here alone.

There have been many battles now that have been above her level, battles against countless enemies. Against Clyde and his colonels. Against Lara and her generals. Against Carmen. Against Hashirama and Boruto. Each time her father and a small group of the village's most powerful shinobi have somehow emerged victorious, each time against increasingly long odds. Furst Jonas is beyond any of that though, he's on a plane that she can't begin to imagine. Himawari, like everyone else, has resigned herself to the likely truth, that they will lose this final battle.

Interrupting her thoughts, the door from the outside to the central partition peels back and an elderly gentleman sticks his head inside.

"Yo," the gentleman said.

Himawari quickly realises that this is Kiba. "Hi Uncle Kiba," she says, "It's good to see you, but I assume that you want to speak with my parents."

"Yes, is that convenient Himawari?"

"They're in there making sure Sarada is comfortable, I'll just call them." Himawari walks over to the partition in question, mimicking a knock with the back of her middle and index fingers. "Mom, dad, Uncle Kiba is here to see you."

Returning to her seat, Himawari shakes her head at her own foolishness, trying to knock on canvas was never going to work. It feels like such a long time since they've had the luxury of doors and walls. For doors to feel like a luxury reminds her how far life has fallen from the utopian reality that her father created in their pocket world. Even if the odds are long, they owe it to everyone from back home to fight against Furst Jonas, and to win.

Naruto and Hinata exit from behind the canvas and enter the central partition, seeing the elderly Kiba along with an equally elderly Akamaru.

"Yo Kiba," Naruto greets his old friend with a grin, "You don't often visit us, is something wrong?"

"Yes, well it was but…" Kiba trails off, "I'm here to apologise to you Naruto. All the damage that was caused by Hashirama's attack, I must be the one to take the blame for it."

"Huh, why?"

"It's because what's left of our old class told Sarada to do this. We were the ones who told her to push you over the edge. We've watched you your entire life Naruto, we knew all along that there was something missing, a tiny little spark. I'm not sure we could truly say what that spark was, but we knew that you were just a small push away from getting it back and we-"

"I see," Naruto cuts off his old friend.

Kiba casts his eyes downward, rubbing his brow with his hand. "We saw the difference between you now and the you that defeated Sasuke during the war," he continues, "We decided that we had to get that Naruto back at all costs, and the cost was almost fatal."

Naruto groans, crossing his arms. "You're right, that plan probably wasn't such a good idea."

"I wish you had consulted me first," Hinata adds.

"If there was one person among us who couldn't keep a secret from Naruto," Kiba explains with shrugged shoulders, "That person would definitely have been you Hinata. You love him after all."

Silence grips the tent for a few moments as Himawari's head moves back and forward between Kiba and Naruto. She remains uncertain of how to feel about this development. Given what happened to Sarada and how many of their allies came so close to death it is a heavy price to pay for any one person. However, when she considers her father from her youth, there was something about him from then that was missing from the Naruto in front of her now. Even ridiculous plans can pay off.

"It's fine," Naruto eventually decides, "Hashirama spoke some truth when he was here, amongst his lies and smokescreens. A shinobi's life is one of sacrifice, we're already risking our lives here to protect the villagers. That's our duty as shinobi, and I was failing in my duty by not being the best I could be. You saw that and thought that pushing me over the edge was the best way to change our fortunes, and you were right."

"It worked didn't it?" Kiba asks.

"Yeah, it worked. I defeated Hashirama after all. Now I feel like I can do anything. That spark which you thought I had lost is back, and nothing is going to stop me anymore."

Himawari sees the smiles on the faces of Kiba and her mother. She mirrors those smiles, he's talking like he used to during her childhood. That spark hidden deep within his soul is a superpower, a gift from the gods. Now he has it back their enemies don't stand a chance, no matter how powerful they are nor what they are willing to do. Uzumaki Naruto is on, that means nothing can stand in his way.

Another person pushes in through the entrance, though this time not bothering with a friendly introduction. It is Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru," Naruto greets him with a nod.

"Naruto, I'm glad to overhear that you have got your reason for fighting back," he begins, "However, we can only hope that your resolve is enough to help us defeat Furst."

"Shikamaru, have you finished your plan?"

"I have," the circle's new administrator answers, "I have the perfect plan, an assassination with no flaws to it whatsoever. The Circle are getting ready to meet now, you had better come with me."

"I'm coming too," a voice comes from behind the partition. Sarada steps out into the open, still significantly bruised from her battle against Boruto.

"You should really be resting Sarada," Hinata says.

"You couldn't keep me away from this," Sarada responds with determination, "Master, Shikamaru, let's get ready to finish this."

With a nod, Naruto leaves the tent with Shikamaru and Sarada, ready to learn the most important plan that he will ever be part of. Is this to be his final battle?

Elsewhere, different plans are being made.  
Elsewhere, they know that this story is far from over.

 **Hashirama's Hideout**

Boruto walks slowly back towards the hideout that he and his master had settled upon days ago. Right now everything stings. His senses tell him everything that he needs to know about what happened after he lost consciousness previously. His father had battled against his master and his father had won. The attempt to finally rid the pocket-worlders of the homeworlders had failed. Now, he is certain that it is only a matter of time before Lara and Clyde betray his father and the whole Hidden Leaf Village suffers for it.

Boruto realises now that what Sarada was trying to do had worked. She had orchestrated everything so that Naruto would have to battle against hopeless odds to try and save Tsunade, and he had succeeded. Not only had he succeeded, but as Sarada was hoping, he found the reason for his determination once again. He knew the moment he emerged from Sarada's labyrinth that his father had changed, he just didn't want to admit it to himself. The look in Naruto's eye should have been enough to tell him that fate was against him. Now there is no way they will ever change his mind. There is no way they can open the eyes of a blind man who wants to be blind.

As Boruto gets within a few hundred meters of the hideout, he recognises that people seem to have circled around something. He doesn't bother to rush, instead activating his byakugan to give himself a better view of what is happening. Once he sees it, he suddenly begins to run as he realises what is going on. In the middle of this circle of their subordinates, Hashirama is lying, beaten and broken.

"Master!" Boruto calls as he runs to the middle of the circle.

Hashirama groans, "It's good that you're still alive Boruto, we don't seem to be getting much good news at the moment. I assume Sarada didn't do any permanent damage to you?"

For a man in such bad condition, Boruto notes that his master is very calm. "No, we couldn't find the heart to truly fight one another. Neither of us thought with the intent to kill. After all was said and done, it was Tsunade who ended the battle. I'm sorry for failing you."

"It seems like we're also going to suffer betrayals as part of this conflict, I guess that much is inevitable," Hashirama concludes.

"What is going on here?" Boruto asks, "Your injuries are too fresh to be from the battle against my father. Just what happened to you master?"

Hashirama answers immediately, "We came under attack this time, and weren't ready for it. We can under attack from a most terrifying man."

"Who? Was it Furst?"

"No, an aristocrat. He was wearing a purple garment like Carmen. For whatever reason he let us live, he told us to prepare ourselves for a much longer conflict."

A longer conflict? Boruto is uncertain of what that could mean initially. This hasn't really been a conflict so far as much as it has been a series of skirmishes. An aristocrat has approached them to effectively warn about an impending war. Does that mean that his father's assassination attempt will fail? Does it mean that a war will break out once it succeeds? Either way, why would an aristocrat want to give them a warning. Boruto decides upon a new interpretation of the words, that wasn't merely a warning, it was a threat.

"Larger conflict… This aristocrat must have recognised that the war between our worlds would continue after Furst's death," Boruto explains his theory.

"Is that what you believe?" Hashirama asks.

"I'm fine with such a war," Boruto reluctantly admits, "If such a war were to happen my father would know the truth. He would be on our side of Clyde betrayed him. If we were to fight with him rather than against him I would be a lot more confident in our chances."

Hashirama shakes his head. "No, that's not going to happen. The assassination is doomed to fail."

"What makes you think that?"

"This aristocrat wasn't talking about a war between our worlds, he was talking about a war against Furst Jonas," Hashirama explains, "The truth is that Furst must be even stronger than that aristocrat was. You know what that means?"

Boruto nods. "It means that my father doesn't stand a chance."

"We must become stronger Boruto. Otherwise the Hidden Leaf is doomed."

 **The Hidden Entrance to the Imperial Palace**

Carmen sits cross-legged with her eyes closed, her back to the secret entrance that she has protected for many years. She is aware of what has been happening on the inside but laments how she is powerless to make any difference to things. This is not the end though. Now the real forces of this world are starting to move to make a difference. Now what once seemed impossible is starting to look just a little bit more realistic.

An aristocrat exits through the secret entrance behind her, stopping only to bow to someone stood next to her. This is the aristocrat who fought with Senju Hashirama just a short while ago. With his duties performed, he pays respect to his senior and dashes away to a safe location.

"You have decided against further inaction then?" Carmen asks.

"The risk of leaving them in there is too great," the senior explains to Carmen, "They must be protected, because they are this world's future."

"You said that it would be too risky to stop them. There is no way that Furst would miss your presence if you went into the Imperial Palace."

"That is why you must go in Carmen."

Carmen gets to her feet, turning to face her senior in spite of her blindness. "Lara and Clyde are the ones that may have trusted me, but they won't listen to me anymore. The citizens of the pocket world definitely won't trust me, not after I fought them so recently."

"You need not worry, I know how to make them pay attention."

 **The Circle**

Shikamaru finishes the explanation of his plan and begins to canvas the various members of the Circle. Initially he gains approval from the weaker members, but that is not going to be enough for this plan to be set in stone. What he really needs is the approval of the strongest members of the Circle, for it is they who are going to risk their lives by executing this plan. If everything goes wrong, they will be the first to die.

"General Clyde, you are the only one amongst us who has met Furst," Shikamaru recalls, "Do you think that this plan is good enough to work?"

"I will commend you Nara Shikamaru," he answers, "This plan is the best assassination plan I have ever heard of. If this doesn't work I don't know what will."

"And what do you think Lara?" Shikamaru asks.

"It's a good plan, I have no problems with it," Lara replies with her usual level of attitude. "This team is perfect for this sort of mission, nothing should go wrong."

"Then it's settled, how soon can we be ready?"

Naruto suggests that the only person who can answer this question is Sarada. The remainder of them have had time to recover from their gruelling battles previously. Miraculously, thanks to Naruto's 'life' energy, even the 7th Hokage has been able to fully recover from the wounds inflicted on him by his son and the 1st Hokage. That leaves only the 9th's recovery left, once that is ready, they will be all set to undertake the most dangerous mission they have done.

"If you want me at one-hundred percent you need to spend two minutes of 'life' energy on me," Sarada answers, "With that I should be ready to go in the morning."

'Life' energy once again proves to be just what they need. Clyde knows of a few double-transcendent elements. He knows of 'life', of 'creation', of 'death' and of others. Thankfully though, Naruto has been blessed with the ability to heal people. His powers of healing now surpass most people in all of homeworld's history, with only one exception, the previous emperor. Thanks to this, they have a miraculous recovery rate that makes them one of the most manoeuvrable military forces ever to have lived.

"It's settled then," Clyde declares, "When the sun sets tomorrow, homeworld will be free at last."

 **Returning to the Tent**

Naruto and Sarada waited after the Circle had finished for a short while. Together the two of them made a pact with Lara and Clyde. Although Lara hesitated and grumbled about the flowery words spoken, Clyde insisted it was something that they could proudly tell future generations about. It was his determination that homeworld would be free. It was Lara's determination that she would not be looked down upon anymore. It was Naruto's determination to never give up. It was Sarada's determination to save the pocket world. It was a solemn oath that the four of them would get back everything that had been taken from them.

As Naruto and Sarada walk back towards the Uzumaki family tent, Naruto stops in silence. Before signalling to Sarada that he wanted her to stop as well. There are plenty of words that could be exchanged between the master and pupil. They have been through more together than they could ever have imagined. If Naruto were ever to have learned that he would become such a mentor to Sasuke's daughter he would have been delighted. However, Sarada thinks she knows that it's not what they've stopped.

"Sarada, could we just stop for a moment? There is something I need to talk to you about."

"I know what this is about and I know that I probably made a mistake," Sarada responds, "But the truth is that I believed the most important part of this mission is that you are at your best. The method may have been contrived, but it was the best way to get you back to your old self so-"

"Sarada…"

"I may have made an error of judgement, but I want you to know that I am really sorry. I hope that you will continue to accept me as your student-"

"Sarada," Naruto interrupts again, this time more loudly, "You made the right decision."

"I did?"

"You knew it back then when you saw me, that I had found something I lost a long time ago," Naruto continues, "You smiled in that moment because you knew that I had been reborn. You knew that I was ready to kill Furst. For that, I want to thank you."

Sarada smiles, averting her eyes in embarrassment. Pleasing one's mentor is what one always strives to do, but to do it when the stakes are so great makes it all the more euphoric. This may be the last time it ever happens though; the odds are that even if Shikamaru's plan is executed perfectly that Furst will be too much for them. She is glad that she can spend her last day like this though, fighting alongside the master that she idolized as a child.

"I'm not going to attack you again, I can promise you that much."

Naruto grins, "I didn't actually want to talk to you about this."

"Huh, then what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I wanted you to do me a favour, a couple of favours really. As my pupil and as Sasuke and Sakura's daughter. It would mean a lot to me."

"What kind of favour?" Sarada asks.

"Something… personal."

 **The Uzumaki Family Tent**

Considering the prospect of facing there last night together, Hinata watches Naruto's every move. She considers just what an amazing experience it has been to come so far with him. How could anyone have imagined that the strange boy she met all those years ago would be the one who fate chose? How could anyone have imagined just how far he would come and that both homeworld and the pocket-world would come to depend upon his every action? Seeing him do everything that he has in both worlds makes her tremendously proud. She wouldn't have missed a moment of it.

After a few minutes, she hears a noise outside the tent. She has heard at least five now and has become convinced that there is a group of people outside. Reaching over to her fiancé, she tugs on his sleeve to ask him a question.

"Naruto, I think that there are people outside."

"Ah good," he says, "Everyone, could we head outside for a moment, it looks like our guests are here."

"Guests, we're expecting guests?" Kushina asks as she steps outside.

Once outside, the Uzumaki family are indeed greeted by their guests. Outside, Sarada is waiting for them along with those who have watched Naruto and Hinata throughout their time together. Kiba and Akamaru, Shino, Shikamaru, Temari, Choji, Ino, Tenten and Kakashi. A reminder of the past they came from to be here.

"What's going on Naruto?" Hinata asks.

Sarada walks over to Naruto and hands him a pair of golden rings. Her favour to him.

"Hinata, when I was listening to Shikamaru's plan, I noticed that some people looked sad. It's because this could be the last day we ever spend together. That made me think about things we still have to do," he explains, "We got engaged on the day that Boruto was taken from us and since then well… since this is the last chance, I want to bring our wedding forward if you will uh-"

"Yes," Hinata answers.

"Yes?"

"Yes," Hinata repeats, "Yes, this is the last chance we have so yes. We haven't exactly got much of a ceremony so-"

"Hang on," Kakashi interrupts, "I know that it's not the most official ceremony ever, but I feel that I know the two of you both rather well. As the 6th Hokage and your friend, I feel I could say a few words for a ceremony."

"Thank you, Kakashi sensei."

The various guests begin to move into a semi-circle. There is no time for formalities here. They have simply come to see the wedding of two people who they believe deserve it more than anyone else.

"I'm sure I'm going to miss out on some official requirements, but it can probably be forgiven this once," the 6th Hokage declares.

Minato and Kushina feel an immense pride from within them as they look on. That lonely kid with the white hair managed to become the 6th Hokage, he managed to turn his life around. Now he is going to officiate the wedding of their son. Their son is marrying a woman from the Hyuuga clan, a kind woman who loves him so genuinely and has stuck with him through thick and thin. What more could they have asked for?

"Uzumaki Naruto, do you promise in front of your witnesses to cherish Hyuuga Hinata as your wife?"

"I do."

"Hyuuga Hinata, do you promise in front of your witnesses to cherish Uzumaki Naruto as your husband?"

"I do."

"Then according to my right as the 6th Hokage, I pronounce you husband and wife. Congratulations."

Naruto and Hinata are showered in applause as they share a kiss and a loving embrace. For the two of them the world seems to stand still. So much has gone wrong since they were brought forward in time. They have lost friends, they have lost family, they have been betrayed by their own son. This moment is perfect though, and the congratulations fall on deaf ears as they fall into a world of their own.

If this is their last day together, they couldn't have ended it better. However, they could never foresee what will come tomorrow.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Sorry for disappearing for quite so long. I have now re-scripted the story until the end of part 7.

I have also taken on feedback and hopefully corrected the grammar for dialogue.  
I didn't even realise I was getting it wrong before so if I still am please let me know.

I'll try and get the next chapter done as soon as possible.

Thanks for your patience all,  
Cbehrills


	158. You're too Weak

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – YOU'RE TOO WEAK**

 **The Next Morning**

As the morning comes around, the singing birds wake Hinata. As she sits up and stretches her arms wide, she notices that Naruto is not with her. A quick check with her byakugan confirms that her husband is not far away. She gets to her feet and heads outside to meet with him.

She is not the only one to have risen. As she approaches Naruto she notices that all around people have woken up, and they're all quiet. She always believed that people wouldn't be able to stop themselves talking, that everyone would have so many farewells to say, final admissions to make. That is not the case. As the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf and the soldiers of Homeworld wake, they recognise that this is likely to be their final day.

The ground is slightly damp beneath the feet, Hinata notices for the first time, simulating the conditions of the outside world perfectly. As the artificial light brightens, there is no single moment in which the sun comes over the horizon, no final time the flowers will be illuminated by brilliant and unimpaired light. She realises as she walks past them, as she watches the insects float about in this garden paradise, that she will likely never see the sun again.

As she reaches Naruto, she walks to his side, the two of them looking out at the river meandering around corners in the distance.

"Good morning," Hinata says.

"Good morning," Naruto replies.

The two remain silent for a minute and admire the view. To each of them there is only one thing that is more comforting than such a paradise, and that's the presence of the other. In this moment, it is impossible to appreciate what dark forces lay in the centre of this utopia. Even the impending arrival is obscured to them.

"I think we got married last night Naruto."

"I seem to remember something like that too."

Hinata takes Naruto's hand in her own in a move unusually confident for her. There is no time left for doubts in her mind, this is it.

"If this is the last day of our lives," Naruto begins, "At the very least we will get to spend it with one another. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Don't talk like that. I know that you will find a way to win."

"I can't guarantee success," Naruto admits, "But if I gave up that would guarantee failure, right? I'm never going to give up. I have too much to fight for."

"Good, I love you Naruto."

"I love you too, Hinata."

The two remain together in this spot for as long as they can but behind them the rumblings of voices begin raise in volume. More and more people begin to raise from their tents for what they believe to be the last time. People begin to ready themselves for what is to come. This is their do or die moment.

Eventually, Shikamaru works up the courage to approach the two newlyweds. "Yo, if I haven't said it already, congratulations for last night."

"Thank you," they both reply to their friend.

"I know that it's probably not what you want to hear right now, but we'll be ready to go any time now," Shikamaru explains, "You're the most important part of this plan Naruto. We'll wait on you as long as we need to. When you're ready though, it's time to march on Furst."

Naruto nods, feeling the immense pressure on his shoulders. "OK, go and get everyone together, it would probably be appropriate to say a few words."

Shikamaru nods and walks away.

"What will you say to them?" Hinata asks.

"What can I say? I don't really have anything clever on the tip of my tongue. There are plenty of people here better at making speeches than me. But I owe it to them to thank them, to be honest with them, because they're following me to the end."

Hinata squeezes Naruto's hand tighter. "Don't worry about it, your words are clever enough for us. You have a gift. Your words will reach our hearts, just as they always have done."

"I hope you're right."

Hinata continues to look on at the river as Naruto turns around and looks at the force amassing behind them. Perhaps he should ask someone for advice. The other Kage must be experts at saying inspiring things at times like this right? What about Clyde, he's certainly spoken to his forces before. Naruto then considers asking Lara but immediately dismisses the idea, he doesn't want to inspire those who follow in the same way she does. There is always Shikamaru, he's very smart.

"Naruto."

"What is it?"

"There's someone coming from the trees."

"Would you mind telling them to fall in with the others?"

"She's wearing an aristocrat's robe."

"What?"

Naruto turns around and sees it plain. A woman is coming from the trees. Naruto immediately starts to put the pieces together, the skin a few shades darker than his own, the blue and red ribbon in her dark hair, the single blinded eye. This is the same aristocrat that he battled previously.

"Get back Hinata," Naruto ushers her aware before shouting, "It's Carmen!"

As Naruto begins to circulate 'life' energy in preparation for a fight, he is quickly joined by those who are most equipped to join him in this battle. Immediately Lara and Clyde appear on his left, the effect of her teleportation. It barely takes three seconds before Sarada dashes in on his right, using her comet form to travel faster than anyone else amongst them could hope to achieve. This creates a stand-off as Carmen comes face to face with the four warriors who managed to defeat her.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asks.

"It's as you suspect," Carmen answers, "I am here to stop you. I can't let you march on Furst."

"I have to, it's for the villagers, for my home."

"You are certain to be defeated, that is something I cannot allow."

Clyde steps forward to the front of the group, seemingly taking responsibility for the situation. "I have tremendous respect for you Carmen, I thought that you had developed the same respect for the four of us. I thought you had changed your mind and were going to put your faith in us. Why? Why would you slap us in the face now?"

"I did decide to trust you Clyde."

"Then what changed?"

"I was paid a visit," Carmen explains. As she reaches into her pocket and takes out a small badge, showing it to the four of them.

Clyde and Lara are shocked into silence, much to the confusion of Naruto and Sarada. They lean forward slightly to look at this item. It's just a badge. By sharpening their senses they can detect some lingering divine energy that is still present on the surface, but that is likely just from Carmen holding it for an extended period of time. For the badge to shock Lara into silence though, something about this item must be exceptional.

"That's…" Clyde begins before stopping himself.

Lara breaks her silence. "Where did you get that Carmen?"

"I obviously couldn't have taken this if he didn't want me to have it," Carmen cryptically answers, "It came here from the source Lara. He is waiting to talk with you all. He thought it would be a nice surprise for you and your friends."

"… we should go with her," Clyde decides.

"What is going on?" Sarada asks.

Clyde explains. "That is the family crest of a very old and respected family. Very few people possess this item and all of the people who do are remarkable world-shaking individuals. Only one of them could have given it to Carmen, and he is the only person Furst still fears. We should go and speak to him."

Naruto takes a moment to look at Carmen, trying to judge whether she is being honest or not. He comes to the same conclusion about Carmen that he did when he fought her previously, she is an exceptionally honest individual. She may have wishes contradictory to his own, but never did she attempt to deceive him during his attempts to defeat her.

"Alright then, let's go and see this man."

 **Heading South**

"General Peterson, do you know exactly who this man is? What makes him so important that we would abandon our plans to go and meet with him?" Hiruzen asks.

"I don't know, I'm surprised that we agreed to this, it seems obvious to me that Carmen is leading us into a trap."

Hiruzen contrasts Peterson's impatience with the group at large. The vast majority of the fighters they have brought along seem elated, with only a few seeming agitated. Despite them likely being led into a trap, they appear happy. Hiruzen understands, he is happy for the same reason, they're delaying their death. Even if it's only for a few more minutes, it's natural to want to live.

"This isn't a trap Peterson," General Clyde explains, "Carmen showed me the Muto family crest."

"The Muto family crest?" Peterson yells, his mood change causing Hiruzen to jump. "We're really meeting someone from the Muto family? Are you certain that the crest wasn't fake?"

"No, the lingering divine energy was beautifully patterned and distinct. There is no way that Carmen would be able to forge such a brilliant family crest. It could only have been given to her by one man. Carmen wouldn't deceive us like this, it would be too cruel. We're really going to meet him Peterson."

"Who is this person?" Hiruzen asks, "Why is it so worthwhile meeting him?"

"Our plan to assassinate Furst had a one-in-a-hundred chance of working. If this man were to work with us, our chances would be closer to one-in-ten."

Hiruzen considers the enormity of that chance. That represents a ten times improvement in their chances of success. That means that in terms of battle power this one individual is worth ten times Naruto, Sarada, Clyde and Lara put together. Just what sort of person is it that they're going to meet. This man must be a battle hardened veteran of ten thousand years.

"Homeworld still has hope against Furst then?" Hiruzen asks.

Clyde smiles as he answers. "There is hope if he is willing to help."

 **Amongst the Group**

"Are you sure that it's sensible to be following Carmen at a time like this?" Minato asks his son.

"What do you mean?"

"We could be throwing away our only chance to assassinate Furst," the 4th Hokage says angrily. He is quite right of course. "Carmen never wanted us to attempt this in the first place. She risked her life to try and stop you from doing it. Now she has tricked us and our victory over her counts for nothing."

"Lord 4th, under the circumstances we couldn't do anything else," Sarada says as she pats her predecessor comfortingly on the back, "We couldn't fight Carmen again in present circumstances. Anyway, Clyde and Lara both seemed to think that she was being sincere."

"Do you agree, Naruto?"

Naruto groans, comically scratching his chin. "I think we can probably trust her, even if it annoys me that she won't say where we're going. I think that we will meet someone who could really help us."

"Couldn't it be a trap?" Minato presses, "Could she be luring us to someone who will kill us all?"

"Carmen would have just done that herself. Someone even stronger wouldn't need a cunning plan to dispose of us. They could just do it on a whim. I think we will be OK."

Minato remains uncomforted by his son's logic. What if the strongest people in this world are just playing games with the weak pocket worlders? What if all their progress so far has been engineered for someone else's amusement? Perhaps there is someone who couldn't attack them where they were, perhaps they are using Carmen to draw them out. He makes a quick plan in case the worst happens. If they come under attack, his first priority is to get Naruto to safety, then he will come back for the others.

 **Amongst the Group**

Mirai watches as Lara walks ahead of her. The 'Light' using general is kicking at the floor angrily as she walks along. This is a scene that Lara's subordinates have become rather accustomed to. However, it is significant progress in their eyes that Lara could be so annoyed with the circumstances and not have killed any of them out of spite. The head general used to be so vengeful, but there is something about this group of pocket-worlders that has managed to calm her down. It is typical then that only Mirai, one of those pocket-worlders, has the confidence to approach Lara in this mood.

"Lara, why is Clyde acting like this? Just who are we going to see?"

"I don't know why everyone is so happy," Lara huffs as she kicks a stone along the ground. "It's not like this guy is anything special."

"Who isn't? What's his name? What's known for?"

Lara kicks the stone again, amusing herself by watching it hurtle just past Clyde's shoulder. "Don't worry about it Mirai. This guy's just a miserable old man, he stopped caring about the real world a long time ago."

"Is that so?" an old man asks from beside Lara.

Mirai starts. She's never seen any of Lara's subordinates talk to her so confidently. But it quickly becomes clear that this man is not Lara's subordinate. The red vest over his white t-shirt is clearly not a military uniform, nor is it the uniform of an aristocrat. His grey hair is neatly trimmed and unimpaired by a head protector, this man is not a shinobi either.

"Who are you talking to old man," Lara begins before looking, "It's you!"

As soon as Lara raises her voice the entire combined force of soldiers and shinobi turn to face this one old gentleman, surrounding him, many with weapons at the ready. The single word from the head general and the unidentified status of this gentleman is enough to inspire such a tremendous reaction, yet nobody knows why. Everyone reacting to him does so on instinct. The strongest instinct in their body calls out to them and implores them to be careful around him. They become driven by their survival instincts.

"Hello Lara," the old man says with a wave.

"How long have you been stood next to us?"

"At least thirty minutes now. I thought my lack of a uniform would have stood out a bit more."

Mirai has both hands raised, ready to fire an explosion if it is required. "Lara, who is this?"

"I'm surprised that she hasn't mentioned me more," the old man says while scratching the back of his head. "Come on Lara aren't you happy to see your old headmaster again?"

The apparent familiar would comfort Lara's allies in a normal situation, but this is not a normal situation. The circle encloses around the headmaster as the various Kage and generals shuffle to the front. Only Carmen and Clyde refrain from hostilities. Within seconds divine energy completely surrounds the elderly gentleman as Naruto watches on cautiously. Many look to him for commands in this situation but he gives none. This causes the air to be filled with the crackling and hissing sounds of the various divine energy elements.

"Thank you for bringing them Carmen," the headmaster says with a nod, leaving Naruto unsure whether or not he is being sarcastic. "You can return to the secret entrance now, it still needs protecting."

"I will," Carmen replies, immediately departing.

The headmaster sighs as he looks around at the group. "I'm surprised at you Lara, it seems like you've changed a lot since we last met. Look at all these people who rush to your defence, you've started to make friends."

"Shut up old man, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Well you certainly seem to like this lady," the headmaster says, gesturing to Mirai, "Young lady, do the two of you have a lot in common? Lara doesn't usually make many friends."

Lara holds her head in her hands. It's like being embarrassed by a father, or at least how she imagines such a feeling. Just who does this old man think he is talking to her like that.

"I don't think Lara's so bad," Mirai answers, "You just need to learn to cope with her lack of manners."

"I'm glad to hear it, stick with her, we will need her moving forward."

"I will."

Seeing the exchange between the headmaster, Mirai and Lara, the shinobi and members of the military begin to dissipate their divine energy and lower their weapons. Although there is something intimidating about this old man, as time passes his presence begins to feel more and more calming. The air density seems to be different around him, ever fluctuating and making you feel different things. Some shinobi begin to wonder if it deliberate, if it is part of a technique, or whether it is just this old man's unshakable charisma.

"Hello everyone, I expect you have heard a few things about me on your way here, but I shall give you a quick summary," the headmaster offers, "I am the Headmaster of the Military Academy, I oversaw the training of Lara, Clyde and indirectly, every member of this world's military. My name is Muto Sora."

Muto Sora. A man with two names. Naruto recalls that Clyde once told him that the people of this world were not allowed to keep their surname except for extremely rare circumstances. There are two possibilities. Either Sora is someone truly exceptional who has been granted the right to keep his clan name, or he doesn't fear the consequences of daring to claim it once again.

"They know a few details of this world's story sir," Clyde yells to his old headmaster, "You may want to tell them about how you know the previous emperor."

"Of course Clyde," Sora responds, "The previous ruler of this world was Emperor Endou Akashi. He was my brother-in-law."

This causes a commotion among the shinobi, those who didn't already understand just how important the man before them is. Muto Sora, the brother-in-law of the last emperor. He is recognised by many as one of the key figures in the last war to save this world. The best friend of this world's hero, the most trusted advisor of the old empire and the only person who could stand alongside Endou and Furst.

Importantly for Naruto, this confirms his previous thoughts. If this man wanted to kill them, he wouldn't have needed Carmen's help.

"The previous emperor stood up to Furst and tried to save us didn't he?" Tobirama asks, "Doesn't that make this man our ally?"

"Yeah," Kakashi nods, "Unless this guy has an entirely different view on the world."

"We need proof," Minato says, daring to step out in front of the other Hokage, "The people of this world almost destroyed ours. You are responsible for training the many students who infiltrated our world and killed our friends. How do we know that we can trust you?"

Sora takes two steps towards Minato. The 4th Hokage feels a bead of sweat roll down his head. The headmaster hasn't even done anything yet and Minato is convinced of how terrifying he can be. He refuses to back down though, even in spite of the most terrifying potential adversary he has ever come face to face with. His priority is the safety of others, and the preservation of hope. No matter what, he can't let any tricks slip past them. If this is a way for the emperor's servants to get to Naruto he absolutely cannot let it succeed.

Sora notices that Minato's afraid, but he knows that fear is only temporary. He cups his two hands out before him, as if begging. Minato notices that for a quarter of a second Sora's eyes flicker. In the cup of Sora's hand a tiny dark blue speck of energy appears. Then two. Then four. As the seconds pass, the energy in Sora's hand builds to a level beyond what Minato has ever felt before, beyond what any of them have ever felt before.

' _What terrifying energy,'_ Minato realises, _'It makes Carmen's look non-existent. How can people like this even exist?'_

Content with his answer, Sora dissipates the energy, calming the atmosphere. "If I meant to harm you, there is nothing that could stop me. I mean no offense but your power is of no threat to me."

Minato steps back and to his own surprise, a smile comes to his face. "I guess I have no choice but to trust you then."

Sora nods and then turns to the man who looks just like Minato. "I've heard a lot of fuss about a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes. I'm a teacher, I like to think I know potential when I see it. This one is him isn't it? You're Uzumaki Naruto right?"

Sora has heard of Naruto.

"Yes, I'm Uzumaki Naruto," the 7th Hokage declares, "I'm the 7th Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, it's nice to meet you."

"Would you mind showing me your element?" Sora asks eagerly, "Please, I need to know that it's true."

Naruto holds out a single hand and fulfils Sora's request. Energy far less abundant than before surges forward, a translucent shade of white fills Naruto's hand and a pleasant feeling overtakes all those who look on. This is very different to Sora's energy. This is 'life' energy.

Sora laughs and quickly shakes Naruto's hand. "Oh, it's an honour to meet you. This really is an honour, a privilege, wow, I can't believe it, wow. It's been so many years since I've felt this elated."

"Th… thanks, it's good to meet you to," Naruto replies, slightly overwhelmed by Sora's power and his attitude.

Sora then points to Hinata. "You must be his wife, am I right, nice to meet you too, I'm Muto Sora."

"Uhm, hello, my name is Hinata."

"Nice to meet you Hinata," Sora says. He steps back and takes in the sight of the shinobi group. "Wow, what a group, I can scarcely believe you are all pocket-worlders, you have such incredible potential."

"Are you going to help us then?" Naruto asks.

"I'm willing to help you, but not in the way you want," Sora admits, scratching his cheek, "I know what you have been planning and I'm afraid that I just can't let you do it. You aren't ready to make an attempt on Furst's life yet. And unlike Carmen, I am going to stop you from doing it."

"Why?"

Sora frowns. "Because right now, you're too weak."


	159. The Bells

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – THE BELLS**

 **South of the Imperial Palace**

Sora tries to gauge the reactions of many people at once. The easiest emotion to discern is relief, particularly from the shinobi. The weaker ones have all been given longer to live, at least if they end up doing as he says. Next he looks through the stronger ones, through the many colonels who serve under Clyde and Lara, he sees their conflict. The generals and the Hokage are all clearly frustrated, not with him but with themselves. He understands how they feel right now, they all feel useless, just as he has done for years, but then he looks to Naruto.

One doesn't have to be a genius to understand what is going through his mind right now. Unique amongst this group, he has his fist tightly clenched and an unblinking wide-eyed gaze. Sora is stunned by the quick turn around in the young man's attitude. He should be more afraid given the power that Sora demonstrated just seconds ago. Compared his drive to free his people it seems that fear is barely impacting the 7th Hokage at all.

"You won't let me fight Furst?" Naruto asks.

"That's right." Sora replies.

"I think you need to look around, this has already gone too far to stop," Naruto declares, the look in his eye becoming more crazed by the moment. "Do you know what Furst Jonas is responsible for? Do you know what that man did to my world, to what you call a pocket-world? He sent unstoppable warriors, he sent people that couldn't be killed, that could turn our own dead against us. They slaughtered our friends, over half our population."

"I know, I'm sorry."

Sora feels embarrassed as he watches the rage pour from Naruto's body. He feels like he is standing opposite his brother-in-law once more, that the man in front of him is the person who everyone is looking to. That's what Naruto is, he is the person taking responsibility for this whole situation, just like Endou Akashi had before him. Now Sora stands before a group of helpless beaten individuals, far stronger than the lot of them, but he is not the one who takes responsibility. The only one brave enough for that is the young man stood in front of him.

"The villages of my world struggled for peace for hundreds of years," Naruto explains, "Then, when we finally found it, do you know who people looked to for protection. They looked to me! They looked to me and I couldn't do anything. It took everything out of me just to stop Clyde, but then I had to protect everyone from Lara and the betrayals that followed. If I don't defeat Furst, this is going to haunt me forever. So, I can't let you stop me."

Kushina feels the pain wash off her son's body and knows that she can't hide the truth. "He's right," she admits, knowing that it may well send her son to his death.

"Are you his sister?" Sora politely enquires.

"I'm his mother," Kushina explains, "I haven't always been around, but in the short while that I have known Naruto I think I've come to understand him. This isn't just some duty or expectation that has been placed on him, this is his calling, it's the thing he strives towards the most. If you are going to stand in his way, I think you're crazy."

Minato nods. "Naruto's more determined than any of us to see this through. None of the obstacles placed before him have been able to stop him yet. Mr Muto, I don't know about your life or your beliefs, but the people of this village believe in Naruto. He will be the one to defeat Furst Jonas."

"He can't hide from it now," Sarada adds, "This is what my master was born to do."

Sora watches as determination returns to the group before him. Naruto's family prove to be the catalyst for a mass of rebukes against Sora stopping him. Sora, despite the people speaking against him, smiles and relaxes. This is just the sort of thing that he would want to happen. The young man with 'life' as his element is so much weaker than he is, he's weaker still than Furst, yet he's brought these people this far. They all believe in him, even in the face of odds that they can see are impossible to beat. This is perfect.

"Let's not be confrontational," Sora says, "I agree with you all completely. I too believe that Naruto is someone who can defeat Furst. I believe that you are the only one who could ever defeat Furst. But this man is a monster unlike anything you have ever faced."

"You know what I have faced?" Naruto asks.

"I saw the look on your faces when I showed you my power," Sora answers, "I know that my power is greater than any you have ever seen before. I know that Furst scares me in the same way I scare you. And I know that there is no chance of you defeating him now."

Naruto shakes his head. "I've pulled off miracles before."

"You don't need a miracle Naruto, that's why I have sought you out. You just need hard work. You need to keep going and keep holding on until you're strong enough to defeat him. I get the sense that you aren't the sort of man to back down from adversity."

"The people of my village have waited long enough."

Sora tuts, approaching Naruto and placing a calming hand on his shoulder. "You should never underestimate people's patience young man. But it seems that words alone won't convince you, perhaps actions will."

"Are you going to fight me?" Naruto questions.

Sora laughs. "I will let you pick what we do, but you need to use this opportunity. Use this chance to challenge yourself, to understand how powerful Furst will be."

"I say we fight him," Lara shouts, moving her way to Naruto's side.

"Don't be ridiculous," Clyde rebukes her, "If the headmaster were to fight us seriously we would be dead in seconds."

"You speak for yourself Clyde."

"I speak for us all."

A debate breaks out between the two of them. Quickly Naruto and Sarada are both drawn into the argument as well. Sora is more perceptive than most, but any outside observer could tell that these four are the apparent leaders of the group. Clyde represents the first group to rebel, the calming and enduring presence who keeps the group sensible. Lara represents the second group to rebel, she symbolises their anger, frustration and rage. Sarada represents the shinobi, the victims of homeworld's endless problems. Naruto represents hope for all three groups, he's the voice that moves all three of them, the power that drives them forward.

"What about the bell test?" Kakashi shouts, his voice making it to Sarada.

"Good idea Lord 6th."

"What's a bell test?" Clyde asks.

"If you would care to explain I would be happy to participate in this bell test, whatever it is," Sora declares with a grin.

"It's a test for a small team, they try and take the bells away from you," Kakashi explains, "It's a test of the power of teamwork in the face of a more powerful adversary, just like yourself, or like Furst."

"It sounds most appropriate."

"Indeed. And we already have a team of four."

 **Towards the Hidden Entrance**

Carmen continues to move north towards the entrance. She doesn't travel at full speed but not too slowly either, just enough for the wind to pleasantly cool her skin as she passes the monotonous yet familiar grassy landscape. Out here is a different kind of paradise, but it could never be the imperial palace.

As Carmen continues to move she thinks back to the last emperor and how he would have handled things if he were still here now. If he were here he would have acted before now, he wouldn't have waited patiently as Headmaster Sora had done. Perhaps it is for the better that Sora remained patient. Now, the situation is looking better for them than it has done in a long time, all thanks to a pocket-worlder.

' _Emperor Endou, I took the young man to your brother-in-law, is that what you would have wanted?'_ she asks, _'Yes, I'm sure it is. He's just like you in so many ways. I believe that he is your successor. But he has a long way to go, he doesn't understand the terror Furst can unleash yet. I hope Headmaster Sora can help him because if he can't then nobody can.'_

"Uh, would you mind stopping please!" a voice calls out to Carmen.

Carmen stops in her tracks, initially not daring to look around. Whoever this person is, they've managed to escape her heightened senses. Being caught now is the last thing she needs. If this is one of aristocrats loyal to Sora then everything will be fine, but if this person is loyal to Furst then it will be a disaster. Unfortunately, it is much more likely that this is an ally of the current emperor than the headmaster. She begins to turn around slowly and prays that her senses will be greeted by the sight of a friendly aristocrat.

But this is not an aristocrat at all.

' _These two are royals,'_ she realises, _'Hirsch Nadia and Hoffman Swen!'_

This isn't just bad luck, it's catastrophic. These are two of the six individuals who rule alongside Furst Jonas. They are his most trusted subordinates.

On the left is Queen Hirsch Nadia. Her head adorned by jewels sparkling bright, standing out against her dark skin and her brilliant white robe. Nadia's breakthrough age was around thirty years old, her appearance has changed very little since that point. To Carmen, Queen Nadia seems to wear an eternal grin on her face, as if she is watching a rat run around in a maze. Nadia's eyes stand out thanks to her dark black iris, those with a greater sight than Carmen have marvelled over them in the past. There is a depth to Nadia's eyes, like they are a gateway to her mind, a mind so deep and complex that one cannot see the deepest parts of it.

On the right, with the goggles on his head, is King Hoffman Swen. A teenager by looks, his fair brown skin is blemished only by a single scar on the left side of his face. Swen's eyes are different to Nadia's, when one looks at them they can only seem him for what he is, an innocent young man. His innocence does little to put his enemies mind at rest though, they only need look at his attire, a black and white hooded jumper. The forces of this world are forced to wear a very specific uniform, but the royals are a unique exception to that rule. When people learn that this laid back young man in the jumper can use divine energy, it is usually when they say their final farewell.

Carmen remains perfectly still, trying her best to look calm and composed as the two terrifying individuals approach her.

"Swen, you're a king," Nadia reminds him, "How many times do you have to be reminded. Don't say 'please' to normal aristocrats."

"I'm sorry, yep, but she's not a normal aristocrat Nadia."

"Yes I noticed. A hero of the previous conflict, someone we all owe our lives to," Nadia says with a sarcastic chuckle, "Hello Carmen, it has been a long time since we last met."

Carmen gulps, "Queen Nadia, it's an honour to meet you again after such a long time."

"I bet it is," chuckles Nadia as she removes a notebook and pen from her pocket.

Carmen listens as the pen begins to scratch along the paper. Never has the noise seemed so menacing as when it comes from Nadia's direction. There is nobody who understands how the world works better than Nadia, so much is documented within that little notebook. But what makes her special is not her ability to record and recall information, nor her talent for seeing into people's souls and understanding how the behave. What makes Nadia terrifying is how right she is, the first things she writes when she opens that notebook are her predictions. Her predictions are almost always correct.

"King Swen," Carmen politely greets the second royal, "I'm as grateful for your kind manners. I fear that they are wasted on me though."

Swen yawns. "I'm just glad that you didn't make us chase you, yep. That can be so exhausting. I don't know why people bother to run from a royal."

"You're hopeless Swen," Nadia grumbles.

"Huh, I'm…"

"Just be quiet for now," Nadia says, patting the young man patronisingly on the head. "Let's turn our attention to the matter at hand shall we, things are just about to get interesting."

"Have you approached me for something specific my queen?" Carmen asks.

"You know about my history and my powers; did you really think that you would escape my notice completely?" Nadia asks. "An aristocrat walking casually around the walls of the imperial palace, you don't seem to be in any great rush either. Just where are you going?"

"I'm just taking a stroll my queen, often the stress from the last war still gets to me. I like to clear my head."

Carmen knows that she must be looking nervous now, she feels the sweat begin to form on her head. Given that she has started to notice it, she assumes that Nadia must have predicted it from the second they bumped into one another. She knows as well that her thoughts can only remain private for so long. Nadia's supreme powers of insight make it so that she can virtually hear Carmen's thoughts, but that's nothing on Swen's power.

"Swen, why don't you tell me just how clear Carmen's head is?" Nadia requests.

With a sigh, Swen raises both his hands to his head and lowers the oversized goggles over his eyes. It's like a child preparing for a play-fight, but contrary to his youthful appearance, King Swen is no child. King Swen has powers beyond what normal people could hope to achieve. As he concentrates, divine energy makes it from his inner world and begins to swirl around his body. The pink energy rotates and after a few seconds his eyes change from blue to that same shade of pink.

Carmen does her best to empty her mind, but it's useless against Swen.

"She seems to be going to some hidden entrance," Swen says as he raises the goggles, "She's trying to get into the imperial palace."

"A secret entrance, how interesting," Nadia says, scribbling down notes in her notebook. This is something not even she predicted.

"Those are just fantasies of mine King Swen, there's no truth to those thoughts," Carmen insists urgently, "I assure you that no such secret entrance exists."

"Oh, I'm sorry then," Swen says as he raises his goggles back onto his forehead.

"In that case we'll leave you alone." Nadia closes her notebook and gestures that Carmen can continue with her walk.

Carmen bows and turns around, beginning to walk away.

"Is that honestly what you thought?" Nadia chuckles.

Carmen knows that there is no getting out of this now. There is no way to fight against either of these royals so she runs. She forgets about regulation or any of the battle principles and just pours all the divine 'air' energy in her body into running away. The grass is blown apart in a pair of straight lines, creating an arrow like pattern over a wide patch of ground as she runs forward. She can't let herself be captured, she can't give information to these two, no matter what.

Nadia appears in Carmen's path, easily outrunning her and striking with a single blow to Carmen's chest.

Carmen coughs as she lands on the hard ground beneath her. Naruto had to create the life-gathering rasengan to take her down, Queen Nadia managed it with a single strike.

"My queen, I promise there is nothing in this," she says hopefully, "It's not worth wasting your time chasing my fantasies."

"Calm down Carmen, calm down," Nadia says, walking over and patting Carmen's head like she would a dog, "You just take a deep breath and keep calm."

Carmen doesn't do that, she stares wordlessly and breathlessly at the woman who holds her fate in her hands.

Nadia rests her finger against her thumb and whispers into Carmen's ear. "Trying to keep a secret from the emperor, that was a terrible mistake."

Nadia flicks Carmen in the head, knocking her unconscious. "Swen, why don't you carry her, we've got a lot of ground to cover."

"I don't want to."

"Swen!"

"You can carry her can't you Nadia," Swen says as he places his hands behind his head and walks towards their destination.

Nadia grins and shakes her head. "Honestly, you're getting more and more lazy by the day."

Queen Nadia picks Carmen up on her shoulders and follows Swen towards their destination. A place where Carmen would never have wanted to go. Her destiny is in the hands of the royals now.

 **To the South**

Sora waits patiently for a few minutes as his proposed opponents discuss their strategy. The four of them are the dream team that he admires so much, the dream team that he hopes will carry this world forward into the future. 'Darkness' user Clyde, 'Light' user Lara, 'Creation' user Sarada and the man who mastered 'life' Naruto. The four of them don't seem to be the best of friends, particular Lara whose frequent outbursts can't do much for team unity, but when they turn around Sora knows straight away that they are a cohesive unit. The four of them have a chemistry that cannot be taught.

"Alright, we all know how we're going to play this right," Naruto says, "Teamwork! Let's prove that we are ready for Furst."

"It's been a long time since I've taken a bell test," Sarada grins.

Clyde sighs, "I'm not exactly feeling confident about this."

"Shut up Clyde," Lara demands with her usual level of tact, "We're going to grab those bells, no matter how much of a coward you are."

"Then go."

Without any further warning, Lara begins. She teleports to Sora's rear and spins counter-clockwise with her hand facing backward. With tremendous speed boosted by her speed-centric element of 'light' she grabs towards the bells. The first grab at the bells is almost perfect but is also completely ineffective. Without even having turned to look at her Sora manages to step out of the way. He continues to do this as Lara grabs at the bells for a second time, a third time and a fourth. He weaves tauntingly between Lara's various lunges before flipping over the top of her.

"You're going to have to be a bit quicker than that," he grins as he waves at Lara.

A box of an ultra-dense material begins to form as Sora plummets towards the ground. The old man looks at it with curiosity as he lands within it's confines, only for two more of the six outer faces to form, leaving him for very little room to escape from his confines. He looks at the box, tapping it with the rear of his index finger and concluding that it is quite hard.

Having decided not to break the box, Sora turns around to walk away. He is greeted by the sight of Naruto stood in front of him, a life-gathering rasengan in hand. He looks at the attack, how light can be white and translucent yet so bright at the same time amazes him, reminding him of the old days.

"There's no time for holding back," Naruto declares as he slams the life-gathering rasengan towards the trapped Sora.

The onlookers shield their eyes from the bright explosion at the centre of the box. When they uncover them again they understand a bit more of the enemy they are facing. Sora's palm is touching Naruto's, he took the attack with his hand and isn't even sporting a bruise where he did so.

"You're going to have to be a bit smarter if you want to catch me," Sora smirks as the box collapses around him.

Clyde predicted the destruction of the box and was waiting on the other side. Using the newly available path of approach, he lunges for the bells from behind Sora, only for the headmaster to evade once again.

Clyde raises his arms into the air, sending a barrage of golden 'darkness' darts towards his opponent. These darts once kept Naruto down as he battled for the fate of the world, but Sora makes a deliberately comic attempt to dodge each of the darts, catching it after he does so. As Clyde gives his all to the battle, Sora's mind is split as he tries to prevent the darts from hitting anyone who is watching the fight.

This is exactly what Clyde had intended. Clyde lifts his arms slightly higher, pulling several strings out from the floor. As Clyde moves his fingers back and forth in very precise motions, the golden 'darkness' strings wrap themselves around Sora's various limbs, binding him in place reinforced by the physical strength of Clyde's muscles.

"Lara!" Clyde bellows, urging her after their opponent.

Lara teleports to Sora's side once again, reaching for the bells at a speed somehow even greater than she had before. For a moment Lara glimpses Sora's true nature and is amazed to realise that as she fights she is growing stronger faster than she has ever done before.

Sora somehow manages to pull his right arm free of Clyde's bindings and uses it to prevent Lara from grabbing the bells. Naturally, Lara grabs for the bells with the other arm, so Sora lets go of her first arm and grabs hold of the second. Lara questions the reality in front of her as she repeatedly grabs for the bells with alternating arms. Each time she gets closer with one of them Sora manages to catch it and throw it backwards, such is his speed.

Naruto dashes towards Sarada as the two move a short distance away from Sora, "Sarada, you know what to do."

Both of them begin to switch form, using their largest offensive techniques. In a matter of seconds, Naruto has executed his tailed beast transformation, turning into a full size nine-tailed fox. That fox is quickly surrounded by the yellow skeletal armor of Sarada's full body Susano. The two of them combine together and embody a joint warrior that once struck fear into the enemies of the Hidden Leaf.

"Move," Clyde yells to Lara.

"If I keep reaching for the bells," Lara declares while doing just that, "He's not going to have a chance to move. I'm not going to let him dodge whatever they are planning."

"Hmm, this could be tricky," Sora realises as he keeps blocking Lara's arms.

A gigantic yellow sword created from a combination of chakra and two types of divine energy is formed in the sky above them all. The sword drops down, landing in the hand of the Kuruma-Susano fusion, providing it with a weapon stronger than it is has ever wielded before. Together, Naruto and Sarada focus their chakra, causing this fusion beast to slam the sword down towards Sora with a vengeance.

Sora pulls his left arm free of Clyde's bindings, concluding that this is the only way to escape from his current predicament. He uses this arm to take his vest off. He puts the vest around Lara's neck and then does something strange to it with his dark blue divine energy. Nobody knows exactly what he did, but whatever it is, Lara cannot remove it. Sora pushes her backward, safely out of the path of Naruto and Sarada's attack.

As the attack lowers, Sora picks up a stone on the ground. Again, he does something to his weapon of choice, using his dark blue divine energy on it for a few seconds before stopping. Once he has done that, he launches the small stone straight through the heart of the Kurama Susano fusion, dissipating not only the sword but the entire chakra amassed to create it.

Naruto and Sarada fall to the ground as the shockwaves from the stone clash against their muscles. Both question how anyone could possibly make something the size of a pebble into such a devastating weapon.

That leaves just Clyde.

Sora takes one of the bells from his waist and uses the dark blue divine energy on it. Taking it between his middle and index finger, Sora throws the bell towards Clyde, initially giving the idea that he is going to forfeit the match. But as Clyde tries to catch the bell, he realises that it is moving too fast to catch. The bell bounces of Clyde's head, knocking the 'darkness' user to the ground and rebounding back into Sora's hand.

"Minato sensei," Kakashi begins, "Is this really happening?"

"Yeah, even when they work as a team, the four of them can't touch him," Minato realises, "Isn't this guy supposed to be weaker than Furst?"

"It looks like he was right," Kakashi declares, "Even with Shikamaru's master plan, the four of them never stood a chance against Furst."

The shinobi and captains are left to wonder, is it over already?


	160. It's Not Over Yet

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – IT'S NOT OVER YET**

 **South of the Imperial Palace**

Naruto tilts his head painfully backward, wincing as he looks up at the man who put him in this terrible position. There is not a scratch on his vest, not a single grey hair displaced from his head. Sora is smiling, a smile that communicates not happiness but smugness. The headmaster is on another level to them and there is absolutely nothing that he could do to bridge this level, at least not now.

Clyde's perspective is the same as what it was going into this test. There was never any chance that they would actually win here. Sora is a man who brushed shoulders with Endou Akashi, he is a man who truly stands at the pinnacle of this world. This man is perhaps the only one who could make Furst Jonas think twice, and he is not someone they can touch. It is now abundantly clear that the assassination plan would have been meaningless.

Naruto groans as he gets back to his feet. "Mr headmaster, that's some serious power that you are packing."

"Naruto," Clyde sighs as he raises to his feet, "I think the conclusion of this test is obvious, isn't it? There is no need to continue is there?"

"Then what conclusion have you drawn Clyde?"

"We can't win here. Headmaster Sora is just too strong for us. Right now we are too weak to-"

"What?"

Lara teleports to Clyde's side, grabbing him by the shoulder and turning him viciously around to look her in the eye. The bloodlust in her eyes is as intense as ever and strikes Clyde immediately. Lara may have calmed down a lot during her time together with them, but it's obvious that right now she is the same person she used to be.

"What are you talking about you idiot," Lara berates Clyde, "I haven't given you an order to surrender, so you keep going."

Clyde laughs, "Is it still about orders for you Lara? Isn't it obvious to you that we can't defeat him?"

"I don't care about your miserable attempts to forfeit, I'm not going to stop going until I've got those bells."

"Then you will be going forever Lara."

Sarada stops listening to the duo bickering and pushes herself up to her feet. She watches Sora grinning at their arguments, like this is just another day for him. She quickly realises that it is, that this man stands at the heart of the anti-Jonas sentiment, and that he deals with people constantly. Everyone who dares to stand up against Furst Jonas is crazy, they are mad and eccentric, none of them get along with one another easily. That's why he is so used to dealing with their bickering, just like with Clyde and Lara.

"I agree with Clyde, continuing is pointless," Sarada shouts at the bickering pair.

Lara is seething, she grabs Clyde and teleports to the Hokage.

"Thank you for being sensible Sarada," Clyde says as he removes Lara's hand from his head, "There's no shame in admitting that we can't do this right now. We need to be realistic for the sake of all those depending on us. We can't get the bells right now."

"Do you think that's what those people need?" Lara shouts into his face, "Do you think they need us to fail? Do you think they need us to be weak right now Clyde?"

"It's not what they need, but right now it's true that we are weak," Clyde answers honestly, "The first step towards changing that is acknowledging our weakness."

"Pride comes before the fall," Sarada says, signalling her agreement with Clyde, "This is not the time to second guess that."

Sora's eyes fall on the youngest member of the group, on Uzumaki Naruto himself. The young Uzumaki clansmen seems to have fallen into an almost hypnotic state, a state of such intense focus that nobody would be able to snap him out of it. The headmaster grins, practically able to read the mind of the Hokage. He just hopes that all his expectations prove to be correct.

Naruto finally speaks up. "Do you really think that we can't grab the bells?"

"I think we need to get stronger first," Sarada answers.

Sora decides to test his insight. He approaches the group and becomes to speak with them. "I am willing to help you to become stronger. I hope now that I have shown you it is necessary, that right now you're too weak. My specialty is teaching, I am a teacher by profession, and I'm willing to use that talent to build you up."

Sarada is delighted by the offer. This isn't the same as what they were targeting before. Before they were aiming for a miracle in trying to get close to Furst. They were aiming for a second in miracle with the assassination. This is a chance to really take the fight to him though, to become stronger and take their chances in a head-on assault. This is a chance for a real fight.

"Are you giving up, Sarada?" Naruto asks.

"Giving up? I don't believe that we can get the bells off him right now. That doesn't mean I'm giving up, does it?"

"And what about you Clyde?"

"Sarada and I aren't giving up Naruto," Clyde reiterates. "We're just saying that we can't succeed today, but that we shall succeed tomorrow."

Clyde knows of Headmaster Sora. Sora is the one who orchestrated the entire process by which he and Lara learnt what they did. Sora is the one who set up the military academy. He is the one they have to think for their talent, for their power, for coming this far. Now that he's offering to help them go so much further, it is an offer beyond what he ever dreamed would come his way. However, the disapproving tone of Naruto's voice worries him, are they really going to throw this chance away?

"I agree," Naruto says, much to the others shock.

"You do?"

"We need to get stronger. We were being foolish. We didn't stand a chance, I see that now," Naruto admits. "But Lara, you don't agree with them do you?"

Lara snorts. "I don't want to lose to this old man."

"Neither do I."

Clyde looks back to Naruto, who doesn't seem to be able to make up his mind. "What are you talking about Naruto, are you saying that we should stop or keep going?"

"Sarada, Clyde, why don't the two of you just sit down for now, sit down and watch," Naruto says, "I'm willing to keep getting stronger, I want to get stronger, but there is something I must do first."

"You're going to keep moving forward?"

"Yes, I am," Naruto declares, "This test is not enough to stop me. Lara and I are enough to grab those bells, so you just sit back and watch."

Sarada shrugs her shoulders. "Alright then, let's go Clyde."

As the two of them step aside, they look back over their shoulders, wondering exactly the same thing that their subordinates are, how are Naruto and Lara alone going to be enough to do this. Sora is a man who dominated the four of them without much effort, for two people alone to deceive him and grab the bells from his waist, especially two people as different as Naruto and Lara, it will surely be impossible.

"I didn't expect this from an idiot like you," Lara admits.

Sora steps forward, startling them both. "Fantastic! Fantastic! The enthusiasm of the young ones is more refreshing than it has ever been before. Alright then, Uzumaki Naruto, General Lara, let's the three of us keep going."

 **Somewhere Inside the Imperial Palace**

Carmen wakes up and memories instantly come flooding back to her. She remembers having incredibly bad luck, running into two royals at once. The two that are always together, that obsessive thinker Nadia and the kid who wants to sleep Swen. Running into the empire's most deadly partners in that situation is about as unlucky as it gets. Then they brought her here.

She doesn't open her eyes for the first few moments, deciding to test her bearings. First she notes that her hands and feet are tied down and that she is laying flat but on a steep incline. On some sort of table, she has probably been brought here for questioning. She uses her elevated senses to estimate the size of the room she is in, not much smaller than the average bedroom, but much colder. Given the luxury and resources used in creating the imperial palace, the cold temperature is almost certainly deliberate, an attempt to keep her uncomfortable.

When she finally lets her eyes creek open she looks around. Her limited sight impairs her even further in the dimly lit room, but she believes that she has confirmed her suspicions, she is alone in the room. The only light coming in is through a door in front of her, thick and metal, with a tiny window in it. This is not dissimilar to the laboratories, but she guesses that she isn't there, not given the tendencies of King Max.

She finally makes a decision, she must get free. After a few tries she is certain that she can't break free of her bonds, so she resorts to her only other option. Prayer.

"Help! Help! Help!" she calls desperately.

To her amazement, there is a loud metallic thud as the latch on the door opens. She gains an appreciation for how thick it was, given that she wasn't able to hear anyone on the other side. She is quickly disappointed though, as the two individuals that step inside are her captors, Queen Nadia and King Swen.

"Hello Carmen," Nadia greets her sarcastically, "Judging from the screaming I doubt that you enjoyed your nap very much."

"Help!" Carmen screams again.

Nadia takes out her notebook and begins to write down her predications and everything that she is learning. Carmen is a war hero, presumably one of the last people still loyal to the previous Emperor Akashi Endou, and an innovator who helped to develop the battle principles. She is a fascinating subject to study.

"I'm going to have a nap, yep," Swen decides, "Could you wake me up if something exciting happens Nadia?" Proclamation made, Swen leans against the wall, his back sliding down it as he lowers himself to the ground for his nap.

"You're a real nuisance sometimes Swen."

"Sorry."

"Help!" Carmen screams once more.

"You know that you're hoping for help from someone stronger than a royal," Nadia asks rhetorically, "I don't think that you're that stupid Carmen. If I didn't know any better I would say that you're trying to interrupt Swen's nap."

Every instinct in Carmen's body is screaming for her to lash out at the two royals, to tell them exactly what she thinks of them, but the logical part of her brain stops her. She searches for any better way out of this situation, but she can't think of any. The only logical next step for her is to plead.

"Please Queen Nadia, let me go," she begs, "I really don't know anything that would of any use to you. I'm willing to make up for wasting your time, so please let me go."

"I'm afraid it's too late," Nadia shrugs with a chuckle, "I've already traded the information that you're going to give up for more power and land. Another win for Queen Nadia."

"You could say that I escaped," Carmen suggests, "Execute some of your subordinates, the Emperor wouldn't punish someone like you, not a royal like you. Just don't do this please, I don't have anything useful to say!"

"I'm not going to be doing the interrogation anyway," Nadia grins, "I'm just here as an interested party, an observer. I'm here to collect my finder's fee."

Once more the latch on the door unlocks, this time Carmen thought she heard some steps but dismisses it as her imagination. In comes a woman whose entire person seems to shine with brilliance, like there is no element of her life that is beyond her control. Carmen puts the image together with the smell and with the sound of this woman's footsteps, the situation has now become hopeless.

This woman is a third royal.  
Queen Huen Petra.

"Hello Queen Nadia," Petra politely introduces herself, "I take it that you are doing well today. And I see that King Swen is as excited as ever."

Nadia grins, gently tapping her friend with her foot. "Swen, wakey-wakey young King, Petra will want your help with the interrogation."

"Huh, that woman is here?" Swen asks groggily, "She doesn't need help, 'control' energy should be enough for this interrogation, yep."

As Swen goes back to sleep, Carmen tries to relax for a moment. If these people are going to be interrogating her it will be virtually impossible to keep information to herself. Between them, they are the best at extracting it to have ever lived. She begins to devise a strategy for keeping it to herself, to just reveal enough that they will believe her and won't pry any further. There has to be way, she has to escape here with her life, she has to protect Naruto and Sora.

But then she hears some more footsteps.

"On your feet Swen, I'm ordering you to help with this interrogation."

The footsteps, the voice, there is no mistaking them. The door finally closes as one last person enters the room.

Emperor Furst Jonas is here!

"Oh god," Carmen whispers to herself.

Swen's eyes snap wide open as he questions what he just heard. Looking up he sees the perfect unblemished presence of the most important person in the whole world. Emperor Furst Jonas is here. He immediately pushes himself up from the floor, bowing formally from the waist and greeting the man he fears most.

"Greetings Emperor Furst."

"This information is vitally important, if what Nadia said about a secret entrance turns out to be true, I don't want anything missed," Jonas explains, "Petra will use 'control' energy to force Carmen to answer my questions. You will use 'psychic' energy to listen to her thoughts for answers. Is that understood?"

"Yes my emperor," Swen bows once again.

"I don't have any information to give you, there's nothing of worth that I could tell you Emperor Furst," Carmen insists desperately, "That's why even when Queen Petra manipulates me, even when King Swen monitors me, it won't be of any help. I hope that you learn I am ignorant and will be merciful to me when we are done."

"You may begin Petra," Jonas says, ignoring Carmen's pleas.

Queen Petra stretches a single hand out in front of her. Gold particles infect her purple coloured 'control' divine energy as it stretches from her fingertips and takes hold of Carmen. It spreads throughout her body, confirmed by several spasms induced by Petra's will. Within a few seconds, Petra determines that she is in control of the aristocrat.

Carmen grinds her teeth and clenches her fists. No matter what, she vows that she will resist here, for the good of the empire, for Endou Akashi's legacy.

Furst Jonas begins his questioning. "Carmen is there a secret entrance to the Imperial Palace that I'm unaware of?"

"I don't know… I dare not assume… that I know your mind… my emperor," Carmen manages to say through her gritted teeth.

"I'm telling you to assume you know my mind," Jonas insists, "Now, tell me Carmen, is there a secret entrance to the Imperial Palace?"

"There's the northern entrance near…"

"No Carmen, we all know of the northern entrance. Is there an entrance to the Imperial Palace that I don't know about?"

Carmen remains deadly silent. Furst looks to the right to see Swen's eyes have turned purple and his goggles are down. The teenage royal is trying but hearing nothing. To his left Petra is doing her best to force Carmen into answering the question, but miraculously, the aristocrat is managing to resist this two pronged attack. Jonas has little in the way of admiration for Carmen, but he soon comes to admire her strength of will, even if it won't last.

"Tell me Carmen, is there a secret entrance?" he asks again, "Tell me."

"Sir, her mind just slipped, she thought about a secret entrance to the west of the imperial palace," Swen explains, "But it was a smokescreen, she used it to her true thoughts. The secret entrance is to the south of the Imperial Palace."

"Carmen is there a secret entrance to the south of the Imperial Palace?"

"No… No… No… Yes… there is a secret entrance… to the south of the Imperial Palace," Carmen admits, her own words beyond her control.

"Well?" Jonas asks his two cohorts.

"I have control of her," Petra answers.

"Yep, she was telling the truth, yep, there really is a secret entrance to the south," Swen adds.

"Very well," Jonas calms himself to pursue the next line of questioning. "I think you should tell me who has used that entrance Carmen."

 **South of the Imperial Palace**

Naruto finishes speaking to Lara and gives her a pat on the back, much to her annoyance. The two of them then turn away from one another and face their opponent. They walk slowly toward him, like a predator stalking his prey, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

Sora notes the difference in their appearances. It's no wonder that their subordinates were shocked. Lara appears berserk, her eyes wide and crazed, her teeth bared as she prepares to taste blood for the hundredth time in her rule of terror. Naruto appears childish, calm, as if he's about to use a practical joke to sort the whole thing out. The two of them have completely opposite philosophies. That's why he keeps his guard up, if people like this can find a way to work together, it makes them truly dangerous.

"I hope you two have come up with a really good plan," Sora says.

The duo come to a halt ten paces away from him.

"You don't exactly seem thrilled about this plan," Naruto says to his partner, "I want to know if you trust me Lara, I think it's important."

"We don't need to trust each other for this plan to work," Lara counters.

Naruto extends his fist. "You were not willing to give up, that's all that I need to know. I trust you. I want to know that the same is true in reverse."

Sora grins at the exchange. The younger of the two has effectively assumed the role of the leader, and there is a small part of Lara's brain that is going along with it.

Lara holds her head in her hands, embarrassed by what Naruto is proposing they do. Bump fists? Does this pocket-worlder think that she's a newly recruited captain, a naïve fool with no experience of the real world. No, he doesn't, the same sincerity can be found in his eyes as always. There is something else there as well though, a little cunning gleam. So, Lara decides to go along with it.

Lara bumps her fist against Naruto's and then he disappears.

' _That sneaky fellow,'_ Sora realises straight away what happened. He flips backwards to avoid a grab from behind, watching as Naruto's hand slips just past the bells. _'That whole charade was set up as an act so that he could get the bells.'_

That was not all that was planned in advance. Naruto creates a rasengan in his hand, using 'life' energy to enhance it. There is no time to gather the energy for a life-gathering rasengan, but this is the next best thing. As Sora falls uncontrollably towards the ground, Naruto slams the rasengan up into the headmaster's stomach.

' _It's not as strong as the life-gathering rasengan,'_ Sora winces as he is hit, _'But it's still a powerful attack.'_

Sora is propped up a short distance from the ground by the attack, this creates an opening, just as Naruto and Lar planned. Lara teleports to Sora's rear as he is propped up and reaches for the bells.

Sora reaches his leg back behind his head, his experience as a warrior allowing him to wield it with the same dexterity as an arm. With a series of gentle but precise hits, he manages to keep Lara's arms away as she makes several grabs for the bells, persisting with his efforts until he lands safely on the ground. Upon landing, Sora jumps backward, putting space between himself and the two warriors.

' _What can truly elevate people to do extraordinary things,'_ Naruto realises, _'Is the resolve to never give up.'_

Naruto pulls his hand back and reaches it into the empty space before him, grabbing for something that just isn't there.

' _That technique,'_ Tobirama starts, _'It's just like the one I use.'_

Lara takes Naruto's shoulder mid-grab and teleports him away. This places the 7th Hokage just an inch away from the bell behind Sora, superb accuracy even by Lara's ever improving standards. What's more, Naruto is already moving, it would take an incredible level of skill to avoid such an attempt.

' _Too close, no time to block, no time to run,'_ Sora concludes.

Sora has only one route of escape. He spins his body as fast as he can, opting for the only direction he can, a counter-clockwise spin using his left heel as an axis. Using all the power available to him, he just manages to evade the much slower Naruto. But as he spins around he notices that Lara has already teleported into the new path of the bells, did they come up with this backup plan in advance? Sora reaches back , grabbing Lara by the wrist and throwing her into Naruto, sending the two of them scuttling backwards.

The tumble along the grassy ground tears the skin and grinds the bones of the 7th Hokage and the Head General, even Sora cringes at how painful the roll looks. Many others would be inclined to give up, but not these two. They stubbornly separate themselves as they tumble along, bouncing painfully off the ground in more and more controlled bounces. After many ricochets they manage to gain control, landing on their feet. The looks in their eyes is exactly the same as before, the two of them just won't stop.

Naruto creates a group of a hundred clones, using them to steady himself and Lara.

' _I just have to watch Naruto's movements, then I can predict exactly where Lara will put him,'_ Sora realises, _'I'm sorry you two, but I'm not going to just let you grab these bells, I have my own pride too.'_

Lara puts her hand on Naruto's head, flipping over the original body and into the pack of clones. The clones shuffle themselves up, disguising the real body, the only one that can use divine energy. Then, the hundred identical beings all run forward, marching on Sora in perfect unison.

' _She's hidden herself among the pack of clones?'_

"Take your pick, Lara!" Naruto shouts as he charges forward.

A first clone appears behind Sora and leaps for the bells, but Sora leaps back away, realising that this was only ever a diversion. A second clones appears in Sora's backward path, reaching for the bells using Sora's momentum against him, but the headmaster spins once again, avoiding yet another grab for the bells.

That's when the final teleportation happens. Sora can sense the difference with this Naruto instantly, this one has divine energy, this isn't some clone, this is the original body. However, Sora is already spinning, there is no way to change his course this time. What's more, the original body is already reaching towards the space which Sora is retreating towards.

Sora gazes at Naruto in astonishment. This young man of infinite promise, he is already someone who can make miracles happen.

Naruto's original body bursts past Sora, the clones dissipating as he does so. The Uzumaki clansmen comes to a halt with his hands aloft.

He has the bells!

Naruto walks back towards Sora, Lara approaching her former headmaster from the other side. Together the two of them arrive before him, one representing the rebellious soldiers of this world, the other representing the desperate pocket worlders of his and many other worlds.

Naruto lowers the bells into Sora's hands.

"Headmaster Sora teach us how to defeat Furst!"


	161. Return to the Academy

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – RETURN TO THE ACADEMY**

 **Towards the Academy**

Minato and Kushina walk a short way behind those at the front of the pack, watching them with a smile. They agreed to go back to the military academy with Sora, judging that it would be the safest place for them to learn under him. Bumping into him has proven to be a real stroke of good luck, a rare fortune in a time when they are cursed with war. At the front of the group Naruto and Hinata are walking alongside the old man, each of them smiling and laughing as they get to know him. It turns out that Headmaster Muto Sora is just what they needed to push them in the right direction.

Sora listens to Naruto and Hinata's stories intently, as if he has missed out on the lives of his own children. The two shinobis stories are easy to listen to, gripping for parts. Compared to normal pocket worlds, theirs has an extraordinary history. Sora keeps vigilant throughout, listening for details about Naruto's life, hoping to see reflections between Akashi and this young man. He sees them endlessly, their attitude, their unbreakable determination, their ability to inspire, their talent for making miracles happen.

"So, you knew the previous emperor right?" Naruto asks, "Endou Akashi was his name wasn't it?"

Sora nods. "Yes, this world's saviour during the last war and the only other person to use 'life' as their element. Endou Akashi was a true hero. He was also my best friend. He and I never had a chance to say farewell. I wish I could have said goodbye."

"You must know about Emperor Furst as well?" Hinata asks.

"Emperor Furst Jonas. He had a meteoric rise, I was there for most of it, I know it better than anyone," Sora explains, "I always suspected that he would become something special. I never foresaw him becoming this powerful though. I think Akashi probably knew about his talent, he probably realised a long time ago, but that naïve fool couldn't ever doubt a friend. He refused to give up on us, even when he should have."

"I think that it's good he trusted his friend in spite of everything," Hinata says, "I know somebody just like that, someone who just won't let go. I think people like that are the best people."

"He would be happy to here you say that," Sora replies, "Pocket worlders were a people he tried to protect, he truly valued you all."

Near the back of the pack, Lara walks along grumpily, her hands in her pockets. Clyde drops back through the pack to talk with her, struggling to supress a laugh when he sees her behaviour. Lara certainly isn't conservative with her thoughts or opinions. The Head General of the military can be child-like when she wants to be. After everything they have been through together, he had wondered if she would change. In many ways she has, her soul is very different to what it once was. However, in terms of demeanour, Lara is unlikely to ever change.

"I thought you were going to refuse," Clyde says as Lara arrives by his side, "I thought you were going to go and attack Furst all by yourself."

"Huh!" Lara harrumphs, hitting Clyde in the back of the head, "Who do you think you are? How dare you accuse your leader of being stupid. You're only a general, Clyde."

Clyde rubs the back of his head. "I'm not accusing you of that, I promise you."

"Listen, I made the decision back when I saw the girl and the owl-"

"What owl?"

"Shut up," Lara shouts, "I made the decision that you would be there when I killed Furst. I still want to kill Furst. I'm still going to kill Furst. I'm just going to take a bit longer than I planned."

Clyde grins as he walks alongside her. The head general is crazy, she's the most insane person that he has ever met. However, the way she is now, is the way that he wishes she had been all along. This Lara would have had the guts to stand up to the aristocracy from the very beginning. This Lara would have protected her subordinates from the get-go. Perhaps he and this Lara could have been closer.

At the front of the pack, Naruto has more questions.

"Sora, if you have been trying to overthrow Furst for so long, how have you kept the title of Headmaster? Surely he would take it away from you?"

"I'm not going to make it obvious that he is my enemy," Sora says, rolling his eyes. "That's not what you mean though, is it."

"Please answer."

"Furst Jonas is a genius," Sora sighs. "He is a genius of battle. He is a genius of tactics. He is a genius of science. His mind is unparalleled, it is and it always will be. He knows that I oppose his rule, but he also knows that he can use my ability to teach, he knows I can give him greater power. All he has to do is manage me well, and that would make me an asset."

"Do you believe that you've made things worse since he became emperor."

Sora goes quiet for a moment. "I have made things worse, yes. I've helped him more than I've hindered him. But from this moment, that's going to change."

"So you're a good teacher?" Naruto asks.

"I'm the best teacher."

"Then would you be able to help Hinata to control her power?"

Sora grins, placing his hands confidently behind his back as he walks forward. A gleam comes into his eyes, "What power would that be?"

"We don't know what the source of her power is. Clyde doesn't know, Lara doesn't know, nobody has been able to understand it," Naruto explains, "But there are times when her divine energy suddenly becomes much stronger, and when that happens she loses control."

"Is that so?"

"She's saved us a few times with that power, but she may bring harm to herself if she can't control it soon."

Hinata apologises to Naruto at length, never having fully understood the length of her power and its consequences. Sora watches as Naruto consoles her about it and as Hinata worries about the situation. It's like looking into the past for him, looking back at his sister and brother-in-law.

"That power does sound rather unusual, doesn't it?" he grins.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?"

"I may be able to help her harness that power," Sora responds, "Yes, I may be able to help with that, and put yet another nail in Furst's coffin."

 **Somewhere in the Imperial Palace**

Swen groans as he leans back against the wall, raising his goggles from his face to reveal his brilliant eyes, shining pink in the darkened room such that even Carmen can see them. He shares a glance with Nadia, who looks thrilled despite the situation. Looking at Nadia, Swen wonders how she manages to understand the world so well, how she knows almost everything that is going to happen and yet remains so gleeful as she watches events unfold. There is something beautiful about seeing the world in that way.

"She hasn't had any thoughts about these questions for almost an hour, I think she's doing pretty well, yep," Swen says beginning a sarcastic applause, "I'm getting bored now, can I have a nap sir?"

"Shut up Swen," Petra shouts at him, "We keep going until the emperor has the answers he wants."

Swen decides to glance into Petra's mind, wondering just what is in there. As usual, he comes up with nothing interesting on the 'control' using queen. She is very good at disguising her deepest thoughts, the only ones that come to the surface are shallow praises of the emperor. She is known by the other royals to be his closest and most loyal supporter, but she is surely just like the rest of them. Surely in the back of her mind there are dark and disturbing thoughts.

"It's unlike your power to be so ineffective Petra," Nadia chuckles as she scribbles in her notebook, "Don't tell me the stress of the situation is getting to you?"

Swen smirks, Nadia always defends him against the other royals.

"You're not helping at all Nadia, why don't you just leave?" Petra demands.

"Silence Petra, your bickering is irrelevant," Jonas says, instantly bringing silence to the room, "Carmen is about to start talking, that's why Nadia has started to speak up."

"Am I that transparent?" Nadia grins, gesturing Swen towards Carmen.

Swen groans but steps forward and lowers his goggles back over his eyes. He once again listens to Carmen's thoughts and notices that Nadia and Jonas were right. Thoughts are starting to come to the surface, they are quiet right now but any second they will become much clearer.

Jonas puts on a demanding voice. "Carmen, tell us, who passed through the secret entrance that you don't want us to know about."

"He… he… he…" Carmen desperately tries to remain quiet.

Swen hears the name from her thoughts. "His name is Uzuma…"

"SWEN!" Carmen screams, silencing the king.

Jonas is stunned by Carmen's sudden outburst. Nobody has dared to be so disrespectful to him in so many years. It does not bother him, but it makes him curious. Carmen had respectfully been referring to them all by their title previously, even when she knew there was no hope of escape. Now that this name is finally being pulled from her mind she has become defiant, more defiant than any aristocrats have been in such a long time. The emperor cannot help but wonder just what has gotten into her.

"I'll answer the question myself," Carmen says, "I would sooner answer than hear his name pass from your lips."

"Oh?" both Jonas and Nadia wonder what she will say.

"His name is Uzumaki Naruto," Carmen answers.

"Someone who kept their family name?" Jonas asks, "A rebellious aristocrat? It's not a name that I've ever heard before."

"He's a pocket-worlder, he's from a world we sent one of our finest generals to invade," Carmen recalls, smiling as she does so, "We sent Clyde and his army to invade a pocket world, but they didn't return after several years, because they couldn't defeat him."

"What happened?"

"The kid reminded Clyde of the honour he once felt. He defeated him in a captained six contest and then spared him. Then Lara investigated the pocket world, invading with a force of several generals. But the result was the same. Lara was unable to defeat Uzumaki Naruto, together he and Clyde managed to change her. The last time I saw my students, they were different."

"Lara," Swen mutters, "Nadia, who is Lara again?"

"Lara is the Head General of the military Swen, I told you that you should have read the reports from the Imperial Guard."

"Is Uzumaki Naruto nearby?" Jonas asks.

Carmen laughs at him. It's been a long time since someone dared so brazenly to laugh in the emperor's face like this. While Furst Jonas remains calm, the three royals watch on with a morbid dread, even they would not dare to act this way to him.

"He's long gone now, but he will be back my emperor, and I'm betting on him when he does return," Carmen explains, "He's going to be back, he'll come back with so much more power behind him and then he will become your greatest enemy."

"A pocket worlder?"

Petra shakes her head. "This interrogation has been corrupted, I think Carmen's become delusional. There's no way that a pocket worlder could threaten us."

"She does believe what she is saying," Swen insists.

"Then she's stupid," Petra replies.

"He worked together with Clyde and Lara," Carmen recalls, "They worked together and they managed to defeat me, he used 'life' energy."

Silence grips the room once again. Petra goes back to her original theory that Carmen is deluded. Nadia looks on in amazement, practically begging for more details as she watches her colleagues carry out the investigation. Swen recalls the only other person to use 'life' energy as he watches for his emperor's reaction. There is only one person that Furst has ever considered a worthy foe, only one person who has directly challenged him in combat for the throne of this world, that man used 'life' energy.

"Uzumaki Naruto, a pocket worlder, is using 'life' energy?" Jonas looks at Swen.

"She's telling the truth sir," Swen says, reading her mind.

Jonas looks back to Carmen. "Tell me where he is, now!"

As Jonas makes this demand, Carmen's whole body begins to glow brightly. A light shines from within her that gradually gets brighter and brighter until she no longer looks like a person and instead a shining star. To the warriors of this world, this is a final call for respect, a warning to ones enemies and a farewell to ones friends.

"She's given up," Petra concludes, "She's going to detonate the divine energy in her body."

That is the technique that Carmen has decided to use, the true last resort. Rather than give any more information away, she has decided to make the ultimate sacrifice. Carmen has decided to detonate all the divine energy in her body, and to give her life to protect Naruto and the others.

"She knows that isn't going to hurt us doesn't she?" Swen asks as he raises his goggles.

"Of course she does," Nadia answers, "She's just refusing to tell us anything more."

"Oh my naïve little royals and my stupid emperor, I'm going to tell you one last thing," Carmen declares. "It's not a fact but a deep seated belief that I truly hold. Furst Jonas, you made a huge mistake when you betrayed Emperor Endou."

Jonas expression doesn't shift despite the mention of his deceased predecessor, a man who once trusted and fought alongside him.

"Now Uzumaki Naruto is going to come for you. He is going to fight you, and he is going to kill you!"

In her final act of defiance, Carmen detonates the divine energy in her body and creates an enormous explosion, one that levels not only the room, but the entire building they are stood in.

Despite her efforts, all Carmen managed to achieve was her ongoing silence. The three royals and their emperor stand amongst the debris unharmed.

"How foolish," Jonas scoffs, "You keep giving these people false hope, Akashi."

 **Outside the Military Academy**

Naruto looks out ahead of him in the moorland environment. Now they are so far into this part of the world that he cannot see the other biomes around him. Likely only those gifted with remarkable vision like Sarada would be able to see back into the grasslands they began their journey from.

In front of the group is the enormous stone building, yet another remarkable structure, a feat of engineering that is simply beyond the people of the pocket world. This is the military academy. This is where Clyde and Lara spent so much of their lives learning all they know about fighting, training in how to use their skills.

A group of ten men and women run forward from the academy, approaching the group.

"Lara," Mirai grabs the head general's arm, "Should we prepare to fight?"

"Don't be stupid, as much as I hate to admit it, with that crazy old man here, we are not in a position to determine our own fate," Lara admits, "Whether we live or die depends on what decision he has made."

One of the aristocrats approaches Sora and bows. "Sir, we have made the preparations you requested, shall we transport the alliance?"

"Please do."

The various aristocrats each pull out a gemstone from their pocket. Naruto has never seen such a beautiful gem in his own world. He watches as the aristocrat in front of him removes the gemstone from her pocket and holds it out in front of her. As she releases the gemstone, it floats in the air unassisted, and mist begins to spread from it. Within a few seconds, the entire group of shinobi, soldiers and aristocrats is clouded within the mist and they all begin to walk forward into the academy building.

"She just called us the alliance, didn't she?" Naruto asks.

"The people of this world, the people of your pocket world, working together to free ourselves from the tyranny of Furst Jonas, what is that if not an alliance?" Sora answers.

As they make their way through the academy, the soldiers all reminisce, some of them recognising this part of the huge complex from their days training. Some of them trained in these very corridors, for years of their lives that seemed so much simpler.

Colonel Burns approaches Clyde. "Sir, it's been a while since I've been to the academy, I don't recognise this part, do you know where we're going?"

"As you know, the closer you get to the centre of the academy, the higher the level of training the students are granted," Clyde recalls, "We've just gone past one of the rooms where Carmen used to teach Lara and I."

"So we're very close to the centre?"

"We've gone past where students are supposed to go," Clyde answers, "Presumably we're moving into the area where aristocrats train now."

The group continue to move forward until they reach a staircase. They follow the staircase downwards, and after the first few steps it becomes clear that the descent isn't going to stop anytime soon. The stairs continue downwards for what feels like hours as they plunge to deeper and deeper depths. They go to a place that Clyde and Lara never even knew to exist, the underground military academy.

"It's like a dungeon," Naruto comments.

"I apologise for the shoddy workmanship," Sora chuckles, "We're fighters not builders, and this place is not built for luxury. The walls are built of stern stuff and its' deep enough to have high ceilings for your practice battles."

"Our practice battles?"

"This is where you will train, this is where I am going to teach you how to kill Furst," Sora explains.

On reflection it is perfect. Naruto examines the surface of this room, which are far harder than stone, closer to diamond. The ceiling is so high that he can only just make it out. This is a training utopia, where nothing can be damaged other than the people using it to train.

"Are the villagers going to be safe while we're down here?" Naruto asks.

"This world is much larger than yours, nobody would have found them without an astoundingly fortunate coincidence," Sora notes, "But don't worry, I'm planning to have of my teachers move them to an even safer location, somewhere where nobody would ever find them."

"It would probably be a good idea if one of the Hokage went with your aristocrats," Minato suggests, "That way the villagers would know that they can trust them."

"Who would be the most appropriate person to send with them?"

"I will go," comes the voice of the 6th Hokage, Hatake Kakashi, "Most of the villagers will know me, the true me, from well, you know about the situation."

Naruto nods, "Yes, they will all remember you, you're probably the best person we could send."

A few words of advice and messages are passed between Kakashi and the other Hokage as he prepares for his expedition. Sora quickly introduces him to a couple of his aristocratic teachers, swearing that the 6th Hokage will be able to trust them. With the introductions made, Kakashi swears to return as quickly as possible so that he too may begin training for the battle against Furst, and then leaves.

"The rest of you will remain here, this is the best place for you right now," Sora explains. "These aristocrats may seem distant but they are my very best teachers, they will remain down here with you and help me to teach you."

The shinobi are reluctant at first, but a few well placed words from the leaders amongst them settle them down. It's only logical, coming this far would have been impossible if Sora had bad intentions for them; it would have been impossible if Sora didn't want them to defeat Furst. Now all that they can do is train diligently for the day that they will need it.

"Every one of you has the potential to become stronger, to become an asset in the fight against Furst," Sora explains, "You have the potential to harness divine energy, even pocket worlders do, something we never knew in the past. I will teach all of you how to do that. I will turn you into sharp swords that your leaders can wield in this war."

The alliance perks up at the prospect of a war. This is not an assassination attempt anymore, they are taking the fight to their enemy.

"You can trust me as your teacher, because enhancement is what I'm best at," Sora says. "Because it's my element, because my divine energy is 'enhancement' energy, because training you to slay Furst Jonas is my destiny"


	162. The Story of Furst Jonas

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – THE STORY OF FURST JONAS**

 **The Underground Academy**

Himawari finishes the practice routine, having done exactly what Sora told her and looks down at her hands, disappointed in herself for not making a breakthrough. She knows that this will take a long time, and that even with hard work, dedication and focus it takes most people years to break through, but now she has that. She, like everyone else, has been guided an expert teacher, and she has more direction than she has ever had before.

She fails that she gained an enormous amount just from spending a few minutes with one aristocrat, the Hokage have each received personal attention from Sora himself, they must be getting even more out of it. She looks at the most important one amongst them, she watches as her father performs a series of dance-like moves. He glides across the floor between two aristocrats as if performing an ancient ritual as he focuses divine energy on a single point, ever moving about his body. All the while, he receives instructions and advice from those two aristocrats, each of them stronger than him. It forces Himawari to realise just how much importance has been placed on her father.

"What do you suppose they're telling him," she asks.

"I don't know," Kushina answers, pausing in her own training, "There are two of them trying to help him break through, and each of those movements is precise and powerful. I think he's in good hands to say the least."

Suddenly behind them Minato's eyes snap open and the 4th Hokage gasps.

"It just grew," he declares.

The 4th Hokage's wife and granddaughter both turn to him curiously. He often gets worked up over small things, he excels at his job which entails a lot of worrying about other people. But something about Minato is different this time, it's not excitement or anxiety that he is showing them, it's amazement.

"It grew?"

"The stone tablet in my inner world just grew," he reiterates, "It just got larger, clearer and most of the cracks disappeared. I don't exactly know what caused it but when I was learning about the 'wind' I…"

Minato teleports away, using the flying thunder god technique to bring himself to his son's side.

"Naruto, the stone tablet in my inner world, it just grew," Minato excitedly declares.

The stone tablet grew? That is not something that Naruto is familiar with. Ever since he first understood 'life' and the tablet appeared in his inner world it has been completely unchanged. Once Kurama cleaned the dust from that stone tablet and the two of them read the word imprinted on it, that is when the Uzumaki clansmen gained control of the element. That leads Naruto to the obvious conclusion, could his father have just made a breakthrough?

"4th Hokage," one of the aristocrats mutters, "4th leader of the Hidden Leaf Village, Namikaze Minato, father to Uzumaki Naruto, have I remembered all that correctly?"

"Yes."

"You are certain that the tablet became larger, because if it did that's a very good sign."

"Yes, the writing became clearer and it got cleaner too," Minato explains, "Does this mean that I've made the breakthrough? Does this mean that I understand the second level of 'wind'?".

"There is only one way to find out," the aristocrat smiles, "Draw as much power as you can from the stone tablet. Try to concentrate that power into an aura around your body, and we will see what you can do."

Minato closes his eyes and focus. Inside his inner world, one of the three Kurama's to have travelled through time looks on as silver-white energy pours from the stone tablet into Minato's body. Since coming to the future he has come to understand the 4th Hokage better and better, he has come to develop a respect for him and his fellow Hokage. Kurama prays for Minato that he will be able to make this breakthrough, he prays that he will reach a level beyond what was possible in the pocket world.

The energy begins to exit Minato's body through his pores and circle around his torso. The spiralling energy continues to increase in volume, slowly spreading from his torso to his arms and legs before moving up and surrounding his head. Around thirty seconds pass as the energy moves all around and then it stabilises. Minato stands perfectly still, surrounded by an energy cloak of silver-white energy.

It is a divine 'wind' cloak. An ability only colonels possess.

"This is looking good 4th Hokage," the aristocrat concludes.

"Dad, given your speed, I think there is one very easy way to test this new power," Naruto suggests, "Why don't we see if you can keep up with me."

Naruto decides to show off slightly, this is his father after all. He mobilises the 'life' energy within his body, darting around the room at a speed that others cannot follow. The captains and shinobi look on in amazement, the upper ranks look on in amusement, astonished at how Naruto virtually outclasses them all in speed. However, perhaps now there is to be one exception to that rule.

Minato dashes across the room, moving in a perfectly straight line, leaving a silver-white trail in his wake. He arrives in Naruto's path and manages to do what was unthinkable yesterday. He catches his son, tapping him a single time in the chest to indicate their equivalent speed.

Minato begins to think he's got the hang of this new power, of this speed that puts everyone else to shame. He throws a series of strikes towards his son, five to be specific, knowing that they will be easy enough for Naruto to keep up with and not enough to hurt him.

Naruto blocks each of the five strikes while smiling. To counter, he throws a powerful punch just past his father's head, letting his hair flicker in the wind.

Minato stops and looks back over his shoulder. _'Amazing, if that had hit me I would seriously be dead! Just how strong is Naruto?'_

"You've turned pale old man," Naruto laughs, patting his father on the back, "Don't worry, keeping up with my speed was amazing, you just lack the power to match it right now."

Minato shakes his head. "You're really something else, you know that?"

"I'm going to tell Sora the good news."

Nearby Himawari did her best to keep up with the exchange, but herself yet to make a breakthrough she was unable to do so. Even with the byakugan keeping up with such quick people proves to be impossible.

"That was amazing," she says with a child-like glee, "Grandpa is too fast."

"Yes, he is," Kushina marvels before turning to Hinata. "You really seem to be getting the hang of controlling 'water' too Hinata, perhaps you will be the next one to make a breakthrough!"

Hinata stares at the 'water' in her hands. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Why?"

"I spoke with Sora, he said that my element isn't water. He said my element is 'fire'. What do you think that means?"

While Hinata ponders the meaning of this, her husband approaches the man who explained it all. He waves as he approaches Sora, shouting his name and bowing gratefully as he approaches. With Minato's incredible speed reaching new heights they are even closer than before to reaching the level they need to be at. They are one step closer to defeating the tyrannical emperor.

"My father has just broken through," Naruto says, "It looks like the rest of us may do so at any moment as well."

"That's good news, but you need to keep working hard, your breakthrough will be the hardest and most dramatic of them all," Sora explains, "Breakthroughs in 'life' are hard, even harder than other double-transcendent elements. Perhaps the only breakthrough harder to make is the one Furst had to make all those years ago."

"What is Furst's element?" Naruto asks.

"His element is the more mobile counterpart to your student's. Furst uses 'destruction' energy. It gives him a tremendous power, an unstoppable power to defeat his enemies," Sora explains, "I don't look forward to battling him. When he was on our side it was always very comforting."

Naruto has heard many times now about Furst's betrayal. "How did it happen? How did he come to betray you and what you stood for?"

"Jonas' story is a simple one, but all the same a dark one. I think it's only fair that you should know it," Sora admits, "Gather the others. I am going to tell you the story of Furst Jonas."

Naruto gathers the others around, shinobi, Hokage, captains, colonels, generals, everyone. Even some of the aristocrats stay around to hear the tale from Headmaster Sora. Nobody in the world is more qualified to tell the story of Furst Jonas than he. He is one of a very small group that walked alongside the two emperors as they rose from nothing to the pinnacle of the world. It is a story that defines their reason for being here.

It's a story that starts over a thousand years ago, during Furst's years as a teenager.

 **Over a Thousand Years Ago in a Small Village**

Furst Jonas was a teenager, a young man still growing. He lived the life of a machine, waking up every day and performing the same essential tasks that he designated for himself. He had several tasks dedicated to improving his health, he had several tasks dedicated to improving his mind, but each of these tasks he undertook alone. It was early in his life that he learned to embrace that attitude. While others would resent the way people stared at him, he embraced it, using the solitude to further himself.

Furst was the child of two disgraced members of the village. While neither his mother nor his father had ever broken any laws, they had never integrated into their community, they had never made any friends in this place. Each of them often preached of a different system for the world, a system where the many villages, towns and cities would unite under one leader. Furst never got the chance to meet them. His mother had died during child-birth, his father had gone missing in a faraway place, assumed dead. He was raised by his teachers until the age of eight years old when he was sent out into the world to survive on his own.

Little Jonas was alone, neither his mother nor his father had any surviving family members. He had to fend for himself for a very early age. Many heartlessly concluded that it would be impossible for the young man, but when some people decided to offer him help the future emperor rejected it. Soon the young man learned to stand on his own two feet, he excelled in all areas of life. His life was more successful than adults with three times the experience he had, even despite his lack of a background. Born imperfect but forged in the fire of solitude, Jonas was pushed further towards perfection than anyone imagined possible.

Jonas had one key advantage, one part of him that drove him to perfection in each area of his life, his mind. Even before he left the care of his teachers he was a worthy academic, outperforming those who claimed to be his superiors. He required little time to master complex subjects yet put in the time nonetheless and became something beyond a master academic. He became a dreamer, lamenting the few mysteries of the world he had yet to understand. So he dreamt of the day when he would be able to leave the village, when he would be able to explore the world and learn more.

Before Furst ever got the chance to leave the village and stand alone, he had to deal with something that most people his age do. He had to deal with bullying. While it may have caused great distress to other people though, it did very little to upset Jonas. He had a mind enshrouded in a resolve of steel and cared little for what people said to him. To this point, he had never met a person like himself, he had never met a person worthy of consideration, he had never met another dreamer.

"There goes little Jonas again," the ringleader would say.

"It's that time of day again," Jonas would reply, throwing his bag to the floor, "Go ahead, do your worst."

The bullies would be violent with Jonas, more so than would have been acceptable with anyone else. The people of the village, increasingly disconnected with the young man, would walk past and blame him for the fights he had managed to put himself in. They considered that if he rejected the world it only made sense for the world to reject him, young men like Jonas get what they deserve. Jonas did not care about their opinion. He was close to the pinnacle of what a human could be, so he took the beating and barely felt any pain as he did so.

The bullies always knew when to stop, they would see the looks on peoples faces as they past. Of course, they got used to them, they learned how to judge people. People wouldn't stop them from having their fun with Jonas, not if they didn't go too far. They could go further with Jonas than with normal people, only on very rare occasion did an elder point out that they were going too far, urging them to stop. Those elders stopped things to protect the bullies souls, to stop them from losing themselves to the black hole that was Furst Jonas.

With his daily beating done with, Jonas would pick up his bag and check the content to see that the bullies had not damaged anything important. They never did, he was too clever and dismissive of its contents. He was always just careless enough into fooling those around him, but no more carless than required. He would go 'home' and use the contents of the bags for his daily experiments, his daily learning regime. He performed horrible experiments, experiments dangerous to himself and anyone around him, but nobody stopped him. He had pushed away anyone who wanted to care about him, and there was nobody around him.

He noticed at one point that one person did start to care about his actions. She never approached him but the young woman would watch his experiments each day, she would watch what he did. He recognised her, a young woman a similar age to him he had met in school once or twice. She was an aspiring academic, someone who wanted to see the world just like him. To him she was merely a pest he couldn't be bothered to deal with, but to her, he was an anomaly. She needed to understand how someone like him could go so far without any help, she considered that the key to pursuing her own goals.

The two of them would have mirrored daily routines, they would both know that the other was there but never exchange a word. A relationship of irritation and admiration, until it all ended one day.

One day, that young woman made a terrible mistake. The bullies stopped Jonas as per usual, forcing him into a spot they had grown fond of, a spot where their beatings were very unlikely to be picked up on by any elders. The bullies began to take out their frustrations on their victim as usual, all until the young woman got in their way. This was the first time she had ever been so close to Jonas, the first direct interaction the two of them had ever had.

Jonas looked up at her with annoyance, he had his day planned out perfectly before she got in the way.

"Stop it!" the young woman berated them, "Why do you keep doing this to him when all he does is mind his own business. Don't you have respect for those of us who pursue our dreams?"

That was the first time that little Jonas had ever heard such a thing said in earnest. He had heard other people mention that they have dreams before, that they had these big goals they wish to pursue, but he had always dismissed them. People talk about their dreams but put no effort into pursuing them. The purity of dreams was diminished by those around him, those who had no intention of pursuing a dream, merely of stating a wish. That's why the young woman had such an impact on him. She may have been intensely irritating, but she was the first dreamer her had ever met.

The bullies did not look upon the young woman so kindly, deciding to treat her the same way they did Jonas. However, the bullies did not realise just how far they had gone with Jonas each time. The young man Furst Jonas had trained himself to incredible physical peak, beyond what any teenager should have been able to achieve, that is how he endured their beatings so well each day. The young woman did not fare so well.

The young woman died that day.

It was a terrible accident.

"Jonas, you didn't see this understand?" the ringleader said, "If you tell any of the elders about this, we'll do the same thing to you."

The word's of the young woman reverberated in Jonas head, possessing him as if his own profound revelations as he got to his feet. This was the first time that Jonas had ever defied them in their years attacking him, it was the moment he snapped.

"… how dare you," Jonas muttered.

That was when Jonas blacked out. In a life of apathy, this was the first time that he truly experience rage, it was the first time experienced respect. His emotions and his empathy awakened in a stunning moment, and seconds later he wished that they had not.

When Jonas woke up, he found himself in a prison cell.

"Why have I been brought here?" he asked the man guarding him, "Isn't this a prison cell?"

"Don't you understand little Jonas?" the guard asked, "You have been put in here because you are a killer. You crossed the line."

"A killer, when?"

"Six missing children," the guard explained, "All the same age as you. We found their remains, and in the middle we found you with a crazy look in your eye. You killed them Jonas."

Jonas reflected on what the guard had told him. He concluded that it made sense, that the young woman had likely made some sort of connection to him because of her dream. He decided that he must have felt empathy and that it must have induced a rage within him. Rationally, if he were ever to have fought back against his bullies he could easily have killed them. While he found the series of events unlikely, he decided that they were more likely than any of the alternatives. He had no choice but to accept that he was a killer.

"There were five young men, they used to attack me every day," Jonas explained, "The young woman tried to stop them, they killed her. I don't recall killing them, putting me in here is illogical."

"You're a killer Jonas," the guard shrugged, "There's no avoiding it, you are the reason the six of them are dead."

Jonas knew that there was no way that he could convince the guard, or anyone else, or his innocence. His incarceration was easily political gain for the elders of the village. It was popular to remove him from the community, to cut him off. The dangerous experiments would stop, so would the embarrassment and the spreading resentment. The elder responsible for imprisoning him enjoyed the praise for it and never saw Jonas again.

Jonas remained in the same prison cell for too long. He enjoyed no dignity and no luxury. The only interaction with the outside world were the books that the library would send for him after he managed to trick one of the guards. He didn't get the books as often as he used to and would read them all too quickly. With nothing else to do for entertainment, Jonas would pass the time by memorising the books. He would not only memorise the content, but would memorise them word-for-word, developing a memory beyond anyone that the village had ever seen.

Jonas continued his prison studies for years, enhancing his genius and curiosity. It was not until twenty years later that he was finally released, judged to have served his time based upon the inconclusive evidence used to arrest him in the first place.

Jonas emerged from jail looking the same age as the day he went in. He had not aged because he had understood an element that day.

At this point, while he was unappreciated, Furst Jonas had likely become the greatest thinker in all of homeworld. He had been a genius for years, but now there was something more, he was a tormented genius with even more determination than before. Nobody had more resolve than Jonas, and nobody has ever had more since.

Jonas had concluded long ago that he had likely understood an element that day, though he had not yet seen a stone tablet in his inner world. He thought that he must have been an exception to the rule and he was right. He confirmed his suspicion during his time in the prison cell, he would occasionally lose control of his body and watch as crimson divine energy rose from within him, destroying whatever it touched before settling down. But he did not use this divine energy to escape, he diligently served his time, not daring to explore the potential of the power he had unlocked.

It was not until he was released that Jonas began to study his element. He immersed himself in countless books, making full use of all the resource he lost while was in prison. He read endlessly about the intricacies of divine energy, about the warriors of the past and even some other types of energy that had been spoken of in legend. He began from this to consider ways of creating different types of energy. What he truly came to understand though was how to characterise and quantify his power.

He determined that his power was not one that was recorded in the village's library, that it may even have been the first of it's kind. Eventually he understood, and the stone tablet in his inner world made everything become clear. He was a user of 'destruction' divine energy.

When Jonas managed to master his element, he was no longer little Jonas. He quickly became the mightiest warrior in the history of the village. The little kid who was once a have-not protected the villagers from countless assaults and tribulations. He once disregarded them as pointless, but a small part of him hoped that they too could learn to dream as he and that young woman had. He preached to the people who once hated him, he begged them to make the effort to pursue their dreams, to push them beyond just wishing. He became a hero.

For the first time since meeting that young woman, Jonas felt respected.

The other warriors in the village looked up to Jonas. He became their commander, many referred to him as Lord Furst, he was their leader. While serving as the leader of the village, Jonas even made a friend. For the first time in his life, Jonas woke up in the morning and had someone he was genuinely looking forward to meeting, life was perfect. He had redeemed himself his sins of the past, he had gone from the village's most hated son to it's most loved and had become a pillar of the community.

He went on to find out that respect is a fickle thing though, and that life could easily fracture it. That very respect was what caused him to turn once again though. Nothing is invulnerable, no matter how we may want it to be.

In the coming years, it was this fragile respect that would cause Jonas to turn once again.


	163. The Return

**THE IMPERIAL PALACE – THE RETURN**

 **Over a Thousand Years Ago**

Everything seemed right in the world for the man known once as little Jonas. He had become the guardian of his village, the saint, the protector, the man that they all looked to. Whenever a threat came to the village, whether it was from another village or from a group of bandits, he would repel them almost single-handedly. He refused to work completely alone though, recognising that it would be best to train those around him, particularly his one closest friend.

After years of protecting his village against all comers, something happened that even he could not foresee with his infinite intelligence and wisdom. He would eventually come to learn that the village was part of a larger world than he imagined possible, a place known as Homeworld. It was after many years that Homeworld was invaded, by people from another dimension.

These beings from another world had strange powers, unusual abilities harnessed in unusual ways. The conventional divine energy that the residents of Homeworld possessed was predictable and easy for them to match in many ways, so the people of this other dimension began to attack.

As the people from the other dimension came, their forces got stronger and stronger. Eventually, not even Furst Jonas could fully repel them. The warriors that he had been training for all those years of peace were finally forced to pull their weight in the defence of the village. They defended the village gallantly against the first wave, but the enemy from the other dimension just kept on coming and coming, there was no stopping them.

It was during one of these assaults that Jonas closest friend died.

Jonas had spent years earning the respect of many, but only two people had ever given him respect purely and honestly. The first was the young woman he met so many years ago, the second was this man. As he died in Jonas' arms, the village's protector wondered what he would feel. It had been so many years of peace and he had a life so devoid of connection that he had never truly experienced loss, and the first moment of loss was upon him. He watched as the light disappeared from his friend's eyes and listened to his soul, wondering what emotions would befall him.

But as Jonas closest friend died, Jonas felt nothing!

It was the same as with the animals Jonas would dissect in his youth. It was the same as hearing about the death of a villager back then or hearing about someone leaving the village. At times when others felt great distress he always felt nothing, he had believed it was because he had no connection but he was wrong. Even that connection could not make him sympathise with these people. He thought that he cared little for the deaths of the animals because they were lower beings than him, he thought humans were above animals, but he was wrong.

He did not feel the animals were below him because he was a human.  
He felt that all life was below him, because he was a god!

Jonas stood from his friend's side, leaving him a broken mess and not caring what happened to him. For the first time in the life of Furst Jonas he realised the truth, he was not a man, he was a deity. Humans were insects compared to him, so little was there importance. They are people, he is a god.

After accepting himself as a deity, Jonas stopped threating over what the people of the village thought of him. He decided that respect was not something to be earned but taken. He started to behave more like a dictator, accepting that people should put him above them, that they would always respect and admire him because he is a god.

As Jonas became accustomed to a life of incomparable luxury, the citizens didn't complain. Despite Jonas' attitude, when he was in charge the village only became larger and more successful, expanding as he gave orders to his followers. Furst Jonas may have been a dictator, but he was simultaneously the greatest leader the village had ever seen. Because of his qualifications, Jonas quickly switched from protector to ruler. He had the skills to manipulate people like this from a very young age, he just never had a reason for it before, like he did now.

The conditions for the citizens gradually got worse and worse though as Jonas enjoyed his new title of divine more and more. Having never left the village, the world seemed like a very small place. Now, no matter what the people from the other dimension threw at the village, the defences created by Jonas could repel it. This land was his by divine right and nobody could take that from him.

Jonas had found his purpose in life. Nobody could take this away from him, or so he thought. The people of the village were coming closer and closer to revolting, but they were keenly aware that their chances of success were small. To truly become free from dictatorship once again, they would need a miracle, they would need someone who could show Jonas that he wasn't a god. Eventually, such a man would arrive.

One day, Endou Akashi came to the village.

The young Endou helped to push the enemy away from Jonas village. During the battle, Jonas realised something about Akashi. Jonas realised that Akashi was better than him. Akashi was the better leader. Akashi was stronger. Akashi was kinder.

Jonas began to act kindly to the villagers once again. He knew that this newcomer Akashi wouldn't tolerate his previous behaviour. Jonas promised to turn over a new leaf, claiming that Akashi had inspired him, something everyone at the time had believed.

Jonas remained allied with Akashi for years, fighting alongside Sora and many more allies all of whom rallied around the same man, the greatest leader in all the land. Akashi inspired the world, Homeworld was united for the first time in living memory. Endou Akashi was the one who led them to victory, he won the war against the invaders from the other dimension and Homeworld was saved. In the war to save Homeworld, Jonas was one of their greatest assets.

Many years later, after the war was won and Homeworld was saved, Jonas, Akashi and Sora travelled together to see a woman from a now-famous clan. The clan had begun to have visions of the future, with the most talented amongst them being able to make incredible predictions.

The elderly woman made a prediction for the three of them. She looked into their future and told them of the coming of a god. Jonas perked up when he heard that, knowing that his time would soon come again and that he would be rid of the heretical Akashi once and for all. His birthright would soon be his once again.

It was a few years later that it happened. Jonas found a way, through the powers of science and experimentation, to surpass Endou Akashi. Jonas killed the man he once claimed to respect, his former friend and leader. With Akashi out of the way and nobody around more powerful than him, it paved the way for Jonas to become emperor. Jonas divinity had expanded, he was no longer the god of a village, he was the god the whole world.

Jonas had gained more might, knowledge and power than anyone in history.

Furst Jonas was the foretold god.

 **The Imperial Palace, the Present Day**

In the aftermath of Carmen's self-destruction, four of the empire's most powerful individuals stand in the remnants of the building. Amongst the fire and the ash, they say very little as they stare at the spot where she was just moments previously. Each of them may maintain a blasé attitude, but they know that Carmen was a loyal ally to Endou Akashi, and that she wouldn't do something like that without reason, unless she had found someone truly worthwhile.

This Uzumaki Naruto is serious.

Queen Petra eventually dusts down her blue robes before wiping her brow. "That was a fairly violent explosion, have you been hurt at all my emperor?"

"In the future you would do well to avoid such stupid questions," the emperor answers, "Attempts at kindness appear unnatural coming from one such as yourself."

Petra chuckles. "Very well, then I'll just say that she was stupid for being disloyal to you."

"Indeed."

"What do you make of this Uzumaki Naruto then?" Petra asks, "Should we be doing anything about him. It doesn't sound like he's a threat to you right now, but in the future…"

"Keep a rational mind," Petra says, "Think through his potential based on his previous accomplishments, then you will the truth."

"The truth?"

"Even if Uzumaki Naruto reached his full potential, he would still not be strong enough to defeat the emperor," Nadia explains, "He's not a threat so much as he is pest."

The three royals remain silent as Jonas considers the situation before him. Of course, Nadia is right, doing the maths on the maximum potential of a pocket worlder, it should be impossible for someone such as Naruto to reach the same level as him. Carmen surely knew that as well though, there must have been some reason for her faith in him. Perhaps her self-destruction was to withhold that knowledge. Or perhaps Carmen simply fell into a trap, realising that Naruto was similar to Akashi and being taken in by his charisma.

"Swen, did you manage to read any of Carmen's thoughts during her last moments?"

"Yes my emperor, but I don't think it's anything useful."

"I'll be the judge of that."

King Swen gulps. "In her head she was repeatedly calling for your death at the hands of those who will come later. Specifically, she was hoping that you would come to regret the many deaths you caused when you…"

"Silence Swen, you were right, that was nothing useful."

Nadia covers her mouth with her hand, pretending to hold back her laughter at her emperor's expense. If nothing else, she will always support what Swen says when he is speaking seriously.

"Nadia, I value your power greatly, but don't mistake my approval of your methods for leniency," the emperor demands, "Any further laughter at my expense will result in you losing land to your neighbour."

"I'm very sorry Emperor Furst."

Petra rolls her eyes. "You don't sound sorry."

"Now-now Petra let's not bicker."

Jonas would sometimes interrupt if the royals were to bicker like this in front of him, but right now he appears lost in thought. Even though they are close to him in power, he considers them below him in principle, he has done with most people throughout history, with one notable exception. Jonas has accepted that Akashi's ability to inspire his subordinates was even greater than his own, that is why it was essential to eliminate the former emperor. This Uzumaki Naruto may be the same, or he may be malleable, perhaps he can be turned into yet another weapon.

Swen tugs Nadia's sleeve. "Bickering is pointless, yep. Can we go now Nadia?"

"Not yet" Nadia groans, "Honestly Swen, we haven't got to the best part yet."

The three royals return their gaze to their leader.

"Petra, your mastery of 'control' energy will need to improve," Jonas decides, "I will expect your interrogations to be more effective in future. And Nadia, you seem particularly interested in this situation."

"I am."

"Then you go and find Uzumaki Naruto. Bring him before me and I will decide what to do with him."

Nadia hugs herself mockingly. "You want me to find the big-bad pocket-worlder all by myself?"

"I'm certain that Swen will be as willing as ever to participate in your search," Jonas replies, "And I expect you to get on with it straight away."

With his orders delivered, Jonas asks Petra to accompany him as the two of them return towards the imperial palace's core, where most of the world's treasures and resources have been focused around the emperor's throne. This leaves only Nadia and Swen, the duo who found Carmen, standing amongst the ashes of her detonation.

Swen sighs in relief. "The emperor is as scary as ever; can't you say something to calm him down Nadia?"

"You expect me to get in the head of the emperor, that would be treason Swen?"

"I suppose so, you probably shouldn't then."

Nadia laughs. "So fickle. Aren't you excited, we're going to hunt a big-bad pocket-worlder. This is the most interesting assignment we're ever going to receive."

"I would rather stay at home."

"Come on Swen," Nadia says, pushing the young man by his shoulders. "We've got a pocket-worlder to find, and I need your help. Your 'psychic' powers will be crucial to the search."

"I don't really know how to focus my abilities to find someone, yep," Swen says, "I can read people's minds but I would have to be lucky to find someone who knows where this one is."

Nadia stops pushing Swen and lifts her notebook in front of her face. She turns the page to three times, moving to three completely separate pages in the book. With each page she reads she recalls more and more key information about the world. Information is her currency and her brain becomes richer by the second as she comes closer to determining the truth of Naruto's location.

"You don't need to worry Swen," Nadia says, tucking her notebook away, "I'm fairly certain that I already know where Uzumaki Naruto is. All I need is your ability to confirm my suspicions."

"Then I'm glad that something easy is finally happening, yep."

"First thing's first, we have to safeguard against reinforcements," Nadia says, "They probably don't have any reinforcements but if they do, we can cut it and their escape off at the same time!"

"We can?"

"Yes," Nadia grins, "Because they're both through the same portal."

 **The Imperial Guard Headquarters**

Safura remains in the central chamber of the imperial guard's headquarters, her legs crossed, meditating and reflecting upon recent events. She wonders just what was said between the emperor and King Max behind closed doors, and why Queen Petra was invited to stay for it. She wonders what the truth is behind the breakout incident, and what exactly was let loose that shouldn't have been.

As she is the imperial guard head general, she answers directly to Furst Jonas and has a responsibility to connect him to his many subordinates. She also feels somewhat that she should do her best to keep the people of the world happy as they are dictated to by the emperor. She also knowns that there is only so much that she can do, and that she is just caught up in the storm, that her actions will be determined by those with more power than herself.

She reaches up and fiddles with her single diamond earring, an eternal comfort to her, as she feels the platform raise behind her. Evidently, one of her generals has something to say to her. She sits there, unmoving, waiting for her subordinate to speak first before she can be bothered to turn around.

"Were you expecting someone else Safura?"

General Safura turns around urgently, recognising the voice. "Queen Nadia, King Swen."

Swen waves sarcastically, "Hello Head General Safura," he says before walking over to her chair and sitting in it, resting his legs on the armrest.

"Don't worry about him Safura, he's just being lazy as always," Nadia explains as she takes out her notebook, "The emperor has received news of a traitor to the empire, he has asked me to track him down. The game has started once again."

"I see," Safura says.

Safura patiently awaits any orders she may be about to receive from the royals, looking respectfully towards Nadia. She has always liked working with Nadia and Swen, their taste for cruelty only extends to people much weaker than her, the two royals respect power like hers. Nadia has always written down her predictions and conclusions after their conversations, sometimes offering to read them to Safura. The head general has always been amused by Nadia's supernatural powers to predict and foresee.

Safura looks at Swen and smiles. "Your friend is as relaxed as ever Queen Nadia."

"Yes he is, hey, do you want to wait for him to go to sleep and draw on his face?"

"I heard that!" Swen yells back

"You were supposed to."

Safura shakes her head. "Do you want any help from the imperial guard, if so I am always happy to provide it for you my queen."

"Splendid Safura, I need a group of captains to go to the military headquarters and destroy the last portal Military General Clyde used."

"That's a relatively easy task," Safura nods, "Something that you would normally ask the military to do."

Nadia grins, "Keep going Safura."

"I'm curious as to why you want the imperial guard to do it, aren't we overqualified?"

"You're a smart woman Safura, you can figure it out."

"Well, you're hunting a traitor," Safura begins, "Since there is something on the other side of the portal that we want to cut off access to…".

"Yes?"

"I'm guessing that Military General Clyde has neglected his duty. I'm guessing that he made some allies in that pocket world."

"Yes?"

"The reason you didn't ask the military to do this is because you can't," Safura finishes, pleased with her own deductions. "There are traitors amongst the military, so we can't trust them not to go against the emperor again."

"Well deduced Safura," Nadia claps with a grin, "This is why you were selected to lead the imperial guard, I'm glad that I've always spoken on your behalf."

"You praise me too highly Queen Nadia, I should be the one praising your genius, your status as a royal is well deserved. So, tell me, is there anything else I can help you with?"

Nadia closes her notebook, and walks around Safura, inspecting her from every angle with the sadistic grin on her face. Nadia laments that Furst has already taken Safura as his representative in the imperial guard, she would love to have taken Safura herself. Safura is the being closest to the royals outside of the royals themselves. She is kinder than the royals, more intelligent than most of them, and Nadia wishes for every opportunity for them to work together in the future, despite what she has deduced.

"Just let me know when you have finished," Nadia requests, "Come on Swen, we have places to go."

"Eh, can't we just use Safura's portal?" Swen asks, "I don't really feel like going for a run, yep."

"Come on, it will do you good to stretch your legs."

"Fine."

Swen and Nadia step onto the platform, causing Safura to bow to them politely. She rises as the platform begins to descend, watching the two royals drop out of view. Swen waves his hand vertically at Safura, saying "bye-bye" childishly as he disappears. Safura breathes a sigh of relief as they disappear. She likes working with the two of them, she has yet to put a foot wrong while doing so, but she knows that if she were to do so it would be fatal. There is no royal one can afford to be complacent around.

Safura waits a few minutes before using the platform herself. She descends and speaks to the generals under her command, organising for the portal to be destroyed.

 **Military Headquarters**

Within the military headquarters, a group of imperial guard captains dash along the ground, running past dozens of portals at tremendous speed, bearing down on the portal Clyde last used. Bearing down on the portal to Naruto's pocket-world.

But suddenly, one of them sees something.

"I think I see someone stood in the portal sir!"

"It doesn't matter what you think you see, destroy it now, this is the command of the head general!"

Simultaneously, each of the generals cast their elements forward. The portal is bombarded with fire and water, darkness and light. Buried under an incredible amount of divine energy, the portal is bound to be destroyed.

The woman stood in the portal shields her face with her hands, protecting her eyes and recognising there is nothing she can do against this onslaught.

Just as the portal is about to be destroyed, the woman teleports away. The portal is destroyed, and access to the pocket-world is cut off, perhaps forever.

The woman watches as this happens, taking several deep breaths of air and realising that she could have shared the same fate as the portal if she had been there for just a few moments longer. It is lucky that she had an ally there to teleport her away at the last moment.

She runs her hand through her bright pink hair and looks over her shoulder at her saviour.

"Thank you… Sasuke…"

* * *

 **Author Note:**

Hi All,

This chapter marks the end for Part 7 - The Imperial Palace.  
I have now begun to work on Part 8 of this story which I hope you will all enjoy.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading Part 7 as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thanks as always for reading it.

See you all soon,  
Cbehrills


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